Do you have wedding dresses in my size?
We get this question ALL the time, and the answer is yes! At Bella Brides, we carry wedding dresses in sizes 2–26 in the shop, and many of our gowns can be special ordered in sizes 00–34.
But there’s a little more to it than that, because bridal sizing is honestly kind of weird.
First, the number you normally wear might not be the number you see in your paperwork. Every designer has their own size chart, and bridal sizing tends to run differently than everyday clothing. You might wear a 10 normally and measure into a 12 or 14 in a wedding dress. You could even be one bridal size with one designer and a completely different size with another. Because of this, we put a “fits like” size on our tags so that the size you see on the tag is the street size you’re used to seeing at other stores.
Will you actually have dresses for me to try on?
Yes! We have around 200–250 wedding dresses in the shop at any given time, ranging from about a size 2 to about a size 26. That doesn't mean we have every single dress in every single size, though.
Like most bridal shops, we typically have one of each gown in the store. So the dress you love online might be hanging in a size 10, while the dress next to it is a 4 and the one next to that is a 24. We intentionally buy our gowns in a range of sizes so we're not filling the entire store with one sample size.
And your try-on dress absolutely does not need to fit perfectly. We clip dresses that are too big, use extenders when they're too small, and do everything we can to give you a realistic idea of what the dress will look like when it's actually in your size. Sometimes you'll put on a dress and it fits almost perfectly. Sometimes we'll have six inches of fabric clipped behind you. Sometimes the dress is open in the back with extenders. All are completely normal.
What happens when I find my dress?
This depends on whether you're special ordering your gown or buying it off the rack, because we do a lot of both at Bella Brides.
If you're special ordering, we'll take your measurements and compare them to that specific designer's size chart. Many of our gowns can be ordered in sizes 00–34, depending on the designer and style.
One thing that surprises a lot of brides is that special ordering a dress in your size doesn't mean it's being custom made to your measurements. We're choosing the standard size that best fits your measurements, and then alterations give you that made-for-you fit.
Maybe your bust measures into a 12, your waist into a 14, and your hips into a 10. That's completely normal. Bodies don't come in standardized proportions, so together, we choose your closest size on the designer size chart, and talk through the alterations that would give you the perfect fit. 99% of brides need some kind of alteration, so again, this is completely normal.
If you're buying off the rack, sizing works a little differently. You're purchasing the actual gown that's hanging in our shop, in the size that it is. So instead of ordering your size from the designer, we'll look at how that specific dress fits you and how it can be altered.
A little too big? Totally doable. A little too small? That can be doable too! What we don't want to do is go too far in either direction, because at some point alterations just aren't realistic. The good news is, your stylist will know where that line is and guide you in the right direction.
And because Bella Brides does a LOT of off-the-rack business, we intentionally stock gowns in a variety of sizes. Off the rack isn't an afterthought here. It's a huge part of what we do.
Does off the rack mean it's an old dress?
No! This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about off-the-rack wedding dresses.
Because we work with so many brides on shorter timelines, we intentionally carry current gowns that can be purchased right off the rack. Some dresses can be special ordered OR purchased that day. Others are specifically part of our off-the-rack collection.
So if your wedding is coming up quickly, you're eloping, you don't want to wait months for a dress to arrive, or you just really like the idea of walking out the door with your wedding dress, you have lots of options.
And if you're nervous about your bridal size...
Tell us. Really. You will not be the first bride who has called and said, “I'm worried you won't have anything that fits me.”
You also don't need to know your bridal size before your appointment. You don't need to lose weight first. You don't need to fit into the sample perfectly. And you definitely don't need to apologize for your body, ever.
Just come as you are. This is one of the cornerstones of our brand.
We have sizes 2–26 in the shop, special-order options from 00–34, and a team of stylists who understand how bridal sizing actually works. We'll handle that part. You get to figure out which dress feels like yours.
All photos graciously provided by MOT Photography
