Tips for a Body-Positive Wedding Dress Shopping Experience

Every bride deserves to feel uplifted during their bridal journey

We believe bridal dress shopping should be one of the most exciting parts of planning a wedding day. A day to celebrate style, love, and the beautiful bride that you are! But for many curvy brides that walk through our doors, their past experience elsewhere hasn't been quite so positive.

Oh too often we hear about bridal boutiques that simply don’t cater or care about real bodies. Shops that apply undue pressure to their brides, hold outdated beauty standards, and share unhelpful opinions. Which in turn creates an awful atmosphere and hampers many curvy brides chances of ever finding 'the one'.

Aspen by Sottero & Midgley

At Confetti & Curves, we believe every bride deserves to feel confident, supported, and seen. So if you’re starting your wedding dress journey soon, and want to keep the experience as uplifting and body-positive as possible, here are a few tips to help you feel prepared and empowered — every step of the way.

Choose a Boutique that Celebrates Curves

Let’s start with the big one: not every bridal shop is size-inclusive. Before booking your appointment, research the types of brands and sizes that shop stocks. Look for boutiques (like ours!) that stock a range of sample sizes, showcase real, diverse brides in their marketing, and speak openly about body positivity.

If you are a plus size bride, it's wise to look for shops that stock curvy bridal brands, as those dresses will have been specifically made to suit your silhouette. Rather than being sized up versions of non-plus-size styles, which will not support you in the way you deserve.

Begin Your Appointment with an Open Mind and an Open Heart

We love it when brides visit us with inspiration photos or a few ideas of what they like, as it helps quickly paint a picture of your style. But, be gentle with your expectations. What flatters someone you've seen online, may not actually feel good when you slip it on. And that’s okay! The wedding dress shopping experience should be about exploration, trying things out in IRL and being surprised!

The most magical moments our brides typically experience occur when they're trying on a dress they never expected to love, and suddenly, whoosh! It's perfect! We love it when we can make this happen. But this is only possible if you allow yourself to focus on how you feel, rather than what you think you 'should' look like.

Surround Yourself with Genuine Positivity

Choose your wedding dress shopping crew thoughtfully. In our experience, the best guests are the ones who listen, uplift, and understand your desires.

If a friend or family member's feedback tends to be overly critical or body-focused, it’s perfectly okay to leave them out of this part of the journey.

You deserve to have positive voices surrounding you, ones that'll help you focus on you.

Wear What Makes You Feel Confident

Gifting yourself confidence should come before you even zip up a dress. It starts by wearing the kind of underwear or shapewear that makes you feel good. Bring a strapless bra if you think you might need one. Get whatever kind of beauty treatments done that make you feel positive (no spray tans though please...), and wear your hair and makeup as if you're heading out for the day/evening. And not like you're just popping out to get a pint of milk.

On the flip side, appropriate underwear aside, there's no need to feel like you should glam up for your appointment. But in our experience, it really helps to put you in the bridal shopping mindset.

You Don’t Have to Change Your Body

You should never feel pressured to lose weight, or fix something on your body before walking down the aisle. The perfect wedding dress will celebrate you for you. As you are right now.

Your partner loves you, so much so they want to spend the rest of their life with you! You are perfect as you are. Hold that thought, and you'll feel confident in any gown we throw at you!

Work with a Bridal Stylist Who Gets You

As we mentioned, bridal stylists can make or break the wedding dress shopping experience. A great one will listen to your preferences, offer learned guidance without pressure, and guide you towards a gown that suits you.

Don’t be afraid to share what makes you feel insecure or nervous. The more we understand, the better we can support you.

Enjoy the Bloody Moment!

Yes, wedding dress shopping is a big deal, and we know there's a lot of pressure on your shoulders. But it’s also meant to be joyful! Remember that when you're feeling low, and smile at the fact that the pressure you feel is almost certainly just in your head. Created by you. Your loved ones will love you in whichever dress you choose, as long as it's right for you.

Don’t worry about looking a certain way or hitting some imaginary standard. Lose yourself in the moment, have fun, and feel proud of the exciting life you’re stepping into.

If you want a bridal shop who understands how to fit, style, and celebrate curvy bodies with care and expertise - then book your wedding dress appointment with Confetti & Curves. And together we'll help you find the perfect bridal.