This summer, Wedding Venue Map had the pleasure of hosting an event with Solutions Bridal. Their new Limitless Collection is focused on providing plus-size Orlando wedding dresses inclusive of all shapes and sizes. Event Video provided by Captured by Elle
I’m sure you have this vision of trying on wedding dresses similar to mine… surrounded by your closest friends and family members, you try on a few and find the one… then you say YES to the dress! TV shows have set unrealistic expectations that you may or may not experience when wedding dress shopping.
On top of that, there are many added challenges if you aren’t a “regular” size when it comes to clothing. Everything I have heard from my friends in the bridal industry, as well as my besties who have gotten married before, is that the sizing of wedding dresses runs really small. So if you are a normal size 8, that is most likely a bridal size 10 or 12.
The thought of me trying on a wedding dress has always been something that I dreaded. As a plus-sized woman myself, there is a constant fear of trying something on and it not fitting my body type. Let’s be real – it’s rarely too big. Usually, my fit issues are that it’s the wrong size all together or too tight in the wrong places.
Then to find out that bridal sizing runs small, I was terrified at the idea of shopping for plus-size wedding dresses. When a bridal salon says that they carry “plus-size bridal” for trying on, that usually means they have a few sized 18 or 20 gowns in stock. But as a size 18/20 in regular clothes, the idea of going into a store that doesn’t carry my size stressed me OUT!
When the owner of Solutions Bridal, Erica Brilliant Trunk, and I connected over coffee, I shared my concerns with her just in casual conversation. While I currently am not shopping for a wedding dress, it’s the same for any female shopping in Orlando for plus-sized bridal. It struck a chord with her and she spent a lot of time thinking about how to solve this challenge… how do we make sure that beautiful women of every size have an amazing wedding dress shopping experience?
Meet the Solutions Bridal Limitless Collection
“We are so excited to introduce a new line, Studio Levana, specifically created for plus size brides, to our collection! Their gowns include a built-in corset that provides support, structure, and eliminates the need to wear a bra on your wedding day (which is everyone’s dream, right?). We are also featuring Estee Couture, Tara LaTour, and Lo’ Adoro gowns in the Limitless collection. Every Limitless gown is made to measure. Why is made to measure better? We take your measurements and the designer builds the gown for your body, not in a stock size that may require extensive alterations to fit properly. Because the gown is made for you there are no sizes, making the options truly Limitless!” said Solutions owner Erica.
We decided together to host an event inviting Orlando wedding professionals to experience shopping for plus size wedding dresses. More than just trying on dresses, we made it a whole day event!
The Plus Size Wedding Dress Experience
Each woman attending started the day with the amazing team at Jazz It Up Artistry to enhance our natural beauty with make-up and hair services.
Then they worked individually with a bridal stylist who asked thoughtful questions and guided our ladies through picking out which dresses to try.
“There was so much anxiety around ‘saying yes to the dress’ that it was seen as more of a hassle than the fun, memorable experience it should be. We aim to change that by being loud and proud about our Limitless line so that brides of all sizes can come to their appointment with excitement and confidence, knowing that they will have plenty of gowns available for them to have that perfect, memorable moment of finding the wedding dress of their dreams”
The ladies that attended were excited to share their experiences. Meghan from Bluegrass Chic told us, “I felt encouraged and built up and I never felt more beautiful. Erica was such a dream to work with – she helped me find the dresses that fit me perfectly.”
“It was an absolute pleasure working with the team at Solutions Bridal. The new limitless collection has everything and more you could want as a plus-size woman, the choices were in fact limitless! The shopping process was so easy, the team listened to what we wanted and put us in the most beautiful gowns that complimented not only our bodies but also our personalities! There is no better feeling than loving the skin that you’re in and feeling empowered and beautiful. We definitely think that every bride should feel that way, especially on their wedding day, and are excited for Orlando to have a collection that will do just that!” – The Something Blue Orlando Team
After trying on a few amazing plus-size wedding dresses, each lady had their moment to shine wearing their favorite front of the beautiful backdrop and fun neon signs provided by Orlando Flower Walls.
“The staff at Solutions Bridal was so helpful and friendly and made me feel beautiful and most importantly comfortable!” – said Farida Wazir of Florida Candy Buffets
Strike a Pose
The team at Nuva Photography was there to take all of the lovely ladies’ portraits. “Seeing how much Solutions Bridal has grown over the years and the way in which they are committed to inclusion makes us feel very proud. Their new Limitless collection represents inclusion and opportunity. Diversity is one of the greatest gifts that life has given us as human beings and it shouldn’t be a challenge for any bride to be able to find and try on wedding dresses just because she has beautiful curves.”
Angelica from Orlando Flower Walls shared how excited she was about this event. “As a Curvy woman myself and a veteran bridal stylist, I know the emotions my brides would have when walking into a store, newly engaged, happy to find their dream dress and to their immediate disappointment, my bride wasn’t able to try on her gown as the store only had a sample size 8, when she was a plus size babe.
Fast forward to today, I am so happy to celebrate the newest collection that tears down the everyday complex and uplifts women of every color, style, and size everywhere! Now we have a central location for our curvy brides to try on something glamorous and pair it with first-class service provided by Solutions Bridal.”
Nuva Photography shared, “The good news is that now, brides can live the joy of acquiring their wedding dress in a safe place and with the certainty that they will be attended by professionals who will not rest until they feel confident and can say Yes to the dress!”
Sweet Treats
Delicious treats were provided by Sweet Miss V’s. “When I was approached with the idea of catering desserts for the Limitless vendor experience, I was elated! This line is designed for real women that make ladies of all shapes and sizes feel confident and beautiful in their skin. This concept is near and dear to my heart.”
Sweet Miss V’s showcased a beautiful statement cake, black on black with a dash of gold accents. The cake was an all buttercream design, with three tiers that featured three different textured options, and was tied together with a black geode trail made of vanilla rock candy with gold accents.
While she usually provides an entire dessert display, Vanessa decided to think outside of the box by thinking “inside” the box. “I wanted the ladies to have something personalized to take with them so they were individually wrapped and included a few different dessert options to meet everyone’s sweet tooth.”
For the ladies who love rich desserts, there were dark chocolate cake truffles – dark chocolate cake married to a dark chocolate ganache, coated in dark chocolate, and topped with white chocolate.
For the ladies who like something a little more refreshing and light, Vanessa made Peach Bellini Cake. It’s a champagne cake…yes real champagne in the batter… filled with made from scratch Georgia peach preserves and topped with her famous Swiss meringue buttercream.
Last but not least, a little something for the ladies that love nostalgic comfort foods as much as Vanessa does – peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that remind her of home.
“I really enjoyed seeing all the photos of the ladies that attended. There just aren’t words to express that glow of confidence in their faces when they were wearing the Limitless dresses. The dresses that society said, “you can’t wear a fitted mermaid style”…Oh YES, honey you sure can, and those ladies ROCKED IT!”
One of the ladies trying on dresses is actually engaged to be married! “I had an amazing time learning about the new limitless line! As a plus size bride, I felt that size was no object and I was able to try on the dress of my dreams. It was truly an experience from start to finish. I was able to feel confident, beautiful, and sexy which is how every bride should feel!” said Tabitha Carroll with Paradise Cove.
“That day was incredible. Being able to capture and live that experience with all those beautiful women was really rewarding. The love and happiness of all the girls in the store was one of the most beautiful things we took from the event.” shared Nuva Photography.
The event far exceeded my expectations. I felt like I was the hype man letting these women know how AH-MAZING they looked in each and every dress that they tried on. Each was better than the last.
Not only did I co-host, but I also tried on a few of those amazing plus size wedding dresses. The built-in corset created curves I didn’t know that I could have. Some of the dresses were even TOO BIG so they had to be clipped so I could see myself in them. There was absolutely no hesitation to try on a dress and strut around the bridal salon in front of my peers.
Erica shared, “We are all in this business because we love making brides feel like the most beautiful version of themselves when they come to see us. Over time we’ve noticed that plus size brides are an underserved population and they didn’t know where to go to find gowns that they could confidently try on in their size at a store.”
No matter if her size is 14 or 26, every woman should have a positive experience shopping for plus size wedding dresses. And Solutions Bridal has created the perfect environment to find your dream dress. Cheers to being Limitless!
Nuva Photography shares their special tips for posing as a plus-size woman
Every single woman, of every shape and every size, deserves to look and feel incredible on her wedding day. The photographer’s job is to use our photographic toolkit to bring out the best in a subject to help them appreciate their own beauty.
You’ve heard that the camera adds 10 pounds, but the camera can also be used to remove 10 pounds or more.
Here are a few things you may need to have in mind to shine in your images.
- Be conscious of your posture during your pictures. Whatever is closer to the camera will appear larger. Whatever is farther from the camera will appear smaller. If you want your hips and waist to look smaller, push them away from the camera. If you want them to look much smaller, push them much farther away from the camera.
- Posing straight on toward the camera makes you appear wide, and the position of your feet (flat) makes you appear square. To improve the pose, place one foot behind the other, slightly kicking the weight onto your back leg. This narrows the body by turning you slightly away from the camera.
- If you don’t have a defined waist, you can emphasize it by the placement of the hands. You can place your hands on your natural waist, with the hands toward the outside of the body. But, there is quite a bit of space between the hands and our brains interpret this distance and perceive your shape to be wider. The solution is to slide your hands farther forward and closer to one and other. And that’s all! Now you have a waist and a flattering shape created by a pose.
Many fuller-figured women have been wounded by a bad photo experience, or they have been trained to believe they can’t look good in a photograph. As photographers, we can change that perception. Talk with your photographer and ask him/her any advice. We are sure they will be able to help you!
