Whether you’re a size 6, a size 16 or a size 26 I think that every bride deserves to feel like a million dollars on her wedding day. I’ve had a few friends who have had horrible experiences when they’ve gone to try on dresses because there haven’t been any above a size 12 to try on and the sales assistant has been a dick about it resulting in bride in tears and no wedding dress, and I want to let you know that it doesn’t have to be like that!
When it comes to wedding dresses, some people like massive foofy gowns (me), some people want sleek and modern and some people are more traditional. Traditionally a bride wears white, so all of these places I’ve found have white dresses but you know what? You can wear whatever colour you want – I’ve had more than one of my friends wear black dresses! Check out the other dresses on the sites I’ve linked, because if you’re looking for a colour other than white then the bridesmaid dresses are a good place to start searching. Here’s a few places I’ve managed to find plus size bridal gowns in lots of different styles and sizes – I hope you can find one that you love!
ASOS
ASOS has a whole lot of clothes in sizes 2-30, and I was really excited to see that they are now doing bridal gowns! Their selection of plus size bridal gowns isn’t huge but there are some great options and you can choose from non-traditional styles as well. Prices are pretty reasonable, shipping is quick (and usually free), and they’ve got shoes and accessories available on the website as well.
Azazie
I came across Azazie in my search for plus size bridesmaid dresses, and was excited to see that they have the same options for bridal gowns. All you do is pick the style you like and the colour you want it in (white, ivory, champagne for the bridal gowns and any number of colours if you like one of the bridesmaid dresses), and they will custom make it for you! There are heaps of different styles to choose from and it’s super easy to sort by the kind of straps you want, hemlines, fabrics etc. They only ship to US and Canada at this stage (sorry Kiwi brides!) and sizes range from US 0-30, which is 4-34 in New Zealand sizing.
Bridal Brilliance
Based just south of Auckland, Bridal Brilliance has contemporary, romantic, vintage and traditional wedding gowns for hire or purchase. They have sizes 8-30 and also stock accessories like jewellery, veils and other hair pieces for your big day.
Kellylin Couture
All of the dresses from Kellylin Couture have been handmade, and can be altered or made to measure.They also do custom wedding dresses, so if you have something in mind then get in touch with them to see what they can do. Sizes range from 0-30, and they are based in Auckland!
Kiyonna
One of the things that stands out to me about Kiyonna’s bridal dresses is that they have sleeves! If you want to have your arms covered or you don’t want to have to brave a strapless bra (I totally understand!), then you can still get cute options with sleeves. Their sizes range from US 10-32 (NZ 14-36) and they have a handy size chart that compares their sizes to other plus size clothing brands which makes it easy to find your Kiyonna size.
ModCloth
If you’d like a vintage style wedding dress, ModCloth is a great place to look. Their sizes range from XS-4X (approx 4-34) and they have shoes and accessories as well, making it a great place to find everything you’ll need to get your head to toe look.
Sydney’s Closet
One of the biggest names in formal dresses, Sydney’s Closet is based in the US (but does ship to New Zealand) and has some of their dresses stocked in bridal stores here. They have dresses in US sizes 12-40 (NZ 16-44) and they’ve also got shoes and accessories available via their website.
What style of wedding dress do you like?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Also Lady V has vintage styles, only £125 (and yes I was v lucky)
What a great find, thanks for the tip!
I had a really good experience with Astra Bridal in Takapuna. When I called to make my appointment to try dresses on they asked what size I was and at the time I was a 20-22. They specifically got some dresses up from their Wellington store to make sure there were quite a few I could try on in my size range. I found one I loved and they were so helpful and reassuring it really was a fantastic example of customer service!
Agreed with this – I had a terrible time at KellyLin – was the worst experience I’ve ever had as a plus size, let alone as a bride. The team at Astra were amazing and really helpful and this is where I said “yes to the dress”. Can’t recommend Christie and the team there enough.
So sorry to hear that you had a terrible experience at KellyLin, Michele – no one should have to go through that! I’m so glad that you were able to have a great experience at Astra, it sounds like the team there are great!
I was so lucky with mine – a store in Wellington was going out of business and I was able to buy a beautiful pale gold dress for under $300, my Mum made a matching silk bolero.
The other place on line is Igigi – though they seem to be on hiatus just at the moment
Sounds like you made a great find! Igigi is definitely on my radar, but their store has been down a little while so I can’t add them in until they’re back up and running
I found my dress on Etsy. I was looking for something vintage and it turned out the dressmaker was based down here in Chch too. She was so lovely and very reasonably priced, I highly recommend her. Here’s me: https://imgur.com/wdbLhFV and here’s the dress
That dress looks amazing on you! I always forget about Etsy for clothes, thanks so much for the reminder x
I got my dress from Two Lippy Ladies here in NZ and it’s made by Lindy Bop. I absolutely love it! It’s got a 60’s feel and came with a little shrug and a white belt which just finish off the outfit perfectly. And I thought it was super cheap at only $130 with delivery included. It arrived the next day!
They have such nice dresses! I love that you can find dresses at places other than bridal salons and don’t need to spend thousands and thousands to get something fantastic that you’re going to feel great in!