EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WKBW) — There's a new and unique bridal shop in East Aurora designed with plus-size brides in mind. The owners say it's the only one of its kind in Upstate New York and the mission is very near to their heart.
Shopping for a wedding dress is supposed to be fun and if you book a VIP appointment at New Ivory Bridal in East Aurora you'll get the full experience. It includes a private room, champagne, a charcuterie board and plenty of options for plus-size brides.
While Kristen Hauck loves a lot of dresses at New Ivory, she only has eyes for one. She tried on numerous and walked out of the fitting room with her favorite.
"This is the dress. This is my dress," said Hauck.
It's her favorite wedding dress, but the problem is she found it five years too late. You see, Kristen got married five years ago but when she went shopping for a gown she said there weren't a lot of options for plus-size women and she had to settle.
"I went to five stores and was not able to find a fitted gown that I could try on," said Hauck.
So why is she trying on dresses years after her wedding? This is her store.
She recently opened New Ivory Bridal so plus-size women can have a better shopping experience than she did.
"Plus-size people have spent their whole lives trying to fit into a non-plus-size world," said Hauck.
Everything from the dresses to the space is designed to make a mid to plus-size bride feel comfortable.
"We wanted a space with higher ceilings. Our doorways are larger, our furniture is nice and big and plush," said Hauck. All to make the experience a good one for brides.
AmandaLee Shamrock wants the same thing. She is co-owner of the shop and said even though they just opened, they've already created memorable moments for brides.
"Our bride yesterday went to three other stores and they were squeezing her into very small sizes and they kept kind of being like well your body just doesn't fit into this. They said it like five times." She told 7 News Anchor and Reporter Lia Lando, "she was really hurt." But her experience at New Ivory changed that. Shamrock said, "They actually left in happy tears like thank you so much for this. This was amazing."
If Hauck could go back in time and make her shopping experience a happy one, she likely wouldn't be the owner of this store today, standing in her favorite gown.
"Its name is Estelle but I have told my rep that they misnamed the dress. It should be named Kristen," said Hauck who explained she might wear the dress one day when she renews her wedding vows.
Sizes at the store range from 14 up to 40. They recommend you call ahead for an appointment. While there's currently one location on Main Street in East Aurora, they have plans to open more in the future.
If you would like to book an appointment call 716-714-5124 or head to https://www.newivorybridal.com/
