7 Ways The Bridal Fashion Industry Can Be More Size-Inclusive! #loveeverybody

Get this: Women sizes 12* and larger were nearly twice as likely as women sizes 0-10 to report feeling self-conscious before dress shopping. Add to that that over 60% of brides who wore a size 12+ and had a bad experience say it could have been improved by having a larger selection of dresses in/near their size. And 1 in 4 brides wearing a size 12+ give themselves a pep talk before trying on dresses.

These stats come from our latest study on size inclusivity, The Knot 2019 Fashion Study for Size Inclusivity, in which we asked self-identifying brides of all sizes to share their experiences with wedding fashion. In light of our study and to raise awareness of size inclusivity in the bridal fashion world, we reached out to our friends in the industry for their best advice and examples on how our industry can do more to address the challenges that plus-size brides face when shopping for their dresses. Here are seven ways that the bridal fashion industry (from bridal salons to designers and beyond) can address size inclusivity!

1. Carry more sizes (and styles) and make it easy to find on your website!

Bridal salon owner (and WeddingPro Educator!), Krysta York, runs Charlotte’s Weddings in Portland, Oregon, and understands the importance of running a size-inclusive business. In fact, she and her team created a “Plus Size Bridal” section on their website to help plus-sized women find dresses right from the home page. Among other things, her team creates custom photo shoots of plus-size models in their studio and maintains a private in-store collection with sizes up to 38. “By doing this each year, we have increased our percentage of sales over a size 18,” Krysta says. “In the past three years, we went from 13% to 26% of sales over a size 18.” Don’t have the resources to change your site like that right now? Try adding a “We Carry Plus Sizes” banner to the top of your home page. Genius!

2. Incorporate more plus-size brides into your feed.

A really great way to connect with your clients who wear sizes 12+ and to show how much you care about size inclusivity is to feature more plus-size brides on your Instagram feed. Do a check to make sure your featured couples aren’t all the same size. 

Or take it a step further and do what Nayri Kalayjian of Lovella Bridal in Los Angeles (and another WeddingPro Educator!) did on Instagram. She and her team not only invested in larger dress sizes for their store, but also created a separate Instagram handle dedicated to plus-size brides, @LovellaPlus, featuring their favorite dress designs and styles for plus-sized women. “Brides were leaving our store discouraged and heartbroken because they weren’t able to fit into our gowns,” says Nayri. “Our goal is to make women smile, feel confident and beautiful, and when we realized that it wasn’t working, that’s when we decided to expand our collection and invest in plus-size dresses.”

3. Hire a plus-size model for your next photo shoot (and share it with the world!)

Photo: Laura Rae Photography

One of the issues we hear all the time from brides and bridal salon owners alike is that there aren’t enough photos of brides in dress sizes 12+ and up. We agree! That’s why Shayna Clute, owner of Luxe Bridal in Eagan, Minnesota, teamed up with a few area wedding pros to put together a styled shoot using dresses from her salon and only plus-size models. “We wanted to do this photo shoot for a while now because we felt there has been such a lack of inclusivity and representation of women of all shapes, sizes, ages and orientations in the bridal industry,” says Shayna. “We want brides to see these images and be able to relate to them and see themselves, which I feel they can.”

If you’re planning a styled shoot, consider diversifying your model sizes. (By the way, if you do end up doing your own styled shoot as Shayna did, share it on social media and use the hashtag #loveeverybody!)

4. Talk about why size-inclusivity matters to you.

One of the very best ways to shift the conversation around bridal fashion and make it more size-inclusive is to talk about it! And that’s just what New York-based bridal fashion stylist and personal shopper Julie Sabatino does. “Buying a wedding dress is a highly emotional experience for anyone, but when you cannot fit into the sample sizes, it can be challenging and embarrassing,” says Julie. “In addition to all of that,  I know how they feel because I have struggled with my weight my entire life.  That experience and the knowledge I’ve gained over the last 15 years of being in business have allowed me to carefully develop a system to empower curvy brides and help them find the perfect dress for them, drama-free.” The lesson to learn here: If you have a similar story (or perhaps someone who works on your team does), don’t be afraid to tell it!

5. Remove the up-charge.

For years, it was common practice to charge extra for plus sizes. But we checked in with bridal salon owners across the country on this, and most agree: charging extra for a plus-size dress is not the way to go. That’s why so many bridal salon owners and dress designers are nixing that idea altogether. Furthermore, there’s a new crop of bridal salons popping up across the country that cater exclusively to brides sizes 12+. Bridal salon owner Sarah Bronson runs All My Heart Bridal in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and the company’s mission is to empower women to feel beautiful and confident on their wedding day, regardless of their dress size. “Working with designers who not only support this mission, but live it by creating inclusive styles for different body shapes with structure and support is incredibly important,” says Sarah. “Being size-inclusive in this industry is about supporting women from all walks of life, and allowing every woman to feel like the beautiful bride they deserves to be on their wedding day. When we embrace this idea, we can make the strongest impact.”

6. Take a cue from the designers who are keeping plus-size top of mind.

Beyond bridal salons, a large handful of wedding dress designers are demonstrating that they’re size-inclusive too! Maggie Sottero, Hayley Paige Blush, Allure, Justin Alexander and Casablanca (to name a few) now all carry dresses up to size 28. Another line worth a shout-out: Essence of Australia’s Everybody Every Bride line carries dresses between a size 18 and 34/36.

7. Show real brides in all shapes and sizes across your social channels.

The media plays a role in all of this, too. That’s why The Knot and WeddingWire are making strides to show and feature more plus-size brides and models across our social channels and magazine. In fact, plus-size swimsuit model Hunter McGrady will be on the cover of the next issue of The Knot Magazine! “When we started putting together our fashion issue, our main goal was to make sure it felt as inclusive as possible—and we wanted the conversation around size inclusivity to be a part of that,” says The Knot Editor-in-Chief, Kristen Maxwell Cooper. “We’re not doing everything right at The Knot just yet, but we are holding ourselves accountable and hoping that by leading conversations around the topic of inclusivity, we will bring about change.”

Have an idea to add to the mix? Post about it on Instagram using the hashtag #loveeverybody—and let’s keep the conversation going!