Straight-talking partners in fashion, Jo Cooke and Alison Law, are back and are transforming wedding dress shopping for plus-size brides to be! Inspired by difficult experiences of their own, the duo set out to become not just wedding dress experts, but fairy godmothers for bigger brides-in-need. With rails full of wedding dresses from size 16 to 40 ready to try on, Jo and Al are standing by to make sure brides feel amazing on the inside as well as look incredible on the outside. Throughout the series, Jo and Al bring all the attitude, experience and determination to get even the most body conscious bride walking happily down the aisle. Now taking a more in-depth look at the brides’ stories and their partners, the new series of Curvy Brides Boutique promises to be the best yet! Here they share their top tips for finding the perfect wedding dress if you are a curvy bride.
Wedding
Number 1 - Knowledge is power. Arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. Research the designers, the collections, and the stockists in your area. It Is better to travel 3 hours and try on 20+ dresses than travel for 1 hour and try on 1. When booking your appointment make sure you ask how many dresses in your size they have available for you to try on. The only answer you want is a number. Many shops will charge for an appointment ask if it is redeemable against purchasers. Check how many entourage you can bring and some shops will have a limit and, if possible, avoid taking any children.
Number 2 - Avoid online visual search engines. The models are unrealistic, and you can become fixated on styles that might not flatter your figure. Plus sized collections are out there, search for those and you won’t be disappointed! Like the high street bridal follows fashion, the recent royal wedding has dictated the style of dress for this season. So be aware that the dress you long for may not be on trend. Therefore not available.
Number 3 - Set a budget and stick to it. But be realistic, you cannot buy a wedding dress for a fiver. If you don’t have a big budget don’t be tempted to buy online instead contact your local stockists and find out when there sample sales are. You can get a designer dress for a real bargain if you shop at the right time.
Number 4 - Dress for your size as you are today. A 10 stone weight loss is not likely to happen. A goal of losing a dress size is achievable but do you really want the added pressure? Wedding planning is already stressful enough without the added pressure of weight loss.
Number 5 - Choose your entourage wisely, someone that you trust and you want to make memories with. Too many people equals too many opinions and people tend to shop for themselves. You need to choose your dress for you Your day your way, your voice your choice! If someone else is paying for the dress, find out if there are any hidden caveat’s attached. If there are, seriously think before accepting their offer.
Number 6 - Leave yourself enough time to find the perfect dress or you end up panic buying. Buying from eBay is not recommended – there are far too many horror stories and when your dress is delivered in a shoe box, you’ll start to panic. Don’t forget the man in the brown uniform will be asking for the import tax before he hands over your parcel.
Number 7 - Be open minded and most of all enjoy your experience. Try all the style’s that you can. Even if it’s not something you would pick out try it out anyway. What have you got to lose? Leave with no regrets. Hopefully You only do this once so make it memorable for all the right reasons. (Always ask if photography is permitted, don’t assume).
Curvy Brides Boutique premieres at 8pm Friday 31st May exclusively on TLC.
Episode one:
In the first episode, Rosie is on the hunt for the dress with only 13 weeks to go before her big day, but she’s having commitment issues! Having already been to the boutique a handful of times, Rosie’s mum and sister-in-law are worried that she’s running out of time - Jo and Al certainly have a challenge on their hands! After losing three stone, then putting one back on again, Rosie is very body conscious and can’t stop thinking about whether her guests will think she looks too big on her wedding day. She’s tried on every single dress in the boutique and still undecided, Rosie admits that she is too frightened to accept that she could look beautiful! Jo and Al decide to bring out the one dress that Rosie couldn’t bring herself to admit she loved, and after many tears and hugs from the entourage, Rosie finally feels beautiful in her chosen wedding dress! Vanessa has hated every wedding dress she’s ever seen, and so is planning on wearing a dress that makes her 26-year-old fiancé Nathan, happy! There’s an age gap of 21 years between the two of them and Vanessa has been married before, but Vanessa is more interested in finding the perfect lacey, white dress for Nathan.
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