Hi Brides-to-Be,

This is a good read those plus-sized brides who are currently dress shopping.

I had a bride who contacted me, desperately searching for someone who would be willing to alter her wedding dress. She wasn’t an Accapella Bride, which generally means I wouldn’t be able to alter her dress, but because of COVID-19 delays, I had some free time in my alterations schedule and agreed to take a look at it for her.

The dress was ivory tulle, in a flowing kaftan shape. It had glued silver sequins and a mesh under-dress that was cut like a singlet/camisole. There was no structure or boning to the dress, and the back is quite low.

I removed 10cm of excess fabric from the back and front of the dress that was blousing out with volume. Because the dress has no true waist definition, we definitely do not want blousing in the bodice.

This dress is the second dress from the designer that I have had to do emergency alterations on, after a bride couldn’t find someone willing to take on the job. On top of that, this particular bride didn’t have a great experience at the bridal shop she purchased the dress from, and she suspects that they ordered the incorrect size for her. The designer has great marketing, and I can see why brides are drawn to these style of dresses ... the extra fabric can feel comforting and like it disguises lumps and bumps but often it works against you!

Plus sized brides NEED structure. They need good bust support, power-mesh lining, and a shape that defines waist and hips and gives a womanly shape. The combination of all these things smooths bumps and is far more flattering in my opinion.

The bride was very happy with my alterations and was so grateful that I fitted her in. She wanted to tag my bridal shop on her Instagram account, but I asked her not to as it’s not a label I keep and I didn’t want people to think I had sold that style of dress to a plus-sized bride.

I have two photos of the same size brides: one is my dress, priced at $1899, on the left, and the other is the dress I altered, which is priced at $7000!

You can see the difference on what structure does for your body shape. I feel my seamstress experience and bridal styling allows me to be one of the best NSW bridal boutiques for the plus-sized brides.

This blog is not to sully the designer nor the bride’s choice. It’s for brides to be more knowledgeable and informed when they searching for their dream dress.

Connie XO