Plus Size Dress

[WineGalTina]

I am a size 24W and I am struggling with finding a dress. I haven't gone to any stores yet because I obviously am not going to fit into any of the samples and I just don't want to depress myself. All the dresses I see seem to be either strapless or halter top and have a lower cut back or one that goes directly across the back and squeezes so I would get those back rolls over top - not pretty!! I don't want sleeves either, though, because I get so warm and it IS Florida after all!! So I am pretty much looking for something with straps, probably V neck, but with a bit of a back and I would LOVE if it had a sweep to the side on the waist for slimming properties and costing around $500. Evidently this is IMPOSSIBLE to find!!! I am a little under a year out now and just feeling like I am doomed to not find THE PERFECT dress. Anyone know any good websites or bridal shops or anything? I have looked at David's Bridal website and am not impressed and I have a few dresses at plussizebridal.com that I am looking at but nothing that jumps out at me.

Please help with any ideas!!! Desperate bbw bride here!

 

[caryndisneydiva]

i just took a quick look at www.davinci-bridal.com

that's the designer of my 2nd dress! i bought it on ebay, but tried it on in a local bridal shop. i read on ebay that they go up to size 30. they had several styles online that sound like what you're looking for! they are also super cheap, they knock off the david's bridal dresses, but in my opinion, they look a lot better! hth!

 

[hiwaygal]

Have you looked at Davids Bridal? They have some...

I know it's difficult. I am probably the same size as you and I didn't even want a full gown, just a simple white dress and I had a devil of a time finding something.

I'm assuming you've done a google search and found everything online that you could...you might also consider contacting some local bridal salons to see if they can make any recommendations for you.

It might even be worth it to talk to some kind of fashion consultant or something (if you have one in your area)...apparently the halter style is very flattering for fuller figures so don't necessarily rule those out. I would think that even a strapless that is fit and altered properly can look surprisingly beautiful (and no rolls!!).

Keep your chin up I'm sure you'll find that perfect dress!!

 

[seaprincess]

Hi there!! I know what you are going through. I am also plus size and had a really tough time. I actually ended up buying a second gown because I bought one of the first gowns I saw because I was desperate and frustrated.

Please check out www.bonny.com. They go up to a 32W--they have amazing styles to choose from and really made a gorgeous dress for me!! We have an outlet in North Carolina called Bridal Mart. They carry sizes from 2-32. This is how I found out about Bonny dresses. When you go to their website click on Unforgettable. This is the plus size section. The best part is that all dresses go up to a 32, but the Unforgetable line is made with plus size curves in mind.

I wish you the best of luck!! Please feel free to pm me with any questions you have!!

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Coldwater Creek? Someone I work with orders from there and she has lovely clothing.

 

[daisy2]

Don't get discouraged. I was a size 24 also. I found a dress from the dress make Alfred Angelo he has a website www.alfredangelo.com I was worried I would not find something that would fit me but they are out there. I actually tried on the dress in a boutique and ended up buying it off the rack. I am sure you will find something that will fit your taste in a dress. I had one dress in paticular picked out and when I tried it on it wasn't what I thought it would be I ended up going with a totally different dress. So don't give up you will find something you like. Good luck I hope this helped and check out the website okay.

 

[Whoopdedoo]

Please Please Please do not get down hearted as this is meant to be one of the best days of you life!!!! I know exactly how you feel as I am the same size as you. I spent hours trawling through the bridal magazines and boutiques trying to find THE dress. I always felt so self concious and hated the fact that there was always someone slimmer trying on a dress right beside me. However after months of searching I found a shop that is amazing, unfortunately it is in the UK however the dresses are made in the US. They have a website www.allure.com. I was unsure of your zip code so I can't tell you how close the nearest store is.. but you can have a look and see for yourself.
However they do a range of different styles on their website and they are all gorgeous. They cater to a size 32, they have to order 2 sizes above so that any alterations can be done so you wouldn't have any problems there.
I would suggest biting the bullet and making an appointment at a bridal store just so that you can see how things look on you. I know it's hard to see how it will look as most stockists don't cater for larger sizes but take some elastic and pins with you so they can pull it tight to you and then at least you can see how it will look from the front. You'll never know until you try it on.

I hope this helps. But remember there's a lot more people in the same boat as you so don't worry about it! & make sure you enjoy yourself!

Good luck

 

[Janet2k]

I haven't gone to any stores yet because I obviously am not going to fit into any of the samples and I just don't want to depress myself. I am a little under a year out now and just feeling like I am doomed to not find THE PERFECT dress. Anyone know any good websites or bridal shops or anything?

WineGalTina, grab your best friend (or your mom, sister, or fiance) and make a visit to at least one bridal or dress shop in your area. You're bound to find at least one dress in your size, and this will give you the courage that you need to seriously begin your quest for "the" perfect dress.

Don't forget that you can also telephone a shop in advance to see if they have any dresses in your size. If they don't, ask them if they know of any shops in your area that do. I bet they'll have a few suggestions for you.

I found the following website and it actually has a list of other websites with dresses for someone with a voluptuous figure such as yourself: click here. I also found another website that claims they can custom-make a gown: click here. I don't know anything about them, but they had some nice testimonials listed on their website.

By the way, don't count out David's Bridal. I purchased my vow renewal dress from them a few years ago and was quite surprised at the vast selection of dresses in style, size, and price. Plus, the sales person who assisted me was knowledgeable about how the various dress lines fit. She took a quick look at my bundle of dresses and stated (without knowing my size -- just by looking at me), "This dress runs true-to-size -- it should fit fine. This dress runs small -- I'll get you one in the next size up. And this dress runs large -- I'll get you one in the next size down." I was impressed because she actually was spot-on with 95% of the dresses in my bundle. She truly made my dress shopping experience quick, easy, and quite pleasant.

One final thought -- don't forget that you can also go the "separates" route. That is, the top and skirt of the wedding gown are separate pieces. I know of one bride who did this. Never in a million years would I have imagined her dress wasn't a dress but rather a skirt & a top. She looked like Cinderella in her wedding gown, she really did (it was stunning).

Please keep us posted in regards to your quest. I'm sure you'll find the perfect dress soon.

 

[DISNEYmooner2008]

I too am a plus size - i was a size 18 when I ordered my dress but ordered it in a 14. I've since been doing WW and now fit into it perfectly. David's Bridal has sooooo many options for plus size women!!!!! They have ALMOST every style that they carry in regular sizes. The dress i got flatters me really well and i feel 100% comfortable in it. If you want to see a pic of me in the dress click on the link in my siggy. Good luck!!!! I'm sure you'll be a beautiful bride!

 

[theantibride]

I know your in Pennsylvania but there is a store here in Atlanta that specializes in plus-size dresses. It's called Silver Lining. You may want to look into seeing if there is anything like that by you. Also David's Bridal does carry a lot of dresses in ALL sizes so you may want to go there. Even if you don't find one you love you can try on styles to see what will work with your body type! Good luck and just keep on trying!

 

[osxgirl]

I'm about your size, and I was able to try on several different types of dresses at David's Bridal. They do keep a number of styles in stock even in the larger sizes.

Also, don't go into it with a closed mind about the styles. I was also dead-set against strapless and sleeveless. Then, the dress I found on the internet that I fell in love with was an off-the-shoulder, but still sleeveless. Problem is, I couldn't find that dress ANYWHERE to try it on before I ordered it. So I ended up just trying on a dress that had the same general silhouette to make sure the style would work on me, and it ended up being a strapless dress. That dress actually looked really good. With the right undergarment, the dresses are really made to flatter.

Depending on how formal or casual of a dress you want, Lane Bryant and Fashion Bug are also doing wedding dresses these days. Take a look at their web sites. If I hadn't already fallen in love with the one I ended up getting, I might have seriously considered one of the ones at Fashion Bug. I was looking for a "destination" dress though.

Finally, put in "plus size wedding gown" into google. I don't remember the name of the site, but there is one really huge site on-line that has a LOT of plus size wedding gowns, and you'll find a whole lot of other sites that have selections as well. It will at least give you an idea of what's out there. And if you find something you like, you can always find a shop that carries the designer and have them order it. That's what I did. The only problem with that you may have is the one I had - you may not get to try on the exact dress before you buy it. You have to find ways to work around that. I tried on dresses that had the same silhouette, so I knew they would fit the same, and other than that, I have a pretty good grasp on what will and won't look good on me.

Good luck!

 

[Sandye1965]

Please don't get discourged...I'm also a size 22/24. I got my dress at David's Bridal. To me it was a beautiful dress!!

There are a few pics.

Close up pic so you the top of the dress

Black and White pic

Close up of the train.

Good luck in your search.

 

[WineGalTina]

Wow - I went to sleep and came back to all these amazing responses!

I just took a look at Davinci bridal- They do have some pretty dresses, I will have to take a look and see if I can find a retailer around here who carries them.

I do LOVE the look of a strapless and especially a halter style from the FRONT, my problem is that they all come down further in the back and cut straight across where I have some serious rollage on my back I went to a friend's wedding last weekend and she is not a tiny girl but she is much smaller than me and I noticed her dress (which she loved and look gorgeous in btw) did exactly that on her back. And if she doesn't have much to make rolls from to begin with and it did that I DREAD to know what it wold do to my more than ample flesh back there.

I LOVE those Bonny Unforgetable dresses. I saw most of them on Plussizebridal.com but I like having the bigger pictures and descriptions on their websites. I found a bridal shop in Philly that carries that line so I might make a trek into a store and try some on.

Alfred Angelo was actually the first dress i fell in love with because I really wanted my dress to have some fabulous deep wine color on it and I love their Dream in Color line. However this is also when I wasn't thinking about how things would look on ME instead of on the MODELS and all of the dresses that I like from them have that same strapless/back issue. I might still try and track one down just to satisfy my curiosity, though.

Allurebridals.com has some gorgeous dresses and I think I will definitely track them down because this dress http://www.allurebridals.com/women.asp?SKU=160&Offset=
is one of my new favorites!

Squidoo has some great websites - I think I will be busy for awhile looking through those.

And lastly, sigh - I guess I will have to hop into a David's Bridal and see what they have before I write them off.

I really do want to be able to go into a store and try things on. As much as I am a very comfortable online shopper for something like this I would love to be able to try a bunch of stuff on and see how everything looks and see if I might be surprised by how a certain style fits better than expected.

Thanks for all the advice - I am feeling much more optimistic today. Now if only I could lose some weight before the wedding!! Hahaha.

 

[dmslush]

When I started shopping for a dress, I was a full 28. I bought my dress off the rack at a local shop. It was a size 30, and needed to be brought in. This is a HORRIBLE picture of my dress, but you get the idea of the neckline.

This style of straps gives me support for my full bust.

I have since lost 50 pounds and the seamstress is trying to bring the dress in enough, we have to take 6 inches off of the straps alone! So, that is going to bring the neckline up a little higher, which I like because I am extremely modest.

So, call around to your local shops and see what they have, you might be surprised with what you find!!

Also, http://www.plussizebridal.com/ has beautiful dresses.

 

[DISNEYmooner2008]

Please don't get discourged...I'm also a size 22/24. I got my dress at David's Bridal. To me it was a beautiful dress!!

There are a few pics.

Close up pic so you the top of the dress

Black and White pic

Close up of the train.

Good luck in your search.

Your wedding dress is beautiful!!! I am having a winter wedding and tried this dress on as well. I ended up going with a halter dress because I am a size 14 (18 when I ordered my wedding dress) but short (5') and after everything they would need to alter on the dress to fit me length wise (arms, length of train, longness of dress) the dress just wouldn't be the same. But anyway - It's a great dress and looks wonderful on you!

 

[JonetteA]

I used David's Bridal as well and had a WONDERFUL experience. Due to the stress of planning the wedding I lost alot of weight...well that and WW. I was able to reorder the same dress in a smaller size and they had no issue working with me on it!!!! Let us know what you decide.

 

[Skylarr29]

Lane Bryant now has bridal gowns and the prices are very reasonable as are the return policy etc. You can try there.

http://lanebryant.charmingshoppes.com/pagebuilder/bridal_dresses

 

[aynt79]

I got my dress at David's Bridal as well, I think I was about a size 18 or 20 when I got married. They will have some dresses you will fit in, plus you can still try other ones on even if they don't zip up (and then order your correct size).

My biggest piece of advice is don't be afraid to try different styles on, even if you aren't too sure about them on the hanger. I originally went in looking for off the shoulder and discovered that they didn't look that great on me, I ended up with a sort of a higher neck tank type of style.

 

[RangerPooh]

When I ordered my dress (some 5 years ago...) I was a size 16/18 and ordered a size 20, which was taken in thanks to WW . It was by Venus. My dress was a 2 piece, which was different than ones that I had tried on. I know that Venus has an entire plus size line which is nice to see. Before I tried on dresses I called around to see who had plus sized dresses to try on to save me frustration of only having a size 10 to try on and imagine what I would look like. Davids has a great line and you can choose your sleeve these days (I believe).

Another avenue is Lane Bryant who carries a few gowns.

 

[mla1977]

Have you contacted BridalTown in Collegeville? I'm heading out there in a few weeks but you might have some luck there. I know it is a bit of a hike from Philly, but it could get you the dress you want. Also, a friend of mine had her dress custom made by a seamstress in Lancaster. It actually cost her less than most of the other options she had looked at (her wedding was in Lancaster too though).