About Curvaceous Bridal, Plus Size Wedding Dress Boutique
For a business to thrive it needs a market. Patricia Edwards saw a gap in the market and started the specialised bridal store for plus size brides.
This idea didn’t come to Patricia as easy as you might think. The first time she thought about full size bridal gowns was 10 years ago when her daughter, who is 6ft tall and a size 18 told Patricia of her engagement.
“I was incredibly excited the first time we entered a bridal store to try on gowns”, said Patricia. What followed was nothing but a nightmare. “No one carried full size gowns and I lost count of the number of insults my daughter had to endure at a time that should have been her happiest”.
They finally found a gown after 6 months searching, in a larger city store, where they had a selection of 3 gowns. I remember thinking, “why is nobody catering for girls with real curves?” said Patricia.
Patricia had a background in interior design and art as well as a strong interest in fashion. After selling her art gallery, Patricia set out to go into the bridal industry. “I spent many hours calling into stores and ringing around to find a store that stocked plus size gowns for girls with a fuller figure to actually try on in store.” There were no plus size gowns available in any store for these girls to try on”, said Patricia.
“Often brides had to try out smaller gowns that were held together at the back. In some cases brides were asked to have a smaller size friend or the mother to try out the gowns to see what it would look like”, said Patricia.
After further research, Patricia set out looking for a bridal store to purchase. After many meetings and lots of searching, she found a small bridal boutique called “All Things Bridal” in Kirrawee. This gave Patricia a hands-on with brides and stock immediately, as well as the opportunity to start her own purchasing.
Patricia admits that there were times when no one would come through the door for days, but she persisted. Once the larger size gowns started coming in, it was time to expand. She started to specialise in the plus size gowns and slowly folded the other part of the business.
This gave Patricia the opportunity to move to the street frontage and change the name from “All Things Bridal” to “Curvaceous Bridal” as it is known today.
In a relaxed and friendly atmosphere you have a wonderful selection of gowns from
Australian and International designers. Brides Desire by Airs and Graces, Aurora D’Paradisio, Impressions, Da Vinci, Henri Josef, Alfred Angelo, Watters & Watters, Paco and Mari Gourlay
The store continues to grow and Patricia is constantly searching for new suppliers. They continue to have a very high satisfaction rate amongst the customers and Patricia says that she is truly blessed to be doing something that she loves so much.
Contact Patricia today to arrange an appointment or discuss any concerns you have about staying within your budget.
Don’t wait a minute longer... Curvaceous Bridal is ready to be at your service.
