Luckily, my first appointment was at David's Bridal. I tried on lots of dresses and they all fit AND looked good on me. I even found one I loved.
On Saturday, I had my second dress appointment at Alan Ray. I tried on 12 dresses and only two looked absolutely hideous on me. (Halter tops make me look like a Hercules wannabe.) I had no problem fitting into the dresses - and even if they were too small or too big, the attendant was helpful about trying to show me how it would work in the proper size. Again, I found a dress I loved.
My Body
On Saturday afternoon, I went to Trumpington Bridal in Westerville. Let me start by saying that I am a size 12 right now --far from giant. I have been taking 14s in most dresses (not plus size 14 -- missy 14). I am tall and have a curvy, hour-glass shape, There are plenty of dress styles that work with my figure.
Fat Chicks Need Not Apply
At Trumpington, the owner treated me like I was the fattest person who has ever come into her store. Their big thing is you need an appointment because they only work with one bride at a time. She started off by saying that her shop is small so they only have one size per dress for folks to try on. I was fine with this -- most shops are this way. (Alan Ray only has one size - but it was a 14 or 16. At Trumpington, it turned out to be a 10.)
My friends Amy and Vicki were helping me find a dress. There were looking in the discontinued section and found a 12. The shop owner said "You can try it, but there's no way she's getting in a 12." I overheard this and felt really embarrassed.
I only found 6 dresses that I was remotely interested in. When it was time to try on dresses, they had no bras or slips to use with the dress (unlike Alan Ray and David's Bridal) so I had to use my own unflattering undergarments. The incredibly rude owner helped me try them on. Here are all the things that were said to me:
- "Well, if that 16 doesn't fit you, don't even bother trying on any of the other dresses your friends picked out. They won't fit." Oddly enough, I tried on a 14 a few minutes later that was too big.
- "I guess we'll try to squeeze you into this dress." Said twice.
- "Honey, I don't think we'll even be able to get this past your shoulders. I wouldn't even try it on." I tried, and she was right, but still.
- "I wouldn't even bother with this dress. It's too big and would be too expensive to alter."
She kept wandering off, which made me laugh about the personalized attention I was supposedly getting. She also never once tried to make the dresses look good on me. It was like I was SOL if the sample didn't fit perfectly.
She picked out a dress that actually did look good on me. Although by that point, I decided I wasn't going to give this woman a dime of my business even if I looked like a goddess. When she was describing why it looked good on me, she said "It gives you a waist." No...it accentuates my already-existing small waist. Dresses only give you a waist if you have a straight figure. My waist is by far the best part of body.
I ended up leaving in tears. Thank god this wasn't my first time trying on dresses. Being a bride is supposed to be a time where you feel more beautiful and special than at any other time of your life. You should NOT be treated like a fat cow just because you don't wear a size 8. If you can only offer one sample size in your store, buy the biggest size you can get so a variety of sizes will fit. Women are much happier about trying on something that is too big than something that is too small.
End Results
I was distraught after that appointment so was planning to go with Amy to get a drink. She decided we needed to go back to David's Bridal and Alan Ray so I could try on the dresses that looked fantastic on me. (Funny thing is, the dress at Alan Ray would be ordered in a size 12 if I picked it.)
I still haven't decided which one to get. But, I can't go wrong with either one!
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