Black Meringue

The Big Day

Rebecca Lindon meets the plus-size specialists who are breaking the bridalwear mould

The average dress size of UK women is a 16 and, according to Bridal Buyer magazine, 35% of brides-to-be are a size 16 or above. So why is it that plus-size bridalwear is still seen as a ‘niche’ market? Shopping for a wedding dress should be one of the most exciting tasks on a bride’s to-do list, but for many women sized 16 or above it can turn into a depressing nightmare. We’ve heard stories of women having to choose their dress by getting shop assistants or family members to try on outfits on their behalf. Bridal shops that claim they have a plus-size range often only stock one or two different styles. For many, the limited range of plus-size dresses available in stores means that they end up paying 50% of the cost upfront without even having tried on a dress in the correct size.

Twenty-three-year-old Merseyside bride-to-be Amy Whittaker had a series of unpleasant visits to high street bridal stores before finding the plus-size specialist Big Beautiful Brides.

“My experiences were generally poor," she explains. "Being a plus-size bride, no 'normal'-sized shop would even acknowledge me. I went into one chain of bridal stores and the shop assistant looked straight past me and assisted a skinnier bride who had come in behind me. It put me off dress shopping, so I bought one off eBay, tried it on and hated it. Eventually, I found Big Beautiful Brides and wished I'd gone there first – it's amazing for plus or average-size brides and the staff there are so genuinely appreciative of your custom. I found my dream outfit with the second dress I tried on.”

Tony Mentel, creative director at Sincerity Bridal and Justin Alexander, argues that the failure of the bridal market to cater efficiently for plus-size brides stems from the attitude of the entire fashion industry.

“The whole fashion industry is based on a visual ideal of slim and young, so most fashion designers do not really even think about fuller-figure brides when designing. They make small samples and then do shoots on size 8 models. Only a few collections are even photographed on bigger models. A dress can be scaled up to larger sizes if the pattern makers are skilled enough and used to working with bigger sizes, but generally the problem is that larger figures have different needs and proportions. For example, a small flower detail on a size 10 dress will look completely different if placed on a size 24 dress.”

At size 20, Lucy Carter found her dream wedding dress in a size 8. She was forced to try the dress on with the bodice held together at the back via elastic straps and a size 8 skirt held underneath it so she could ‘get the idea’ of how it might look. Spurred on by her negative experiences, Lucy dreamt of launching a service dedicated to plus-size brides. In 2007, she opened The Big Day bridal shop in Yorkshire with Paula Grayson.

“Lucy and I worked together at Leeds City Council,” explains Paula. “One day we were talking about our weddings and swapping our dress-shopping nightmares and Lucy mentioned that she had been thinking of opening a shop for plus-size brides but she was worried about the financial risk. I asked her if she would be less worried if there were two of us involved and we decided there and then to open The Big Day. We spent a couple of years planning and selecting dresses and then we opened on 27 August 2007.”

Wanting to avoid the experience of trawling the bridal stores to find a size 28 dress, Paula chose the costly option of having a dress handmade to fit her. She was overjoyed with the result but felt she missed out on the magical experience of hunting down her dream dress. Lucy and Paula offer dresses starting at size 16 up to 34, along with a range of wide-fitting footwear and accessories.

“The majority of women that come to see us have been to other bridal shops and have had bad experiences. They often feel like they are being looked down on by shop assistants. Some haven’t been able to try on dresses at all, or there has been just one frumpy plus-size dress available. There was one woman who had to get her size 12 sister to try dresses on to see how they looked. When she came to see us, we had a dress that fitted her perfectly.”

Tony Mentel has similar tales of plus-size brides being offered shabby service. “I have heard many stories of shops telling a bride that she is too big and that they don’t have any dresses to fit her. I have seen brides have to suffer the humiliation of a thin shop girl trying the dress on for them. The biggest hurdle is the shop owners, many of whom do not take the time to think about bigger brides. They do not want to order samples in larger sizes and generally are uninterested in this growing part of the market. They should take notice of the women on the street, because the average size is not a 10.”

Recognising a gap in the market and a desperate need for plus-size options, Tony has designed a collection of plus-size dresses for Sincerity Bridal. “I think it is sad that just because a bride is bigger she gets bad service and almost no choice of styles. After speaking to many bigger brides and hearing their frustrations, we decided it was time for change. We want to offer fashion and fit for a fuller figure,” he explains.

“A designer really needs to work closely with his pattern makers when making bigger-sized dresses, and keep in mind a fuller figure when creating the cut. When designing fuller-figured gowns I make samples in a size 18 and fit them on a model of this size, which gives me a completely different look to fitting a small size and then scaling it up. I am proud to design dresses for a full range of women: tall, petite, small and big. We have dresses to fit all women and whatever size or height they are, they all cost the same price. We even offer a service whereby if a bride is bigger than our biggest size, we will make a dress to her exact measurements free of extra charge. I always feel really honoured when a bride chooses to wear one of my designs for her special day.

“Every six months we offer about 12-14 new styles and these sit alongside the best selling dresses, which we keep making as long as they are popular," Tony continues. “I keep asking for feedback from our stores who specialise in bigger sizes and try to improve the look, fit and styling. This season the trend is moving to a more simple style of gown, with brooch and crystal decoration, and new forms of arm and shoulder coverage – which is very important for larger size brides. We are always developing new fabrics and decorations. For this season we have a new satin-backed taffeta, which drapes beautifully and has the look of satin but is much lighter.”

Marie Solomon launched her Big Beautiful Brides (BBB) shop in Weston-Super-Mare on Valentine's Day 2005, offering dresses, footwear, lingerie and accessories for sizes 16-36. When she was 30 Marie married for the second time and was tasked with shopping for a gown for her size 16 frame. Like many other brides, Marie encountered a number of dismissive sales assistants and size-ist attitudes. BBB has helped numerous fuller-figured brides find their dream dresses, and the store has also launched an online forum for plus-size brides-to-be at www.bigbeautifulbrides.co.uk. The online community provides a place where women can discuss their needs, recommend services to each other and share their experiences.

Bride-to-be Amanda Raymond, 43, from Norfolk, found her bridal gown at BBB. “The second you walk in the door the ladies are very friendly and do their utmost to put nervous plus-size brides at ease. Nothing was too much trouble for them, even to the extent of bringing out the same dress three times. When you have a specific requirement (in my case the dress needed to be lightweight for a hot climate, without a train, couldn't be sleeveless and had to travel well) you really need sound advice. What I got at BBB was exemplary service with beautiful dresses. None of the "oh, that looks great on you" when it doesn't, and you can see so for yourself in the mirror.”

Paula and Lucy at The Big Day are equally devoted to offering brides a wonderful and dedicated experience. “We offer two-hour appointments, during which our customers are pampered and preened and leave feeling great. The only tears we’ve had at The Big Day are tears of joy because the bride-to-be has found a beautiful dress. We've had cases of women deciding to change their whole wedding plans after coming to see us. We had a bride in recently who was getting married in a register office wedding and wanted to wear a suit and a hat. She actually went away with a beautiful strapless dress.

“Word of mouth is really important to us because a lot of plus-size women don’t go to wedding fairs as they believe there will be nothing there for them. We’ve had customers visit us from as far afield as Denmark! Things have gone extremely well for us at The Big Day and we’re now looking to grow our business by expanding the shop and offering dresses for the mother-of-the-bride and also eveningwear.”

After visiting The Big Day to research the needs of plus-size brides for his own designs, Tony Mentel confirms their commitment to the plus-size market.

“Paula and Lucy are really dedicated to giving a fuller-figured bride just as magical an experience as a size 10 bride,” he enthuses. “They are both fuller-figured ladies who have experienced how frustrating it can be going to a shop with only a few frumpy big girl’s dresses and bad, unfriendly service. They decided they didn’t want any other women to have to put up with such a depressing experience.

“They buy high fashion and luxury dresses as well as simple dresses, and they strive to help a bride shine rather than be a wallflower. They are enthusiastic, patient and really place an emphasis on helping a woman to enjoy finding her dress. Their shop has a great atmosphere and they have a new perspective on fashion for the fuller-figured bride.”

BM