Throw away the anxiety, and understand you are not alone.
Regardless of your size, wedding dress shopping can be a nerve-wracking experience for many future brides. But for a curvy bride, there is often an added level of anxiety and fear wrapped up in the idea of visiting a bridal shop. We as a curvy wedding dress shop understand those fears, and strive everyday to eliminate them as soon as our brides walk through our doors.
In a perfect world curvy brides would not feel the way they do about wedding dress shopping, but for us it is too often the case that girls are not as excited about the experience as they should be. And that is fair enough when you consider the representation that curvy women receive in the media. They are heavily underrepresented, and often left with little to no information on matters that match their body type. In fashion, there is often nobody to inspire, or to compare to, in a world which feels very 'other'. This can lead to a mindset in curvy brides of, 'dressing up just isn't for me'. Which is wrong. Every woman deserves to feel fabulous every day, especially on their wedding day.
We opened Confetti and Curves in Bedfordshire because we felt curvy brides were severely underrepresented in our country, and more specifically in our local area. The response to our shop has been genuinely incredible, and it has been a pleasure to find so many brides their dream dress. But ever since our very first appointment, there have been common questions that pop up again, and again. Fears that are obviously widely held beliefs, and queries that are best answered before you even reach our doors.
So today, we thought we would share these Common Questions Asked by Curvy Brides in the hope that we may dispel some myths, and eliminate some fears.
Common Questions Asked by Curvy Brides
What if nothing fits me?
One of the most common questions asked by curvy brides is 'what if nothing fits me?'. In a specialist plus-size bridal shop the majority of dresses should fit up to sizes 30-36. You should be confident that you will be able to try on a wide variety of styles and find your special dress. In a high street shop, there is likely to be a very small selection of plus size wedding dresses to try. Their main customer is not the plus size bride and their sample dress size is likely to be a 10. We have heard so many distressing stories from brides about their experiences in high street shops, so please do consider a specialist curvy bride boutique when wedding dress shopping.
Can I have sleeves?
A good quality bridal shop will have a seamstress that they can refer brides to. Sleeves and straps can be added or taken away from almost any dress. This also applies to belts which can be removed, added or changed. Boleros are available in plus sizes. If a bride wants sleeves, then it is worth stating that sometimes sleeves can draw unwanted attention to upper arms, attention that is often much better drawn to the body of the dress. It is also worth saying, don't feel as though you need to have sleeves, they are a personal choice, not an obligation. It could be a comfort thing, it could be because you arms are cold, but it should never be because someone said you MUST wear sleeves to cover your arms.
Do I have to wear an Empire line or A-line?
An empire waist can have a slimming effect, but not every woman holds her weight in the same place. An empire waist brings your eye into the smallest part of the body, under the bust line. But if you are wider in your mid-section or don't have a defined waist, then a different silhouette will be needed in order to flatter your body type. It not unusual for shops to push curvy brides into empire gowns, or A-lines, but that is not always the best option. There are so many other styles to choose from, such as mermaid, trumpet, ballgowns, fit and flares... The possibilities are almost endless, open yourself up to trying some of these styles, and together we'll find one that works best for your body type.
What about alterations?
Brides often ask about alterations, and what exactly is involved. A good curvy bridal boutique will have a seamstress they can refer brides to, or even have one in-house. It usually takes 2-3 appointments to have alterations completed, or longer if the alterations are complicated. It's important to add at least a month to the delivery time of a wedding dress to make sure that there is time for the alterations to be completed. The cost of alterations are usually not included in the price of the dress and are agreed with the seamstress separately.
Will I be able to wear a designer bridal gown?
When we opened Confetti and Curves, we wanted brides to have the options they saw in the magazines, names like True Bride and White Rose Bridal, but in plus sizes. We wanted curvy brides to be able to try on designer gowns without the anxiety of trying to squeeze into them. Or worse yet, not being able to try anything on at all and having to guess what it will look like. We cater for women from sizes 18-36, and these curvy, beautiful brides will have their pick from our designer bridal gowns on our rails.
We hope we have eliminated some misconceptions about shopping for curvy bridal dresses. If you would like to join us for a wedding dress appointment please feel free to click here and get in touch.
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