Go Your Own Way

Own Being A Plus-size Bride Shouldn’t Mean Sacrificing Your Own Personal Style – Or Receiving Substandard Service. Patricia-Ann Young Chats To Three Brides About Their Hunt For The Dream Dress

PAINT IT BLACK

When Brienne married hubby Gary at Brander Lodge in Taynuilt earlier this year, she wore a custom-made black wedding gown

IMAGES: SIDEY CLARK PHOTOGRAPHY

“I did actually go to a well-established bridal boutique when I first started looking for my wedding dress,” admits Brienne. “The lady in the store was lovely, but every time she brought out a dress it got further and further from anything I would ever wear. She wasn’t listening to anything I was saying – she couldn’t get past my tattoos and blue hair. My bridesmaid and I ended up leaving in fits of laughter!”

Fussy white dresses weren’t Brienne’s style, but nor were the classic goth wedding dresses that seemed to be the only thing on offer for alternative brides. “I didn’t want to wear a purple velvet dress and have Gary in a top hat – that’s just not us,” she explains. “Yes, I wanted a black dress, but I also wanted it to be beautiful and elegant.”

After speaking to a co-worker who wore a bespoke wedding dress, Brienne realised that she would have to go down the same route. She went back and asked for the name of the dressmaker; Glasgow’s Flossy and Dossy.

“I set up a meeting with Wendy at Flossy and Dossy and described what I wanted and she did a quick sketch – I was like, ‘that’s it!’ Then we started the fittings, and she created this amazing corset that was so comfortable and supportive,” recalls Brienne. “She then created the skirt. I wanted it to pull up at the front so you could see my Vivienne Westwood ‘Melissa’ shoes. There were so many layers of satin and tulle but I was just like – more, more!”