Hopping for any wedding dress like a size 14 isn't any cakewalk. Just ask the model and advocate Jennifer, who married the love of her life, Joe, in August,16,2020 while wearing a sensational figure-hugging gown. But finding that perfect wedding gown was no easy feat. Here, Jennifer details her very own less-than-perfect experience.

I’m probably the most confident people I know. But I haven’t been confident in my skin. Growing up, I was always taller and larger than the girls (and many of the boys) my maturity. I’ve been fortunate that modeling in the last 10 years has allowed me to simply accept my body for everything it's: big, curvy, and delightful. However, leaving my first wedding gown appointment—preparing for one of the happiest times of my life—I’ve rarely felt worse about my body system.

Living in New York City, I expected to possess seemingly unlimited options for any wedding dress. This is one of the fashion capitals of the world, right? But in starting the first bridal boutique, I was astounded to locate that they had nothing that will fit me. At a size 14 (the typical size of American women, incidentally), I was not able to fit into the boutique’s sample sizes of 6 or 8. The saleswoman was very sweet and attempted to be accommodating—putting me in bigger skirts and holding the top a smaller liven up to my bust to obtain an idea of what such a larger dress might look like—but ordering an outfit you’ve never tried on before for one from the biggest times of your life was something I just wasn’t prepared to do.

The second boutique I visited in New York was a level bigger disaster. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I told the saleswoman the vision I had for my dream dress and she looked me down and up and said, "We don’t have anything like this in your size." I was floored. So I walked out of there, thinking to myself that she’d designed a big mistake in not helping me.

Now, I’ve never been a shopper. Growing up, I was always more interested in the next Stephen King novel than visiting the mall. But searching for my wedding gown was different. I was getting excited about it! As a model, I’ve learned to become comfortable and confident with my skin. I’m a proud plus-size woman with big, beautiful curves! But leaving two appointments not just without a gown but without having to be able to try anything my size on was completely defeating. I couldn’t imagine what plus-size women with lower self-esteem than mine were experiencing.

My advice? Call the boutiques before venturing out to ascertain if the stores have plus-size wedding dress options inside your size. Someday soon, I hope to determine every bridal boutique has a wider selection of sample sizes. But for now, set yourself up for achievement by just calling ahead.