Plus-size brides

Kershnic

If you're a plus-sized bride, where did you have the most luck dress shopping? 

ScissortailFlycatcher

I'm a street size 14/16 and bought a size 20 dress. I went to a local boutique that had some designers I was interested in, they had a lot of dresses. I think there were almost 12 I liked enough to try on, and more in my size that I didn't.

You can always call around, and ask what they have available before making an appointment. I was really lucky with my local boutique.

Steph0871

Ditto... I'm about a 14/16 street size and dress 20... I actually had good luck at David's Bridal.  

shameless_ad

I'm a street 14/16 too.  I found lots of dresses at David's Bridal to try on, but not any that I liked - it was a good place to go first to figure out what I liked and what I didn't.

I had really good luck at the Wedding Shoppe on Grand.  I know there are mixed reviews of the place, but I had a wonderful experience.  They have a separate area with plus sized samples, and my consultant (Carolyn F) was fantastic.

BrideBehl

I am also at 14/16 but had to order a size 20.  I got mine at the wedding chapel in Crystal.  I tried Davids bridal first but nothing fit.  I felt pretty fat after I left LOL.  I also tried the wedding shoppe but the dress I wanted was cheaper at the wedding chapel.

wittyschaffy

I had a fantastic experience at the Wedding Shoppe.  I called ahead and let them know I was a plus size bride and they made sure to get us in the room that had samples that I could actually fit into.  I tried DB and was so absolutely irritated by them that I swore I'd never willingly go back there again. 

Izzygrim

I also recommend the Wedding Shoppe on Grand Ave (go on a weekday if at all possible!!!) and also Mestad's in Rochester. Wedding Shoppe had a ton of plus sized dresses, but I ended up buying mine at Mestad's.
David's has a lot, but I just didn't find any that I didn't look horrible in. They have a ton of dresses though, so I'd recommend going there also on a weekday where you can get plenty of help and trying on as many dresses as possible (I went on a weekend and maybe tried on 5 in my 90min appt).
I don't know where you've been thinking of looking, but I would NOT recommend Dena Marie in Roseville. They were very kind and had a lot of pretty dresses, but VERY few dresses above a 10/12, so I couldn't even pull them up to see what they would look like. Very frustrating.

beka0404

The key to the Wedding Shoppe is the consultant - I had Katy, and she was completely awesome. I'm a street 12 and she pulled dresses from both areas for me to try on. I don't love the Wedding Shoppe as a whole, but she made the experience pleasant. (I had a Weds AM appt which allowed me to not feel rushed.)

David's = I have never received worse service in my entire life. However, some brides say that it was worth checking out to see which styles look best. I already knew what would flatter me, so I shouldn't have wasted any time there. 

llgus

Like some of the previous posts, I would recommend calling around and seeing what bridal shops carry your size. I ended up planning a weekend trip with my mom and MIL to shop for dresses in a place where they had larger sizes and selections than the typical size 8-10 sample sizes.
There are plenty of shops around here that carry a variety of sizes.

I was turned off by the wedding shoppe when going there with a "plus size" bridesmaid to look for bridesmaid dresses, the person we worked with kept making coments about how my bridesmaid was going to be the biggest one in the wedding and if a dress could flatter her, it would look great on anyone. (RUDE!)

The person helping you at the shop makes all the difference in the world when helping you select your dress. You want to feel like a princess when you're trying on your dresses. I would recommending asking them what dresses they think will be the best for your body type - and they should be able to pull dresses that will make you look phenominal! That was my "test" with dress shopping - was to get the expert opinion on what was going to look the best with my body type. There was one shop that gave me a total of 2 dresses to try on and said that all of her other dresses aren't made for my body type. I ended up buying the first dress she gave me to try on (after going to many other shops). It helps to work with someone that knows what dresses are good for the different body types and styles.

t.lee

The Chapel of Love at the MOA has a good range of sizes so you can actually try the dresses on.  As most people have mentioned, The Wedding Shoppe in St Paul also had a good selection as well.  I actually found my perfect dress at Mary Kay's Bridal.  The ladies there are all super nice and made me feel really good about my experience.  They were in Richfield but just moved to St. Louis Park.

bellaxanthe

I had pretty good luck at Heartstrings in Hopkins. Most of the dresses I pulled were 12-16 and I could at least fit them over my head. The girls there were incredibly sweet and there are only a couple of dressing rooms so you don't feel so overwhelmed.