Plus size bridesmaid dresses

[Amzizzle]

Ok,I know I have been all over the boards lately but now that I have my bridesmaid issue figured out (see other thread),it''s time

to get on the ball about dresses.

I have a plus size bridesmaid,and I think she is absolutely gorgeous and love her to death.I know most designers have sizes going

up to at least 24.

Here is my question: If you had a plus size bridesmaid or are plus sized yourself was trying on the samples awful?

Can any recommend maybe a designer whose lines tend to carry the bigger sizes in store to try on?

Any advice at all would be welcomed,she never ever in the years I have know her gone clothes shopping with me,and I don''t want her to be embarrassed having to try on these tiny samples (The salon my dress is at says the samples are all 10-12) So they really won''t accommodate her (hell,they barely accommodate me!)

 

[mayerling]

I''m afraid I don''t have any advice to offer but I thought I''d bump the thread for you

 

[OUpearlgirl]

I work in a small boutique (meaning not David''s Bridal or Alfred Angelo) and we work with several different bridesmaids lines. Not one line lets us choose the size we get samples in. One line sends everything in a size 12. The other four lines we carry send us dresses from a size 2-16. They also pick the color. So, for a lot of stores they may not have anything in a bigger size, much less a good selection of things for her to try on. It might be best to go to one of the bigger retailers for her to at least try dresses on. Once you know what style works best on her, you can pick a dress somewhere else that she won''t be able to get on.

Good luck to you!

 

[vc10um]

I''m plus size. I''ve now been a BM in 3 weddings. 2 of the brides have chosen dresses from David''s Bridal, which always has every dress in every size on hand, but not necessarily in the color you want. The third wedding I was in was ladyciel''s and she chose the WToo line by Watters. Every dress I tried on was a size 10, and while the obviously didn''t remotely fit right, I had no illusions that they would and was able to figure out well enough from the "fit" of the sample what the dress would actually look like ON me. I ended up choosing a gorgeous and flattering dress that I plan on wearing again when I attend a fall wedding this year.

HTH!

 

[that_someone_special]

I have a plus sized BM. I picked everything out at davids bridal (just easier) and they had a good range of the plus size stuff for her to try on, but also had the same dress in women''s sizes so my average sized BM could try the same dress on.

I think it really helped.

 

[shertz1981]

My BMs range from a 00 to above dress sample size. We treated it as a wedding dress try-on -- the girls who needed to be clipped in were clipped, the ones who could zip were zipped and the ones who needed another size tried on the dresses with a modesty panel in the back.

The other way to go about it, I think, would be to go to David''s or Alfred Angelo and have your plus size BM try on different styles to get a feel for what''s flattering. Then, if you order from a different line (say, Watters), you''ll know which characteristics to look for.

I also gave up the idea of identical dresses, which helped a lot! There was no way, IMO, that the smallest and largest BMs would have been happy in the same dress. Now, they each have one that they like.

 

[Nov2109]

I know David''s bridal has a pretty decent selection of plus size dresses in store. I can''t say the same for AA...the sample of my BM dress was a 10...I also know that AA isn''t as big as Davids Bridal, we dont even have an AA store in all of NJ...the closest store to me is actually 3 hours away...lots of salons carry AA..but they won''t have a ton of sizes in one dress.

I was in a cousin''s wedding and one of the BMs was plus size. She was so used to everything always being a 2-12 she didn''t even care...they zipped her up as much as she could go and slipped in a modesty panel...she is also one of the prettiest/most outgoing girls I have ever met, so I dont think being plus size (if I remember she was an 18?) body even affects her...she loves herself and has a ton of confidence.

If your BM is much like my cousins friend, then I don''t think you need to worry...maybe just go the two of you so she feels more comfortable?

 

[beltane]

I don''t have any suggestions for you... but I just wanted to *hug* you for being SO THOUGHTFUL! As an "ample" woman myself, it is sooo sweet that you are taking into consideration her feelings and dignity. Bravo!!! You are a very good friend indeed.

 

[Amzizzle]

mayerling-thanks for the bump

OUpeargirl-Thank you for your expertise.I'm glad to know the average sizes are kind of available.

vc10um-It's good to hear you were able to see what the dresses looked like even though they didn't fit.Did it bother you at all to come out in front of people to show the bride?

swedish bean-It sounds like we might make a trip to a store like DB at least to get an idea.

shertz1981-I really like the idea of going to the store and getting the feel for different styles closer to my BM's size.Luckily I never planned for the girls to wear identical dresses (they are SUPER different).

Nov2109-I think my BM is probably an 18 or even bigger (I'm not a great estimator)It's good to hear that your BM sounds a lot like my Bm,she is gorgeous and outgoing.Oh and luckily I only have 2 BM and we are all super close they were even college roommates for years,so I think she will be comfortable around us.

beltane-Thank you for the *hug*.I'm a size 10 and had to try on wedding dresses in size 4's and hated it.I'm not even self-conscious about my body.I just know that she is already private about her weight and would never ever want to make her feel like she is less pretty because she is not a size 6.

 

[princessplease]

I''d definitely do a run to David''s or Alfred Angelo to get an idea of what styles look good on your girls. We got their dresses at a very large boutique who carried tons of designers, and not ONE carried any plus size BM''s dresses. MOB''s, of course, but none for BM''s.
Many kudos to you for wanting your girls to feel comfortable during the dress fittings!

 

[ArtistJess]

My bridesmaids are ALL sizes (and when I say all sizes, I mean the smallest, my sister, is a size 0 and the biggest, my best friend, is a size 26, with the other two ladies being an 8 and 16). They are all my dear friends and I love them so much. I think they are all beautiful inside and out.

Suffice to say, though, that it has been a little difficult finding certain dresses in this wide range of sizes. My mother and I went shopping with my best friend and her mother to find a dress that would fit her properly and look great on her (and also run in smaller sizes). We were able to find some really pretty styles at David''s Bridal and they weren''t too expensive really.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

My MOH was a UK size 20 and her daughter who was my bridesmaid, was a size 8.

We did a lot of looking at styles, fabrics etc then went to a really good dressmaker in Edinburgh. She did some sketches, took some measurements and made dresses in each size in the same fabric and in similar styles, but my MOH''s dress had sleeves and a boned bodice, while her daughter''s dress had straps.

I was so, so impressed when I saw the sketches, this woman was a genius. They looked incredibly high-end and they were very reasonably priced. I liked them better than standard dresses made bigger / smaller, if you know what I mean. Plus it was a lot of fun.

Might be worth looking into alternatives to the usual sample / order / alter route if you need very different sizes? It was much less expensive than I''d feared.