Curvy Chic Bridal, the only boutique in Northern Ireland to cater exclusively for plus size brides, has opened in East Belfast and created four new jobs following a £150k investment.
The luxurious 2,220 square feet boutique, which is located on the Hollywood Road, has a private bridal suite, two large changing rooms for Mothers of the Bride and Bridesmaids and the largest collection of plus size gowns in Northern Ireland, many of which are exclusive to Curvy Chic Bridal in Ireland the UK.
The boutique is owned by leading bridal make-up artist, Rebecca Bryson, who launched Curvy Chic Bridal in 2016 after working with too many brides that were disappointed by the limited choice of wedding dresses for their size.
“I have worked in the wedding industry for over 14 years, initially as a make-up artist, and a constant complaint from brides, specifically in Northern Ireland, was the lack of choice in wedding dresses above a certain size. It got to the stage of hearing so many disappointing stories that I wanted to do something to help. I started Curvy Chic Bridal in 2016 with £3,000 savings and worked from home for the first three years.
I quickly learned that we needed to find curve specific dresses, not dresses just made bigger, which I believe is the unique offering of our collections. We’ve worked so hard to offer Northern Ireland’s largest section of plus size gowns and the business has gone from strength to strength. Last year we had a 52 per cent increase in business, with 23 per cent of sales now coming from the Republic of Ireland, so I knew it was the right time to open my first boutique and in doing so create four new jobs,” Rebecca said.
“I have project managed the new boutique and am proud to have transformed it from the well-known Ulster Bank building to a truly luxurious bridal boutique, while keeping some of the original features including turning one of the safes into a unique bridal viewing room to allow brides to give her wedding parties the first glimpse of her gown. We also have a fantastic selection of bridesmaid dresses from size 6 – 44 and occasion wear for formals and wedding guests.
“The best thing about what we do is seeing how special brides feel in our gowns and I’m really looking forward to welcoming them into Curvy Chic Bridal to give them a special experience as they pick their dream dress,” Rebecca concluded.
