What Size Inclusivity Means at The Fleuridian

And a large part of deconstructing and rebuilding this industry, is facing the fact that we’ve been led to believe that brides are supposed to be thin, white, and young. This is ridiculous, especially from an economic standpoint, because ALL KINDS of women get married. How silly to purposefully exclude a huge potential market!

Kate and I were lucky enough to watch both our mothers become brides in their fifties. I watched as my mother struggled through dress appointments where the stylists were obviously used to catering to a younger clientele, pulling dresses that were frumpy and not at all suited to my mom’s vision. They assumed that because she was in her fifties, she must want to cover-up. 

And don’t get me started on the word “flattering”. So many times throughout my bridal styling career I’d see a bride buy a gown because she was told it was the most “flattering”. Even if it had details or a fabric she didn’t love. Leaving behind the dress she really preferred, because someone in her party had told her it wasn’t as flattering as the other. Heartbreaking. 

As we began our search for designers to stock, we made a commitment: we were not going to carry any designers that did not make dresses up to size 28. And turns out, this really restricted the designers we’d be carrying. But we persevered and we are thrilled with the five wonderful gown designers we’ll be stocking at The Fleuridian. Designers who share our commitment to size-inclusivity. And we exceeded our own expectations - all our designers make gowns up to size 32!

But what good are gowns that can be ordered up to size 32 if the only sample gown in the shop to try on is a size 6? At The Fleuridian, you will not find a “plus size” section off in the corner. All of our dresses come in a size everyone can try or even multiple sizes. With the size representation of our sample gowns, every bride will be able to visualize any dress in their perfect size. And we’ve got magic up our sleeves (and in our pockets) by way of clips and dress panels so that the dress feels comfortable as you move around in the gown. 

In addition to having size-inclusive gowns, the following are promises we make to all our brides:

1. We will NEVER encourage you to change anything about yourself before your wedding day. Your weight, your hair, your comfort level. We meet you right where you’re at. You should look like YOU on your big day. The person your partner is already crazy about. 

2. We will NEVER encourage you to cover up parts of yourself. We LOVE tattoos, scars and stretchmarks. If you have things you want to cover, we will help you do that. We all have different comfort levels. But we embrace the whole you. Not some air-brushed version. 

3. We will listen to you. Need to take a 10 minute break from trying on? No problem. Want to go a totally different direction than your original vision? Cool! Someone in your party needs to keep their mouth shut? We’ll kindly redirect them when they’re being negative Nancys. The bride remains our sole focus and concern throughout the appointment. We welcome your friends’ and family’s thoughtful and kind opinions but we work FOR YOU!

So don’t settle for a bridal salon that could potentially tell you or someone you love “that doesn’t come in your size”. We have to demand better if we are going to unravel this industry from its problematic roots. There’s so much potential for bridal to be better. And we will always strive for The Fleuridian to be a step in the right direction.

xo,

Sloane and Kate