Plus Size Bridal Journey - Wedding Dress Part 1
Perhaps the thing a plus size bride fears the most is wedding dress shopping. Even for me, someone who is very familiar with the plus size fashion and clothing industry, found myself very anxious and scared before going dress shopping. Will anything fit me? Will I feel beautiful? Will I struggle with my body that day? It’s a lot of feelings that a plus size bride brings into that shopping experience. I was a little bit surprised I was so scared when I’ve worked so hard to embrace my body and just know that the fashion industry, especially bridal, isn’t inclusive of me.
I already knew there was only one place I was going to go shopping for my dress, Savvy Bride. I know Nicole, the owner, and the manager, Trianna, through our connection of plus size. Nicole opened Haute & Co. Bridal a couple years ago that was an exclusively plus size wedding dress shop in addition to Savvy Bride. This past year, she combined both stores to just Savvy Bride. I knew Nicole was super intentional and mindful of making sure to have wedding dresses in her store that are plus size. I also know how amazing of a person she is and that she tries to make the shopping experience for plus size brides as wonderful as every other bride.
Going into wedding dress shopping, I knew I had an advantage compared to other plus size brides. I knew I had a place to go who would have my size in store and provide an inclusive shopping experience for me. But still, I was anxious. I think just all the years of not finding my size or being able to love how it looked on me were resurfacing. It’s a lot of pressure too. It’s the one dress that has so much significance in your life and will be in your memories of your wedding for years to come. No big deal!
From the moment we got to Savvy, it was an incredible experience. We had a semi private room with mimosas, cupcakes and vegan treats waiting for us. They provided amazing service and really went above and beyond to make sure I had a great dress shopping experience. I truly felt so special. I loved everything about shopping there for my dress.
I was super impressed with the selection of dresses in my size and even the selection in larger sizes. I had a wide variety to try on, and there was even a trunk show that weekend that I could shop from as well. We pulled several different styles to see what I may like. I was pretty open to styles. I just knew I wanted something fitted and nothing big and poofy or a-line. This is the one time I get a dress perfectly tailored to my body, and I wanted to take full advantage of it!
If you follow me and Worthy Figures at all, you know I love a good boho design. The first dress I tried on had more of that feel, and crazy enough, it ended up being the one I picked! Yep, I picked the very first dress I tried on. I don’t know if it’s because it fit really well off the rack or it just set the standard to beat for all the others. I tried on probably about 10 more dresses, but I kept coming back to that one. It just felt like me, and it made me feel beautiful but comfortable. I saw myself marrying Tyler in that dress.
I was a little surprised I didn’t cry at all that day. I thought that was something every bride did when they found their dress, but I didn’t. So don’t feel bad if you’re not overcome with emotion during your dress shopping experience. For me, I try on clothes a lot, so I’m a little bit desensitized to it all maybe. Like I said before, it’s also a lot of pressure on that day to find a dress you love. I do wish I would have taken a little more time to decompress while trying on dresses and focus on enjoying it more. It went by so fast, and I wish I could do it all over again!
I feel so grateful that I had Savvy Bride and their team to make my experience as wonderful as it was. I have heard so many horror stories from other plus size brides about their dress shopping, and it’s so sad that the bridal industry doesn’t do a better job making it just as good an experience for plus size brides. If you’re in the Charlotte area, I highly recommend Savvy Bride to find your wedding dress. There, it is so much more about the experience that just the dress.
Stay tuned for the second part about my dress shopping where I give 5 tips for how to make your wedding dress experience its absolute best!