anxious about wedding dress shopping.

share bear

Hi everyone,

I'm getting married in May, next year, and i've been putting off going dress shopping.

I had a baby last year and have had thyroid issues that have recently been sorted out so haven't shifted much baby weight in the last year. Im a size 14-16 at the moment and while Im hoping to loose weight between now and the wedding but Im anxious about going dress shopping.

A few months ago i went shopping with my best friend for her dress and she's got an amazing figure and is size 10. I noticed that even she had a bit of a squeeze into a lot of the sample dresses and they just seemed so small.

Could anyone let me know how they found shopping for dresses as a size 14-16. Is there anywhere people would recommend or should I look at plus size places/dresses.

lovelystuff

If you're in Dublin i really recommend Alexander bridal on Parnell street opposite the cinema. I was there last week and the women there are really nice and put me at ease. I tried on dresses of all different sizes, some were too small but they clip things on the back to let you see how they will look on,without making a big deal. Same for dresses that were too big, they pinned them really well. I felt totally comfortable there anyway!

Redser87

I can recommend the Town Bride, their dresses are mostly 12 or 14 and they are so good at making anyone feel at ease. I think they are mostly a bit smaller in de Stafford and although I had a lovely experience (I'm a size 10 and had to be pinned into most of their dresses) I have heard that girls who are even a bit above average have been treated a bit snootily. But for crying out loud - the average Irish woman is a size 14 - so unfair that people at the average size feel the need to go to plus size places! I have also heard that Smart Brides in Portlaoise has a good range of dresses in the size of the average Irish woman, but haven't been there myself.

kandr10

+1 for Alexander's. What's great a about them is that they let u try on so many styles. It's about finding the style that suits your body type and not focusing on the size. They had a decent range of sizes, I'd be similar to yourself. The best thing you can do is go in as positive as possible and for the first few times you look just treat it as an exercise in narrowing down possible styles, finding what suits your body and what doesn't. This takes the pressure off finding the perfect dress and let's you just know it when you see it. You're a normal size even if you feel different to how you were before and you'll easily find samples in your size and bigger. Also if you were more comfortable going on your own to suss things out before involving anyone and making a big fuss then do that. Good luck !

January

I recommend Alexanders, Berketex Bridal (Jervis St shopping centre) and Bridal Corner Glasnevin. I'm a 16-18 and while some of the dresses didn't fit, they pinned, used panels and extenders etc to give me a fair idea of what suited and what didn't. Nobody mentioned my size at all and all dresses could be ordered to size and they had sample dresses in my size too if I wanted to buy off the peg.

share bear

Thanks for all the suggestions. Its reassuring to hear that you can still get a good idea of the sample dress even if its a smaller size.

I was also thinking of looking elsewhere at evening/occasion dresses also. I was going to try BT's. Wouldn't know where else does evening/occasion wear, any suggestions?

kandr10

share bear wrote: »

Thanks for all the suggestions. Its reassuring to hear that you can still get a good idea of the sample dress even if its a smaller size.

I was also thinking of looking elsewhere at evening/occasion dresses also. I was going to try BT's. Wouldn't know where else does evening/occasion wear, any suggestions?

Hickeys have some lovely stuff that would be bridal but not wedding dress shop bridal if you know what I mean. Monsoon and debenhams also have similar.

Gatica

Most wedding dresses in stores come in sizes 14 or so, to make sure they fit as many people as possible. I don't know what store your friend went to but I that wasn't mine or my friends' experience.
Most professional boutiques would try to make you feel comfortable. There are some stores that do a section for plus size dresses, but tbh, I think you'd be ok without going to a special plus size section. As an added step, maybe when making an appointment for a bridal store, enquire what sizes they have in stock to try on.

Arbiter of Good Taste

I would thoroughly recommend Town Bride. I went to 6 places, and TB was the second last I visited. They were the only ones who sat me down and explained all the different styles of dresses and explained what would or would not suit me. So it was much less daunting than being shown a rack of white dresses and told to pick out what I liked.

Then, they picked out the dresses and we built it from there. So, the first dress I put on I liked, except for the sleeves, so they were able to pick out a similar dress with different sleeves, etc, until we got it right.

I eventually went for a lace dress which had an ivory underlay in the sample. They were able to get the designer to make the dress with a champagne underlay as it suited my colour better. So I was delighted.

Don't feel paranoid about sizes. Most places have tiny sample sizes (God knows why), so you will likely be pinned in wherever you go. And also you will likely go up a size or two in "wedding dress sizes" so don't feel bad about that either, it's standard.

hattoncracker

I know you aren't a plus size bride, but there is a place in Kildare called Ruben Bridal that stocks larger samples. I went out shopping and I couldn't find anything that I could even try on properly. I know they can order the dresses in ur size but from a purely practical point of view its nice to see it fitted on. They're so nice too!

cookiecakes

I went to The White Room and felt super comfortable! The dresses didn't feel especially small and the sales assistants were lovely and helpful but in no way overbearing. I was anxious about shopping cos I never wear long dresses and felt I was gonna look stupid and my friend recommended them to me. Found my dress on my first visit and it was the only store we went to! Couldn't rate them highly enough!