I’m a proud plus-size woman with big, beautiful curves! But leaving several appointments not just without a gown but without having to be able to test anything my size on was completely defeating. Any fun which was supposed to originate from wedding dress shopping has been sucked out by stores failing to have a wider choice of sample sizes. It’s nothing like they weren’t available; the shops just didn’t carry them.

On a visit home to Missouri, my mom and sister convinced me to test shopping again. I was not thinking about putting myself capable of feeling miserable about my body system again but wasn’t pleased with the options I’d present in NYC. I finally decided to give St. Louis shopping an attempt.

To my delight, Maiden Voyage Bridal in Manchester, Missouri, was different. I described my dream dress to the saleswoman, and she or he seemed to have it instantly. The onsite seamstress was in a position to open up any dress I wanted so I could put on the dresses to determine what the final product would seem like. To this day, I don’t realize why every store doesn’t do that. It appeared like just a part of their process to accept sample dresses apart after which sew them well together. That’s what they’re there for, right?

With some slight tweaking and pulling together the best accessories, I fell deeply in love with a gown and not wanted to remove it!

I’m thrilled with my wedding gown (as well as spending a smaller amount of money than I expected!), but getting there is such a discouraging process. The fashion industry has done this type of a great job on your journey to inclusivity for those sizes, however, in my experience, a lot of the bridal industry hasn’t swept up yet. I wish designers included a bigger range of sample sizes to transmit to bridal shops, which may have made my experience—and those of so many other women—much more positive. Just because you’re a size 14, or 22 a line wedding dress, or perhaps a size 2, doesn’t imply that the experience of searching for your wedding gown should be any less special than somebody that fits into the sample sizes of 6 or 8.

My advice? Call the boutiques before venturing out to determine if the shops have wedding gown options inside your size. Someday soon, I hope to determine every bridal boutique has a wider selection of sample sizes. But for now, set yourself up for achievement by just calling ahead.