Hello all! My darling partner popped the question after 6 years together at the weekend and I'm absolutely thrilled! However, I have some concerns over dress shopping... My sisters want me to go as soon as possible to get some idea of what I'd like as my sister's mother-in-law is a dressmaker and will be making my dress for me. However I'm not sure where I can go! I'm currently a rather, err, 'curvy' lady (size 18-20) and am hoping to shape up a little and lose a bit of weight (would ideally love to be a size 14-16 but not sure how feasible that really is as we hope to get married next May...) but have no idea what size 'normal' wedding dress shops generally go up to! Would I need to find a designated plus size shop (joy of joys...) or will a regular shop have things that I can try on? Very confused and feel a little silly but having never been engaged before I have no idea!

Many thanks in anticipation for your help!

K. x

Hey,

Welcome to the board and Congratulations!

Im a May 2010 bride too and was EXACTLY like you when it come to dress shopping.  My lovely DF proposed Oct 2008 and i went dress shopping a year before our big day - it was so nervous you would't believe.  I was a size 16-18 (did have a three month old baby, in my defence, lol) but knew i needed to lose weight and thought that finding "the dress" would push me to do so.

I telephoned a few dress shops and queried their sizes and some of them were rotters - mainly smaller bridal shops that appear snobby!  i then found one on the internet and telephoned them and they told me that most of their dresses were between an american 4 and 16 - i was horrified.  BUT then she explained that they have inserts that they put on your back up to a size 34 - so if you could get the dress over your hips you were fine.

I ended up going to two very different shops and trying on lots of dresses - i measured up a size 20 and could have cried, but told them not to take my final measurements as was gonna diet (you could see in their faces that they heard this from a lot of brides, lol) so they agreed for me to come back six months before my big day for final measurements (so they can send them off for dress to be made). 

I go back on Monday, im uber uber excited as i have dieted hard and i have dropped down to a comfy size 10 having lost over 50lb in total (my thingy at the bottom is a bit out).

Sorry, my point is...dont be nervous, enjoy absolutely every minute of it and do it when you can.  Look on the net at a few shops and enquire with them about their sizes, the girl that dealt with me was tiny and gorgeous anad i dreaded it, but she was absolutely brilliant.

Where do you live?  If you anywhere near Bedfordshire i can recommend the dress shop in using?

HTH xx

Hi Cassie,

Thank you so much for your reply - it was a great help! I've just got back from Venice (he whisked me away for the weekend to celebrate) so am about to hit the diet and exercise regime tomorrow properly! I'm not a million miles from Bedfordshire at all - I'm in Herts near Buntingford - so if you could give me the details of the shop I'd be really grateful! Well done for losing so much weight - what did you do?! Many thanks in anticipation,

Kate.

Hi Kate,

Cassie gave you some great advice, ring around a few shops, if you can, I'd go on a weekday, as the shops are less busy. Some bridal shops are really snobby, I found a dress I wanted to try on, so I rang a few local maggie sottero stockists to find out if they stocked it, one of them practically laughed in my face and said it was an old style! I did eventually find it and it was the day it was discontinued so I had to order it that day if I wanted it!!!

Good luck and welcome to the baord!

xx

Hi Kate,

I used to live in Hitchin, Herts and we have relatives that live in Buntingford....i suppose you have heard of Karen Forte then?  I found her very rude but also very honest...didnt want to buy a dress from her though.

I went to Delphine Alexander in the Arndale Luton and dealt with Emily.  Hayley is right, go on a weekday - its less crowded and more personal and honestly my size did not matter to them ONE BIT and when i went back last Monday to have my new sizes taken they were fantastic......couldnt ask for a better service...would def recommend Emily though.....:)

Hope this helps and look forward to hearing the rest of your plans - oh and utterly jealous you were whisked off to Venice, how lovely

Big hugs x