I speed-walked in my first and only marathon in November 2001. The marathon took place in Bermuda, so I headed to downtown DC to renew my passport. When the clerk at the Passport Office asked me why I needed to go out of the country, I explained to her that I was participating in a marathon. She looked at me incredulously and said, “Really?!?” Now, I am a woman of robust stature, so I am sure that I looked pretty hurt by her question. So, she immediately tried to explain herself by stating, “I wasn’t talking about your weight! I was talking about those!” She was pointing to my girls.
I looked her square in the eye and said, “Honey, with the proper equipment, there is nothing that my girls can’t do!”
The same can be said when shopping for a wedding gown. Curvaceous brides find themselves coveting the strapless or low back wedding gowns that their less-endowed counterparts get to wear, but they are too afraid to give the gowns a try. Well, I am happy to report that just about any wedding gown can be worn by a curvaceous bride as long as she is armed with a little confidence and the proper lingerie.
Here are a few tips –
1. First and foremost, go to the lingerie section of your favorite department store and get fitted. You might be in for a big surprise. Reports have shown (okay, Oprah said it) that 7 out of 8 women wear the wrong bra, which adds unnecessary pounds to a woman’s appearance. So get fitted – come to terms with your new bra size – and be prepared to look ten pounds lighter.
2. Find a lingerie company that understands the needs of a curvaceous bride. Not everyone caters to well-endowed brides. Sure, they may carry a few bras in larger sizes, but I am can assure you that those bras probably don’t give you the lift that you need. Some of them even give you a little too much lift and separation (can you say Zeppelins?).
Goddess Bras are my favorite, but there are several good companies out there that offer bras and merry widows that truly support (pun intended) brides wearing a D cup or higher.
Other brands include:
Talk to the certified fit specialists to help you find the bra that right for you. Certified Fit Specialists are typically employed by your high-end lingerie stores or your high-end department stores.
3. Come to terms with the fact that equipment for the big girls doesn’t come cheap. I know what you are thinking! Adding another pricey item to your wedding budget is not what you want to hear. But I can assure you that this is one area where you don’t want to skimp. Depending upon your cup size, your bra or merry widow will typically start at $65, but they will provide you with the smooth and comfortable support that you want, and I know from experience that it will make a difference when you try on your wedding gown. In fact, you will LOVE how good you will look in your wedding pictures, and you can't put a price on that!
Love & Soul Always, Kay (and the girls)
(Photo by www.goddessbra.com)
