Plus-size brides prove size doesn't matter

If Ishleen Kaur had to pick a theme song for walking down the aisle during her wedding, may we suggest Frank Sinatra’s classic, I did it my way. Right down to her wedding-day looks, to how she wanted her ceremony to be, Kaur stuck to her way – and paved a way for other brides to follow. For someone who has been “promoting real curves” (as her Instagram bio reads) for many years now, the 25-year-old documented her wedding on her handle @thecurvyprincess (with over 65k followers). She says, “The moment the dates were fixed, there was pressure from the family and others to lose weight. People, instead of being interested in how happy I was, were more bothered about how much weight I could lose before the big day.”


The pressure to lose weight is universal, but to-be brides are almost coerced to look a certain way for what is purportedly supposed to be their big day. Plus-size fashion blogger and stylist Amena Azeez of fashionopolis.in should know. Before turning a body-positive influencer, Azeez worked as a fashion designer especially catering to the bridal market. She was privy to the rigours brides put on themselves – living on a diet of carrots and juices to drop two sizes. “There’s huge pressure to be perfect. And perfection is considered as just being slim. This notion has been drummed in on us for decades,” she notes.

ALL SIZES MATTERIn July 2019, The Knot (a UK-based digital wedding brand) released its ‘Fashion Study for Size Inclusivity’, examining how shopping experiences for bridal fashion vary among women of different sizes. Women of sizes 12 and larger were more self-conscious before dress shopping. Thsoe wearing size 12-36 are twice as likely to call bridal salons ahead of their appointment to ask about sample dresses in their size, while one in four brides with size 12+ give themselves a pep talk prior to trying on wedding dresses.

Even though they are UK figures, they hit home with Pune-based content creator of @shesasixteen Meenu Goel-Khade. The 29-year-old tied the knot this February, and says that the “disappointment is real” for plus-size women looking for a bridal dress. Even as more plus-size options are available for western wear, the ethnic wear market is yet to catch on. She says, “Shops don’t have sample sizes and offer customisations at exorbitant prices.” Goel-Khade says for true size inclusivity we need to stop calling anything ‘plus size’. For someone who loves fashion, she decided to customise her look with designers she had worked with earlier. She tweaked her wedding dress by adding frilly sleeves and devised creative accents like custom-made ties and latkans. “My outfits celebrated my personal style. I focused more on my mental health and on spending quality time with my family,” she says.
Designer Amit Aggarwal says that the international movement has started to reflect in the Indian market and more representation is seen, and says, “Indian brands and designers are breaking stereotypes when it comes to size. There’s also no harm in calling up a store before going and making sure that they have the correct sample sizes and garments for you.”

IN YOUR OWN SKINAs a plus-size influencer, Kaur says that people often perceive her as unhealthy. “I am not promoting obesity. We all try to be better versions of ourselves. But the first step towards it is to be happy with yourself. Work out to improve yourself but don’t do it because you hate your body,” she says. Even with this positive pep talk, the dress shopping experience left her shocked. “I would go with my sister and every shopkeeper assumed that it was my sister who was getting married because supposedly a person my size doesn’t (or can’t) get married,” she recalls.
The Indian fashion scene has only recently started being open to size inclusivity – at least on the ramp. And then you have missteps like designer Falguni Peacock who, when asked what advice she’d give a plus-size bride said: “It’s easy to lose a few inches and then come back and buy a wedding lehenga”. She later issued an apology. Then, designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee started the size inclusive conversation when he used a plus-size model in his bridal campaign. The plus-size segment in India is estimated to be about $5-6 billion market by 2020. Body-positive content creator and model Sakshi Sindwani — recently featured on the cover of a major fashion magazine — says she’s seeing a change in perception, all thanks to social media. She fields questions on being body positive on a daily basis: “I just tell the brides it’s important for us to not alter ourselves for the one day that celebrates love; this day is all about loving yourself. Don’t stress about one day that literally is for you.”

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Psychologist Dr Jaya Sukul says, in the Indian set-up, marriage is such a big day that women get “really aggressive towards their bodies”. She adds, “Terms like ‘bridezilla’ have become almost official. You have to self-check to maintain better mental health during the whole process of getting married. It’s more about how you feel on the day and not how good you look.”
Kaur is tickled pink that while other wedding photos are going viral for various reasons, “mine got noticed for being ‘plus’ and being unapologetic about it. How shallow are we that we find it amazing to see a plus-size bride?”


I just tell the brides it’s important not to alter ourselves for the one day that celebrates love; this day is all about loving yourself. Wear what you are comfortable in and not to prove a certain point
—Sakshi Sindwani, body-positive content creator and model


How to be a BODY-POSITIVE BRIDE - Acknowledge your body type. Acceptance is the first step to empowerment
- Surround yourself with positive people who shower you with compliments
- Pick a dress in the size you wear today and not something you think you’ll fit into on your wedding date
- Don’t change yourself Dieting, working out to an inch of your life, is just you saying you don’t like your current self
- Avoid bringing people who won’t make your dress-shopping experience positive
- Say “no” to diets. Constantly talking about what you’re eating will negatively affect those around you too


When I announced my wedding, a lot of women said my love story gave them hope – the fact that love exists for plus-size brides. It gave them confidence to love the size they are.
— Meenu Goel-Khade, content creator


Bride side: Ishleen Kaur is plus and proud.