You’re getting married soon! You’ve planned a date, secured a venue, and began sampling cakes. One task you have not yet completed is finding a wedding dress. As a plus-sized woman, you feel like your dress options are limited. You’re going to be a bride, and you want the most beautiful dress you can get. So, how to Find the Perfect Wedding Dress for Your Plus-Sized Figure?
Plus-sized women should follow these tips for tracking down the perfect wedding dress:
- Avoid crash diets and buy for your current size
- Only go to stores that have plus sizes available
- Understand the sizing differences between wedding dresses and regular clothes
- Browse around online, but never buy
- Consider hiring a specialist
- Try on as many dresses as you can
- Be open to different fits and styles
- Make sure your dress is comfortable as well as beautiful
- If you want to hide trouble areas, opt for thicker fabrics and/or ruching
- Know that you can always get a dress tailored
- You can also get an otherwise great dress detailed and decorated
- Ask for opinions of family and friends, but remember it’s your say
- Have fun
We just threw a whole lot of tips at you, but ahead, we’ll explain more about each one. This way, you can use our advice to get your hands on the dress and move on to the rest of your wedding planning!
13 Tips for Plus-Sized Women to Find a Dream Wedding Dress
- Avoid Crash Diets and Buy for Your Current Size
Brides of all sizes tend to fall into the mindset that they’ll go on a crazy fad diet and drop 10 or 20 pounds ahead of the wedding. This is an idea that sounds good in theory, until you start planning a wedding. It’s so time-consuming, expensive, and yes, stressful that you don’t always have time or energy to eat right and hit the gym.
Rather than plan for what your body could look like 20 pounds lighter, do yourself a favor and shop for the size you’re at now. Could you always lose weight before the wedding without the fad diets? Certainly, especially if stress affects your weight. You might also put on a few extra pounds, which is normal.
That’s why it’s a good thing you can get your dress tailored up until days before the wedding. Weight fluctuations happen in brides all the time, so don’t sweat it too much.
- Skip the Stores with Smaller Dresses
Where do you plan on shopping for a wedding dress? If it’s a chain store like David’s Bridal, they have plus-sized offerings for brides with figures like yours. Smaller, specialty shops in your neighborhood might not be as generous with their sizing though.
It would be embarrassing to walk into a bridal dress store, try on a few dresses, and find none are even close to your size. You want your wedding dress shopping to be a fun, memorable experience, as this is something you likely will only do once in your life.
To save yourself any shame, call the store ahead of visiting and ask about their dress sizing. You can also get a feel for a store’s wedding dress selection on their website. Either way, if the store you wanted to visit doesn’t do plus-sized wedding dresses, then you have to abandon that option. This can be sad if you had your heart set on a particular store, but you’ll be happier in the longer-term.
- Anticipate Different Wedding Dress Sizes Than What You’re Used To
You’re a size 14. When you shop for jeans, you stick to that size 14 and, for the most part, your pants fit. Sure, maybe at some stores, you’re a size 16 or even a size 12 or 13, but you know which section of the store to start browsing for jeans.
That won’t be the case when you start shopping for wedding dresses. That size 14 dress could look like it’s made to fit a doll, not a real human woman. Immediately, you begin to feel self-conscious. Maybe you even leave the store, but you find it’s the same thing at another store.
You’re a little confused. You had thought you’d chosen stores with plus-sized dresses, so why aren’t you fitting into any of them at your usual size?
That’s because most wedding dress stores use couture sizing, which doesn’t conform to the basic sizing for pants, shirts, and even non-wedding dresses. As a regular size 14 in clothes, your wedding dress size may be far larger than that.
This can make you feel even worse about yourself, but don’t fret. Even smaller brides have to wear bigger dress sizes, as that’s just how couture sizing works. Rather than get yourself into a tizzy over the number on your dress, focus instead on how the dress fits and looks.
At the end of the day, no one will see what size your wedding dress is except for you and your tailor. Well, maybe your friends and family if they help you into your dress, but they won’t care. They just want you to have the most special day possible.
- Use the Internet for Inspiration and Ideas
The Internet can be your friend as you narrow down wedding dress options. If you feel isolated because of your size, then check out some plus-sized bloggers who got married and see what they wore to their weddings. Browse Pinterest boards as well to gain inspiration.
You can also use the Internet for research purposes, looking online at your target list of stores to see which ones offer what. Of course, we would refrain from telling you to ever shop online. It may sound tempting, but buying a wedding dress without trying it on first is a gamble no woman ever wants to take, regardless of her size.
If you can order a dress online and get it sent to a store near you, then that’s one thing, but you must make sure you get it tailored regardless. Otherwise, you’ll have no idea what you’ll be slipping into come your wedding, and that’s an unpleasant surprise you don’t want to have to worry about!
- Work with a Specialist if You’re Struggling
Finding the right wedding dress at any size is a gargantuan task, and it’s certainly not one that’s easy. That’s an experience almost all brides can agree with.
You only have so long to track down your ideal dress before your wedding. You want to give your seamstress plenty of time to alter the dress and then make any final changes ahead of the wedding, which doesn’t afford you a huge window of time for shopping.
If you’re starting to get nervous because you’re running out of time and the right dress eludes you still, we’d suggest hiring a specialist. Most specialists are certified experts. They’ve helped hundreds, maybe even thousands of brides just like you get connected with their perfect dress, and they can offer the same services to you.
Yes, this is extra money you have to put forth when a wedding budget may already be tight, but we’d say it’s worth it.
- Try on as Many Dresses as You Can
Did you find a dress you like online? You already booked your appointment to come in and try on the dress at the bridal store nearest you. As you’re browsing the aisles looking for the dress, the salesperson may try to redirect you to other dresses as well.
This can annoy you if you think you’ll love the one dress you already found, but you never know. Seeing the dress on a model and then seeing it on yourself are two very different things. Perhaps the dress doesn’t fit right, or the color isn’t what it appeared online.
Follow the store person’s advice and try on a handful of dresses as well as the one you picked out. You don’t have to wear every last dress at the store, but definitely as many as possible. The right dress doesn’t always look that great sitting on the rack, after all.
Oh, and don’t be discouraged if you don’t find the dress for you at the first store your visit. Many brides don’t. You may have to visit a lot of stores over the weeks and wear many dresses until one finally jumps out at you as the dress!
- Be Open to Different Fits and Styles
You’ve spent a lot of time tailoring your wardrobe as a plus-sized woman. You know what looks good on you and what doesn’t, so when you go to the bridal dress store, you stick to a style that’s tried and true.
Did you know you might be doing yourself a disservice with this closed-minded viewpoint? If you go to five stores and only try on ball gowns because they’re roomy around the waist and stomach, you’re missing out on so many other types of dresses. What about mermaid dresses or sheath dresses? You could even be a wedding jumpsuit girl and not know it (yes, wedding jumpsuits are a thing now!).
When the store person at the bridal shop or even your specialist suggests you broaden your horizons, listen to them. Yes, it can be scary to try a new style, especially in such a high-pressure environment as shopping for a wedding dress.
Yet if you find that this different style flatters you even more than the original style you wore, you’ll be so happy you took the plunge. And if it just so happens a different style isn’t flattering, at least you know for sure. You never want to have doubts or reservations when shopping for a wedding dress, so leave no stone unturned.
- Prioritize Comfort as Much as Beauty
Women sometimes have the idea that squishing and stuffing various parts of their bodies into clothing is okay as long as it’s in the name of fashion. It’s hard to otherwise explain why some ladies insist on wearing sky-high stilettos. It’s certainly not because these shoes are comfortable.
That same mindset can carry over to your wedding dress shopping. You try on a gorgeous dress that fits you like a glove (maybe even literally), but you can hardly breathe when you’re wearing it. It’s okay for a dress to be a little form-fitting, and sometimes corsets or bodices do make for a slightly tight fit.
However, if you’re lightheaded in your dress because you’re not getting enough air, that’s a problem. Less threateningly, feeling scratchy sequins rubbing at your underarms or underwires holding your breasts in too firmly are not comfortable either.
Remember, you have to wear your wedding dress all day. Some brides opt for a second dress for the reception, but if you’re not doing that, then you could be in your dress upwards of eight hours, maybe longer.
No wedding dress is as comfortable as a pair of sweatpants or your favorite relaxed t-shirt dress. That said, you want to be able to focus on the feeling of walking down the aisle and all the unique experiences that come with being married, not the pain or discomfort of your wedding dress. Don’t be afraid to make concessions for comfort.
- Buy a Dress with Thicker Fabrics or Ruching to Hide Trouble Spots
You typically wear darker colors as a plus-sized woman to hide what you perceive as trouble areas. Yet most wedding dresses are white, or baby pink, pale blue, or some other light hue. You don’t want to wear a black dress, so how do you take attention away from your stomach, hips, or butt?
First of all, this is your special day, and no one’s going to be focused on those areas. They’ll be looking at you overall as a beautiful, blushing bride. However, you want to feel the most stunning you ever have on your wedding day, so that means having a dress that’s as flattering to you as possible.
Fortunately, you can hide trouble spots easily in a wedding dress. The abovementioned ball gown style is flattering as the dress loosens right around the belly. Also, although you might not think so, A-line dresses look clean and pretty on smaller and bigger bodies alike.
You can also get a dress with thicker fabric in almost any style, as the weight will make your silhouette more ambiguous. Just make sure the dress isn’t so heavy that you can’t get around, as wedding dresses are surprisingly weighty with all that fabric.
Ruching at the waist and stomach is also complimentary, as it makes you look slimmer. Patterned dresses, such as differing lace patterns, will also draw the eye away from a bigger stomach or hips.
- Get Your Dress Tailored
You’ve finally done it. You’ve found the dress. The only problem is, the breast area is too small or the cut at the bottom trails way too long. As we’ve discussed, you can always get a dress tailored. Certain parts of the dress can be opened up and made bigger (to a degree) and others can be shrunk.
Almost no wedding dress fits you perfectly right off the rack, and that’s okay. This is why wedding dress tailors work at most of these stores, to get the fit right for your body type. Make sure you work with your tailor and not against him or her. Be honest about all parts of your dress as they make changes.
Yes, it can make you feel self-conscious to say the stomach area is too small, but your tailor can’t fix what you don’t tell them to. Remember, comfort over beauty.
Before you walk down the aisle, you’ll have one more chance to try on the dress. This may be done a week or two ahead of your wedding. Your tailor will have worked on your dress by then and it should be about perfect.
Again, if it isn’t, don’t keep it to yourself. It’s okay if you’re not happy with the tailor’s work. Saying as much doesn’t make you a bridezilla, but someone who wants to feel good about herself on her wedding day.
- Or Get the Dress Detailed
Not all wedding dresses are glitz and glamor because dressmakers have to produce options for a variety of tastes. Some women are perfectly happy with a simple, uncomplicated dress while others want rhinestones, glitter, and the whole nine.
If you fall into the latter camp, don’t necessarily disqualify a dress because it doesn’t have a lot of flourishes. Your tailor can always add accessories like faux diamonds, a bedazzled waist belt, ruffles, and bows to make the dress stand out. This will cost you more, just as any dress alteration does, but this could be one way to find the right dress for you. Sometimes, you have to make a dress perfect rather than find it that way in the store.
- Rely on Your Friends and Family’s Opinions (If These Are Helpful)
Few brides try on dresses alone. You’ll typically invite your bridesmaids, your immediate female family members, and maybe the female members of your soon-to-be spouse’s family. Depending on the size of your posse, you could have a significant group.
All will have their own opinions, so be selective in who you invite. You want women who will support your choices but not be afraid to admit if something is a poor choice or a bad fit. They’re not saying this to be mean, but to help you find the dress you adore.
Remember though, if you love the dress, then that’s all that matters. You’re going to be the one who wears it, who’s photographed in it, and who will hopefully have it forever. Listen to the opinions of others if these are helpful, but respect your own opinion above all else.
- Enjoy the Experience
Few women like going into a dressing room and trying on clothes, and now it’s not just any clothes, but a wedding dress. It’s easy to dread the experience, but don’t. Hunting for your wedding dress may be stressful and headache-inducing at times, but above all, it should be fun.
Try to make the most of the experience, even the difficult moments, so you can someday look back on this special time in your life with fondness.
Conclusion
Finding the right wedding dress is hard enough. As a plus-sized woman, the task seems even more impossible. Luckily, it’s anything but. With the tips and pointers in this article, you have plenty of good info to use as you begin searching for the dress you’ll wear on the biggest day of your life. Also, be sure to check out our top picks for more ideas. Good luck!
