Please No Four Foot Butt Bows?
BFDiva M is in a predicament that everyone who is searching for the perfect outfit can understand.
I have a question for the readers in New York City/the surrounding suburbs. I just got engaged and I’m looking for a wedding dress. I’ve heard/read a lot of horror stories about shopping for wedding dresses from women of all sizes, but I’m expecting it to be worse being plus sized. Does anyone have any stores in the area that I should go to and/or avoid? I keep seeing a lot of websites, but I want to go to an actual physical store.
Thanks for any advice you have!
-M
What a good question. Mopie was in the same predicament two years ago and did end up buying her gorgeous dress from an online retailer (Zaftique), it’s a pain in the ass to buy dresses online and then have to send them back (not to mention expensive, as most retailers don’t follow the Zappos model of free shipping back and forth), but even with the expense, if I were getting married now, I would opt for the trouble of returning umpteen dresses (I’m kind of in love with this one from Igigi) rather than deal with what I went through when I got married ten years ago, when there were very few online retailers. I wanted a more-or-less traditional gown, and I ended up scouring bricks and mortar traditional bridal stores and yes, nightmares and horror stories abounded, the least of which were trying to cram into size 12 samples or standing there in my bra and panties while a clerk held up a size 6 and told me to “imagine.” In the end, I did not have the dress of my dreams, but instead, a dress that I didn’t mind.
I’m not sure if LeeLee’s Valise has traditional bridal wear, but I do know that they have formals (the Tadashi line is amazing) and having talked to LeeLee in person, I’m very envious of the BFDivas who get to visit her Brooklyn boutique. Has anyone had any experience with Kleinfeld Bridal, which is supposed to have the largest selection of bridal gowns in the country? Is it nightmarish or delightful? I’ve heard really good things about David’s Bridal having plus-size samples in the store, but hopefully some commenters will pop in with their experience.
Let’s hear it, BFDivas and BFDudes: where are the best places to find plus-size formals and bridal gowns to try on in person?
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Surprisingly, when I got married seven years ago I found most stores to be chock-full of plus sized gowns. David’s Bridal ( the Costco of bridal gowns) has tons, and is a great place to start, even if just to find out what gowns flatter you before you order online. Good luck and congrats!
I got a perfectly gorgeous traditional gown at David’s Bridal, where you can walk in and try things on in your size. They have quite a good selection and I was treated very well. I was not, however, in the NY area.
Wedding dress shopping was the absolute worst part of getting married. David’s was only good in that they had actual dresses I could try on – I didn’t really care for their selection, but they might be better now.
I would recommend visiting indiebride.com – there are lots of plus size brides on that site, with plenty of wisdom about where to find dresses and how to have a wonderful bridal experience without losing your sanity or your savings.
Kleinfelds is the bridal store featured in “Say Yes to the Dress”, which I always find myself watching for some reason (I don’t know why, I was married 15 years ago and I can’t ever imagine doing a wedding again).
Anyway, the last episode of “Say Yes to the Dress” they had a plus size woman on. They didn’t say her size, but to my eye, it looked like she wore a size 22/24. They had numerous dresses for her to try on and didn’t seem to treat her any differently than any other bride. Of course, how it actually would be to go to the store for real, I don’t know. It seems like it would be worth the trip if you’re in the area.
I’m going through the same thing right now and boy is it ever frustrating! If you are willing to go a little more casual and save a thousand bucks or so, Nordstroms has a bunch of pretty white and off-white dresses.
I am a size 24 and got married two years ago. I live in NYC and went to the David’s Bridal in Queens (there’s now one in Chelsea too, but it wasn’t there when I was shopping). The attendants were totally fine – didn’t treat me any differently than anyone else – and not only was my dress cheap (for a wedding dress), it looked fabulous and fit without alterations. I couldn’t have been happier with it. My only caveat is that I wasn’t at all fussy about what I wanted for a dress, and I wanted to shop with the least fuss and muss. I bought the second dress I tried on and never looked back. Someone with a more specific picture in mind might not be as satisfied with the selection at David’s.
I had my dress made for me, because I wanted something suitable for our casual afternoon wedding. $250, including fabric, and it was exactly what I wanted.
As long as we’re suggesting websites, I, as a plus-sized woman, have been blessed to be a part of Offbeatbride.com
Check out their community, Offbeat Tribe, to connect with other plus size women and where they shopped or had their dresses made.
I got mine at a David’s Bridal out on Long Island, and they were great, and I loved, loved, loved my dress.
Another place to try is RK Bridal at 39th St and 8th Ave; I didn’t make it over there, but have heard good things from other plus-size brides, and they were super nice when I called them and said I was a size 24.
I got my dress at Alfred Angelo’s, which caters specifically to larger women (to give an idea, the dress I ended up picking they took right off the mannequin for me to try on! It was a bit small at a size 16). I had a great experience, fabulous service and didn’t feel at all like I was getting less attention because I was fat. They had a great selection of styles, too, and I didn’t feel like I was getting pressured into deciding on the whole package of dress, shoes, veil, jewelry, and bridesmaid’s gowns all at once – unlike what I experienced some other places.
I’ve been looking for similar information :) I’m getting married in September, and not looking for formal or traditional at all. I’ve looked at Donna Ricco dresses and I love a few, but scared to deal with shipping and possibly returning. I’d really love to be able to try things on before I buy. I live in NJ, so I’ve been considering checking out Lee Lee’s Valise. I’ve been wanting to go there anyway, I always have liked the outfits I’ve seen from there on What Not To Wear :)
If anyone knows any specific places in NJ please let me know! (can contact me on my myspace link if you’d like, or just post here :) )
Right on, Jupiter Pluvius. I also had mine made, and it’s cheaper than you think; I think mine was $275, and it was perfect and wonderful and all mine. I think I was a size 16 at the time (this was almost 18 years ago…jeez). I’d gone to have bridesmaids’ dresses made by the seamstress, and then we got to talking about what I was doing for a dress. I’d brought along a bride magazine and showed her one I liked, but wasn’t sure I could get in my size–I hadn’t even started going to bridal shops yet. She said she could do it. It’s cheaper than you think, way cheaper than retail, and it fits you, both physically and personality-wise. I highly recommend custom clothing when you can do it; once you have something that is truly fitted to your body, you don’t want anything else. (Jane Bon-Bon anyone?)
I got my wedding dress at Alfred Angelo as well. They carry all their dresses up to a size 28.
Good luck!
I appreciate everyone’s input, this is an amazing response!
Where exactly is Alfred Angelo?
The first wedding dress I bought and never wore (size 22/24 if anyone’s looking to buy!) came pretty much off the rack at a David’s Bridal in South Jersey. (I ended up not wearing it when we eloped, so my reasons for changing had nothing to do with the dress itself!) My mother and I went to browse and I walked out with an amazing dress. The lady helping me was very nice, never mentioned my size, didn’t bring out any dresses to make me “look slimmer”. She found a style that flattered me and I loved it.
I’m wearing Alfred Angelo as MOH at my sister’s wedding – my local shop had a selection of them. Not sure if they have brick & mortar stores that are solely AA, but their website has a Zip code search for store locations: http://www.alfredangelo.com/Company/75thAnniversaryHome.aspx
Maggie Sottero also has amazing dresses. I am a 22/24 and got my dress from her line about 4 years ago. Their site should list the stores that carry her in your area.
Count me as a another vote for having it made–I stood up for my best friends in their commitment ceremony in ’03, and we hired a seamstress who made both bride-style gowns and my attendant’s dress for under $500. That included customizing one dress by sizing up the pattern and converting it from one piece to two. And we all looked fabulous.
I spent two days in NYC shopping for gowns for my wedding last October. After the humiliating experiences I had at designer shops like Vera Wang, Reem Acra, etc. where all they could do was hold up the dress in front of me and “imagine”, I found my dream dress at Kleinfeld’s for $800. The crowds can be tough to deal with at Kleinfeld’s and you certainly don’t get the private service you at the designer stores but if you can’t put on the gowns how can you be expected to buy one?! I had a nice experience at Kleinfeld’s and did not feel like I was a freak because I didn’t fit into a size 6. I shopped there at the advice of my caterer who had purchased her own gown there. However, she didn’t have the best experience getting the alterations done there, so I got my own alterations done somewhere else.
Ditto on a great David’s Bridal experience.
They had lots of dresses off the rack in my size (18-22 depending on the style) and the clerks were very helpful and non-judgemental. They even had several plus-sized clearance dresses, so I did not have to spend a fortune.
Shopped around several other places, but David’s certainly had the most variety and is where I got my gown.
I got married a couple of years ago, and got a beautiful dress from Zaftique. You can see a picture of it at my blogspot blog, rawkyoulikeahurricane. P.S. Get married in Vegas, it’s awesome!