Curvy Chic Bridal Crowned Ireland’s Best Plus Size Bridal Store
Curvy Chic Bridal, Northern Ireland’s only designer bridal boutique catering exclusively for plus size women, has been crowned Best Plus Size Bridal Store in Ireland at the 2017 Ireland’s Got Curves curvy convention and business awards.
Owned and managed by successful hair and makeup artist Rebecca Bryson, herself a plus size lady, Curvy Chic Bridal was conceived as a response to commercial prejudice shown toward plus size brides in Ireland.
Located in East Belfast, it stocks a collection of affordable full-figured gowns sourced from all over the world in sizes 16-44, and recently began stocking plus size bridesmaid and mother-of-the-bride dresses, as well as wide-fitting shoes, due to popular demand.
Collecting the award for Best Plus Size Bridal Store in Ireland at Dublin’s Alsaa Sports & Convention Centre on Sunday, April 9, Rebecca Bryson thanked the hundreds of plus size women who had helped make Curvy Chic Bridal such a success since it opened for business in summer 2016.
‘Over the past year, we have welcomed plus size women from all across Ireland to our Belfast boutique, from as far away as Cork and Kerry, desperate to find fashionable bridal wear at affordable prices,’ said the 31-year-old.
‘We are fully committed to celebrating curves and eliminating negativity surrounding being plus size. At Curvy Chic Bridal, we provide a non-judgmental shopping environment in which brides can browse our collections and enjoy one of the happiest days of their lives in the company of friends and family.’
Bryson was born in Lisburn but raised New Zealand, where she worked as a hair and makeup artist for MTV and other high profile clients. Returning to Northern Ireland in 2007, she launched Curvy Chic last year after hearing full figured brides’ horror stories of searching for wedding gowns in a size 16+.
In 2015, surveys across the UK and Ireland showed that 57% of the female population were categorized as size 16, making them officially plus size, yet with over 4,000 bridal stores across the region, only seven of these catered specifically to the plus size population.
Turned away for being too ‘big’, described as ‘fat and difficult’ in boutique diaries, or humiliated into trying on dresses clearly too small for them, these women prompted Bryson to research the industry further.
‘Being plus size myself, I visited a few local bridal stores and couldn’t find a single wedding dress that fitted me,’ adds Bryson. ‘I decided something had to be done, and with the support of my amazing family, Curvy Chic Bridal was born.’
Ireland’s Got Curves is the first convention of its kind in Ireland, bringing ‘everything plus size’ together under one roof, and featured a plus size fashion show, celebrity guest speakers and a wide-ranging business awards. Winners were chosen by public vote.
SharonD, Miss Curves Ireland 2017 and Ireland’s Got Curves founder, said: ‘We are so delighted for Curvy Chic Bridal. To win an award is one thing but to win an award as voted for by the public is really something else. We wish them continued success in the future.’
