The Bridal Body vs. You
A few weeks ago, my friend, a bride-to-be getting married this October, and I finally had a moment to align our busy schedules and catch up. She lives in South Carolina so I was more than happy to split a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and hear all about her wedding planning journey that I haven’t been able to be much involved in— simply because of the physical distance between us.
Of course, I was most interested in the dress because, well, *gestures broadly at the design studio and all the wedding gowns I’m currently surrounded by as I write this* that’s what I live & breathe. Her fitting was in a few days in South Carolina.
“How excited are you for your first fitting?” I said.
With a grimace, she responded, “I don’t want to think about it. I cannot wait until it’s over.”
WHAT?! I about did a full-on “comedy-sketch-spit-take” with a mouthful of white wine. Why?
And there it was rearing its ugly head right into our conversation— The Bridal Body.
Alright brides-to-be, let’s talk about it.
In a world full of bridal boot camps, the millions of how to lose weight before your wedding Google searches, and the overarching societal pressure dictating how we should look, it’s difficult to navigate. I get it.
You wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve seen brides break down in the fitting room over how they look when just trying on samples. My heart breaks every single time I bring a box of Kleenex into the fitting room for anything other than happy tears.
The thing is that finding your wedding dress, fittings, and every part of that journey should be a happy and exciting moment.
I’ll let you in on a little industry secret— everyBODY is a bridal body.
You have a bridal body. Just the way you are. Right here and now.
It’s why the wedding dresses crafted in my studio are made to order. It’s why we take the time to take detailed measurements and sculpt dress forms to a bride’s exact form. It’s why we don’t have a limit on fittings to make sure the dress is a perfect fit (read more about our unique fitting process here!).
One thing I stress to all brides is that the most important thing is that you feel amazing in your wedding dress. This isn’t dependent on size whatsoever.
Incoming— another story time!
Back when I was in my 20s, you know the height of sensitivity to societal pressures and hyper-focusing on your insecurities…
A friend and I made an appointment at a luxury retailer in NYC to try on gowns while pretending to be young socialites attending an event. Just a fun afternoon in the city, you know? If you’re thinking of that shopping scene in Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts, you’re imagining correctly. (Yes, if you’re wondering this is the beginning, height, and end of my acting career.)
So, the shopping assistants are pulling gowns for me and my friend and I’m just standing there staring in the mirror at myself. I’m making a mental list of all the things I want to change about my body— a laundry list of why I won’t look good in any of these gowns because I don’t have the body that I’ve seen gracing the cover of Vogue or any other fashion magazine, billboard, or ad.
BUT THEN-
I step into a gorgeous (and “in your dreams, out of my budget”) gown, the assistant zips me up, and WHOA.
I feel like I could faintly hear a choir of angels and a spotlight from above shined down on me at that moment.
The luxurious fabric, the cut, and the fit.
I FELT INCREDIBLE.
My insecurities flew out the window and onto the busy streets of the city.
Insecurities, who? Standing in the mirror was the most beautiful woman and IT WAS ME.
Unfortunately, my college budget of ramen noodles and biking everywhere to avoid paying for transportation didn’t allow me to buy the dress. We just told the assistants that we had shopping to do elsewhere (because we were those ritzy young socialites, remember?).
However, it was this huge “AH HAH” moment, my greatest epiphany that has inspired me to do what I do with my bridal brand.
If you’re wearing a high-quality garment that fits you perfectly, you’re going to feel fabulous. Your insecurities melt away because remember, if you feel amazing you will look amazing.
I know it sounds cliché but looking beautiful originates from how you feel. When you wear something that you FEEL beautiful in, you carry yourself differently, confidence radiates from you, and you LOOK gorgeous.
That is what you want people to see and remember about you on your wedding day. When your great-grandchildren find your wedding photos, they will see the same beautiful person. It’s authentic. It’s YOU, not some false representation of yourself that you tried to be for your wedding day.
We’ll craft a wedding dress that makes you look and feel like the best version of yourself walking down the aisle. Prepare to feel like a goddess.
Diet culture surrounding weddings can be so toxic and I hope that what I do with my bridal brand and at my bridal studio can change that, one bride at a time.
So, bride-to-be, you already have a bridal body. The way you are. Right now. If you think otherwise, I kindly ask that you step out of your own way. No diet, workout boot camp, eliminating delicious pasta and desserts from your life needed.
xoxo,
Barbara
