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Are you a plus size bride and wondering about a wedding garter? Do you think that you are too big to wear a garter on your wedding day? Do you have concerns that if you are not super model skinny that you can't wear a garter on your wedding day and take part in the oldest wedding tradition? Do you wonder if your garter will be too tight on your leg? Or are you sacred that the garter won't fit at all and you won't get to wear it? If so, I want to come right out of this blog post and give you the biggest hug ever!
Before we go any further, let me just answer this right here and now: Yes, yes you can wear a garter on your wedding day no matter your size! What's more, you can love your garter heirloom forever, even saving it for your daughter some day! Any size bride can wear a garter on her wedding day. No questions, no concerns, any bride can wear a garter on her wedding day if she wants.
Remember, all of my wedding garters are made-to-order, so size adjustments are on problem! I'd love to make you the perfect wedding heirloom. Email me at info@thegartergirl.com or browse my couture wedding garter collection to find a wedding garter that you'll love forever!
Photo Credit: Renee Hollingshead
In this post, I'll give you some tips for making sure that your garter fits properly at any size. Hopefully, these tips will alleviate your concerns and make you feel more comfortable. But, before we go on, I just want to be crystal clear: Any bride, at any size, can wear a garter on her wedding day! That's it!
If you are a plus size bride, it can be hard to shop for your wedding, wether it is your dress, or your garter, when you feel like you don't look like any of the models in the wedding dress pictures on the blogs or magazines. It is hard to visualize how that dress things will look on you, wondering if it will even fit you. And, it is is scary to go into a bridal salon and worry that you won't fit into the sample sizes that the dress boutiques carry.
Do you worry about being a plus size bride?
I can't speak for the wedding dress shops and the bridal dress designers. They do seem to be coming around to understanding that not every bride is model size. There are lots of new plus size wedding dress collections out there. There are also plus size wedding blogs out there, like Pretty Pear Bride, that specialize in sourcing dress designers and wedding inspiration that are ideal for plus size brides.
For me, at The Garter Girl, I hand make each and every wedding garter in my collection for each bride. This means that I don't carry a stock of garters. When an order is placed, if from my garter collection in the shop or a custom garter design, then I go into production on that individual garter. Because I custom make each garter for each individual bride, adjusting the size to fit you perfectly is no problem at all. Size adjustments are perfectly normal and happen all the time.
Because every bride is a different size is why I don't carry a stock of garters and why I choose to hand make each garter to order for each individual bride.
Brides wanting a wedding garter heirloom contact me all the time with concerns about sizing or with questions about their garter fitting properly. The last thing anyone wants is a garter that is too tight, too loose or that is uncomfortable for any reason!
Photo Credit: Renee Hollingshead
The key to wearing a garter on your wedding day – regardless of your size – is a properly fitting wedding garter. If your garter fits you properly, it will all work out. Your size doesn't matter, if you get a garter that is a perfect fit for you. Your garter will adjust to your size, regardless of what your size is.
Proper fit is true for just about anything in fashion, be it your jeans or your wedding dress. You know this from shopping for jeans! The trick is to find a pair of jeans that fit you just as you are, not to try to squeeze into a pair that don't fit you right now. If the jeans fit you, the concerns lessen. The same is true with your garter. If it fits you properly, you are on your way!
When it comes to wedding dresses, you will usually order your dress in a rough size estimate, and then when it arrives in the shop, you'll have it altered to fit you perfectly. The same is true for my wedding garter designs. I have a standard garter size, but if adjustments need to be made to fit you perfectly, that is normal and not a problem at all.
There are plenty of custom garters made to fit you, or garters labeled as "adjustable" or even "plus size." Because sizing is subjective though, be sure to check the packaging or the size guide to make sure that you fully understand the size guidelines. What is one designers plus size, might be another's standard size.
Your garter should be snug, but not too tight or uncomfortable. You should be able to wear your garter all day on your wedding, from that walk down the aisle to the last dance with no concerns that it will fall down. I see lots of garter designs out there that aren't made with enough elastic to withstand the entire wedding day. Just make sure that you get a garter that is substantial, that will last the entire wedding day and that you can save as an heirloom.
The best thing you can do, if you are concerned about your wedding garter fitting you, is to measure for your wedding garter. But, how do you do that?
Measuring for your garter is super simple and only takes a few seconds! All you need is a tape measure or a piece of string and a ruler.
To measure for your garter, get out a tape measure and place it around your leg where you want to wear your garter. (I generally recommend that you wear your garter just above your knee. Here is a post that I wrote on where to wear your wedding garter.) This number in inches is what you'll need to give to your wedding garter designer (Hopefully it is me!) or you can look on the garter packaging or size guide.
Many garters offer a standard size and it will list, in inches, what the garter will stretch to fit. If your number fits within the standard size, you should be good to go. If it doesn't, you might have to source a custom made wedding garter so that you know it will fit your properly.
If you don't have a tape measure, use a piece of string and then after you've placed the string around your leg, lay the string along a ruler to get the inch number.
Above anything else, make sure that you try on your wedding garter the minute that you get it! If it doesn't fit or it needs to be adjusted, you don't want to wait until the morning of your wedding to find out! There is no need for wedding morning disappointment! Custom designing and properly fitting your garter to be just perfect is simple enough and can easily be taken care of for you!
Photo Credit: Red October Photography
A wedding garter is something to wear on your wedding day and to love forever. It should never be something that you are insecure or scared about because of your size. If your garter is made to fit you properly, it should feel comfortable and empowering!
The goal is for you to be excited about wearing your garter on your wedding and designing that perfect wedding day heirloom that you'll love forever, that will always remind you of how amazing you felt on your wedding day. So, no matter your size or shape, yes, you can wear a garter on your wedding!
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Remember, you can shop for blue, vintage, classic and modern garter heirlooms anytime in my garter shop or get in touch with me at info@thegartergirl.com for information on custom designing a garter just for you!
If you have any more garter questions, check out my garter 101 blog series or find all of my wedding planning advice here on my blog.
