Shopping Tips & Advice for Plus Size Brides

Don't be nervous

Firstly don’t be nervous! Many of our brides are nervous about sizing when they come in, especially those on the search for a plus size wedding dress.  Please don’t be, we’re here to help you find the dress of your dreams and we promise we’ll make it a lovely experience….just enjoy! We get lovely feedback on a daily basis from our brides about our plus size selection and our shopping experience so we promise your in good hands.

Research

We recommend doing a little research and preparation of the styles you like before you come in store. If you haven’t already tried dresses this will help give you an idea of what the different styles are and what you’d like to try on. And sometimes it begins but deciding what you think you wouldn’t like in a wedding dress. Sometimes however, dresses can surprise and you know that fitted dress that you loved but didn’t think would suit you…well it might just be the one to make you feel a million dollars, so keep an open mind too. We recommend you screenshot your favourites and we’ll start with these first. And remember you won’t be restricted to trying on only these styles, our consultant will work through all the styles and silhouettes with you. If you have already tried on some dresses and have a style in mind, don't be afraid to show us pictures of your favorites so far, a picture paints a thousand words and all helps us, help you find the most perfect dress for your day. Also remember that anything with a corset back can also come with buttons and zip. Strapless dresses can also have straps added easily- we have a selection of lace, beaded, cap sleeve and off the shoulder straps. We can also normally order the exact lace or materials from each gown to have matching straps made by your dressmaker also. They also come in lots of colours, so if you see a dress in blush, remember it can most likely be ordered in classic Ivory or White.

sizing

Sizing is what causes much of the nerves when wedding dress shopping. To help with this we have put the size of all our plus size wedding dresses under their description for you so you know before you come what size the sample will be. Keep in mind bridal sizing tends to be on the smaller side so if you are normally a size 20, in a wedding dress this may be a size 22. Bridal gowns rarely fit anyone perfectly so don’t worry too much about this, all of our wedding dresses can be ordered for you in a smaller or larger size. We’ve all sorts of magic tricks too to help pull in a gown that is too big or tuck you into a gown that’s on the smaller side. You need lots of imagination wedding dress shopping but we can promise you if you love it and it doesn’t quite close at the back, when it comes in your size and is altered to fit your curves perfectly, you will love it more and more! All of the dresses in our plus size collection are between 20 and 26. We also have some additional dresses and larger sizes during our Curvy Bride events which run every few months. Please feel free to give us a call and we can give you all the details and upcoming dates.

Bring your nearest and dearest.

It be overwhelming going to try on wedding dresses, particularly if you have a lot of different opinions. Make sure you bring those who opinions you need, the people you trust and want to be part of the experience but also those that you’re comfortable around. If you do have people you’d like to see your dress but don’t want to bring too many opinions at your first appointment, there’s lots of ways we can help you to involve others later. For example, you can bring them  at your styling appointment and get their involvement to pick bridal accessories once the big decision is made. We can also offer you a service where you can come before your appointment with us for a pre- appointment styling session mid week. Some brides do this with their mums or maid of honour. It’s a great opportunity to try on the different shapes to get a better idea of what you’re looking for but also to get the first time shopping nerves over with and meaning your appointment with your ‘Team Bride’ then is focused on trying styles your comfortable in and dresses you love!

Plus size wedding dress events

We also have at least two exclusive curvy bride events every year. During these events we have an extended range of plus size dresses available for the one weekend only. We also have extended sizes and dresses in different colours and finishes to those we normally stock in the boutique. It’s a great opportunity to get a peek at new season collections and be the first to try on dresses which aren’t normally available in the store. You can contact us for more details. We'd love to welcome you for a bridal appointment in our boutique in Donegal. We have brides travel from all over Ireland to come and visit us and most that do, find their dream dress on their first appointment. So we promise we’re worth the travel if your a little further away from us.

And please remember if you have any questions at all about any of our wedding dresses, our plus size collection or bridal appointments just get in touch, we’re always more than happy to help!