By Megan Peters
Welcome everyone to your very own plus size bride-to-be blog. Let me tell you I am excited to be here and really hope that I can bring some of my own experiences and recommendations as a plus size bride to help you all out there. I wish there was a blog for me to read that was purely dedicated to being plus size and getting married. I know it’s stressful being a bride, but a plus size bride has even more to worry about. Where are we going to find the perfect size 14w-26W and up dress?  Why does there have to a be a weight limit for horseback riding? Doe’s that mean no romantic ride down the beach on your honeymoon? Where am I going to find sexy lingerie for my wedding night? These are some of the questions I have been trying to answer while I am busy preparing for my wedding this fall 2010.

A little dress shopping never hurt, right? Most women are excited to go shopping. I am not one of those women; it takes me way longer to find something than the “normal” size woman. My first stop in dress shopping was David’s Bridal. It’s highly advertised that they carry many plus size dresses or as they kindly call it DB Woman. I took my mother and a very close bridesmaid with me to my appointment. I am really set on a strapless dress but am open to how it looks as far as the shape goes. Of course my consultant recommended all A-line dresses. She said, “ They are very flattering to a larger body type” which I know is true but I would love to experience something else just to compare. After uncomfortably trying on dress after dress I was not in love with enough to show outside of the dressing room. I finally came out of the room wearing a beautiful silk A-line strapless gown with crystal-beaded details and a long train. I’ll admit I was a little teary eyed because it was so beautiful and my family and friends thought so too. Then I got a glance of the woman and her mother behind me through the mirror. I could feel those judgmental eyes darting my way. For a brief moment it nearly ruined my dress shopping experience. I took a deep breath and didn’t let it effect me. I may have made it through that one time but I have heard horror stories about situations at bridal stores being a hard to fit bride. My bridesmaid later told me “I don’t know how you did all that in front of the whole store, I would be nervous to show my body, that is so you to be able to do that.” That is right, that is SO me. I may be big but that doesn’t mean I have to hide myself.

The best advice I have been given about my size is “love your plus size body the way it is and at any size”. I say dress according to your own taste and pick a fit that flatters your shape just like any other woman. I may not have found the most perfect dress for my special day but I did find out that my friend is proud of how confident I am in my own body. I only hope that I can help someone else feel that way too. The dress I found was beautiful but I know when I find the right one I will have an even bigger, overwhelmingly, happy moment then just a little teary. I look back and think maybe those little tears were coming because it hit me I am really getting married. That’s right, plus size girls do find love!