Purchase Particulars

Tips to employ when shopping for a plus-size gown

By Anna Sachse
CTW Features

Image courtesy Alfred Angelo

Go bigger or go home? Not quite.

Curvy or heavier women shouldn’t let the store talk them into purchasing a larger size than they need, warns Deedee Vicory, owner of The Wedding Seamstress in Arvada, Colo., whose own line of wedding gowns debuts in July.

“They’ll try to scare you by pointing out that there’s nowhere to go if you get bigger,” she says, “but most girls end up losing at least a little weight before their wedding, even if it’s just from stress. In fact, in my experience, the only time a bride has walked in with a dress that’s actually too small is when it was used and may have already had alterations.”

Vicory advises purchasing your dress to fit your largest measurement (bust, waist or hip); however, if you are between sizes (your bust is 39 inches, but your dress only comes in 38 or 40 inches, for example), choose the smaller size because the seam allowance can often make up the difference.

And remember that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to people either, which is why your fiancé picked you.

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