Plus-Size Brides, Slim Pickings on Dresses

May 5, 2007 — -- The smell of spring and the warmer weather marks the beginning of another wedding season as couples across the country prepare to say their "I do's."

But before that walk down the aisle, one of the most important parts of the preparation is finding the perfect dress for the big day. But for some brides-to-be, that's not so easy.

An estimated 30 percent of the nation is now obese and nearly 70 percent of women wear a size 12 or larger, so it's no surprise more and more brides are saying it's OK to be curvy on their wedding day. But is the bridal industry keeping up with America's weight gain?

At size 22, Crystal Kavallieros of Fort Collins, Colo., tells ABC News, "In my mind I was thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I am going to look horrible on my wedding day.'"

Preparing for her wedding was something she had dreamed of her whole life. But she says, "I was snubbed at a half dozen bridal boutiques. I didn't get a lot of attention as a bride. I guess I went in there thinking that I should feel special like a princess and I didn't. I felt like I was treated differently because I was bigger. I wasn't given a lot of attention.

"The experience made me feel that because I was heavier, I didn't deserve a wedding day like everybody else," she adds, "and I couldn't be beautiful, and I couldn't be special because I couldn't find a dress."

But Crystal's perfect day eventually became a reality when she spotted the dress of her dreams at David's Bridal.

"It was a gown that made me feel beautiful," she says. "I may be full figured, but I still looked pretty good."

But until that moment, Crystal says, "Everything was working against my self-esteem."

The barrage of magazines plastered with thin brides and all those prewedding diets can add to the stress of lack of dress choices for some plus-size brides like Crystal.

"When you look at the industry," she says, "and you see that the models they use and the size of the dresses they sell, if you get any kind of designer gown you're not going to find it in a plus-size size. It makes you feel that you need to be there, and if you're not there then something is wrong with you."