Sash & Bustle — Just Biffi

Studio Levana - corset (sold with bridal gowns) | Rachel Simpson - shoes

Next up on Wedding Wednesday, is something I’ve been getting a lot of questions about. When I was little I never really thought I would get married, so I never really thought about the white dress. Now that my nuptials are a reality, it seems the dress is all I can think about, and something all of you have been asking about too!

Being plus size, I’ve always been wary of what options would be available to me. Not being a fan of strapless, corsets or A-line dresses, I figured I would never find something that felt like me. Bridal sizing is also notoriously sized smaller than street sizing, which is just another hurdle to overcome.

Robert Bullock - "Veronica" | Cape by Veil Trends

I was so excited when I came across Sash & Bustle, a Toronto based bridal boutique at the Wedding Co. Bridal Market last February. They had a booth there and were so excited to unveil that they were going to be building their plus and extended range collections in store. A lot of bridal designers do carry extended ranges, the issue is most boutiques do not carry the samples in store for the plus bride to physically try on. The ladies told me that by August they would have a lot of their new samples in store, and I jumped at the chance to try on some gowns!

Sasha & Bustle was acquired five years ago by Vanessa and Andrea Dineen. The sisters, who’s entrepreneur grandparents immigrated to Toronto from Macedonia, had always dreamed of owning they own business, focusing on fashion. With Vanessa’s background in business and Andrea’s fashion design background, it was a dream come true with Sash & Bustle.

Andrea and Vanessa Dineen - photo courtesy of Sash & Bustle

The east end boutique is a carefully curated collection that builds off the theme of “down to earth luxury”. A lot of the designers they carry are also exclusive to them, giving you a one of a kind experience in their stunning shop. There a lot of Instagramable moments in store as well, so you and your I Do Crew will have plenty of moments to capture during your appointment.

I came into my appointment like a blank slate. I wanted to check out the options, and get a sense of my bridal aesthetic. As I plan on shopping for my dress eight to ten months out from the wedding, this was a chance to play and get ideas. A lot of the designers I’ve started following on Instagram are more modern and clean. I also love the boho look, but wasn’t sure if I could find that in a plus size.

A lot of what I tried on came in sizes 18 and 20. Everything did up, but was snug. Not my true size but fit enough to give me a clear picture of what I was trying on and looking at. If you’ve seen Say Yes To The Dress, you know that the dresses in store come in one size per style. This can be tricky if you’re not sample size, but with S&B being considerate of the extended style samples needing to have ample room, this was very easy to maneuver. And the consultants are experts and have a lot of tricks up their sleeves to make the dream come to life, even if the size is not quite right.

I think you have to have an open mind when it comes to bridal shopping. I tired on things that I thought I would love, and things that I didn’t think I would like at all. In both cases I was very surprised. Being that this experience was also to showcase what S&B has to offer rather than just my bridal vision I was open to a lot. And my advice is shop, look online and have a sense of what you’d like, but be open to the experience and try on whatever catches your eye, even if it’s not what you originally envisioned.