Gender-bending bride: why I’m wearing a suit and a veil
I went to try on dresses. Me — in all my genderqueer, butch, transmasculine glory — in a traditional bridal salon, trying on wedding gowns. I found “The Dress.” But I didn’t buy The Dress. I’m not going to wear The Dress or any other dress. That’s not the point.
How to shop for a plus-size wedding dress with less stress
I know for me, and I suspect a bunch of you out there, wedding dress shopping brought up a whole host of body issues and insecurities. Now that I’ve been there, done that, I thought I would share my experience and show you that it can be a very happy and positive experience. First off, I am overweight, there’s no denying that. Sometimes I feel great about how I look. Other times I let a bad body image get the best of me. For a little perspective, I am 5’6″, weigh 220lbs, and wear a street size 18 or 20, depending on the cut. Here’s my guide to plus size dress shopping…
A “short, round, and very busty” girl’s guide to having a dress custom made
The idea of wedding dress shopping was something I had always found challenging. As someone who is short, round, and very busty, I hated the idea of being clamped into an off-the-peg sample dress four sizes too small. I looked at dresses aimed at curvier brides and saw that most of them were ugly, and seemed to be about hiding your body, not celebrating it. I knew any dress I bought in a bridal store would have to be massively modified to fit me. So instead of dealing with all that, I started thinking about having a dress made-to-measure.
I let my fiancé see my dress before the wedding, and I lived to tell the tale
“He saw you?!” they say in a mixture of disgust and horror. Yes. He did see me. I asked him to take the photos. And yet, I don’t feel as if our relationship is doomed for failure. Weird.