Escondido shop serves only curvy brides

For nearly half of her life, Danielle Springer has worked in the formal wear business, helping fit brides in their dream wedding gowns.

But for curvy women like herself, Springer said wedding dress shopping is often anything but a dream because most shops don’t carry many plus-size gowns.

"It’s sad," she said. "On that day, you should feel just as beautiful as any other woman but you’re trying on dresses four sizes too small that you can’t zip up and your back’s out. You lose the beauty."

So in February, Springer opened Unveiled Bridal, an Escondido shop that carries only plus-size wedding dresses ranging from size 14 to 30. The gowns — priced from $89 to $999 — aren’t floor samples but discontinued designer gowns that can be purchased off the rack.

In just four months, Springer has drawn a small but fast-growing clientele, with three to five brides a week coming in for private fittings. One of them is Escondido resident Juliana Jex, 35, who will be getting married in October.

"When you get married, you want to feel pretty and I never felt pretty when I shopped at regular bridal shops. I always felt like I was treated different," Jex said. "They have one or two of each size dress in a variety of styles and if your size isn’t the right size, you just have to order it and hope it fits."

Jex discovered Unveiled in a Google search and found the perfect dress on her first visit to the shop, where she said Springer was a kindred spirit who understood the needs and desires of the plus-sized woman.

"It was like she understood me," Jex said. "I felt so pretty and thought that this is how the experience is supposed to be."

Alyssa Chambers of Escondido, who will be getting married in June of next year, said she was impressed with Springer’s depth of experience when she bought her wedding dress at Unveiled this spring.

"She’s wonderful and you can really tell she knows what she’s talking about," said Chambers, 25. "I’d heard horror stories and was nervous about going bridal shopping because I heard I wouldn’t find anything in my size. But she had a lot of dresses, she knows what looks good on your body and she’s so sweet and warm. I felt super comfortable around her."

Born in Queens and raised in Long Island, the 31-year-old Springer first came to North County as a junior in high school. Her first job was in a bridal store and she loved the industry so much she never left. She earned a fashion merchandising degree at Mesa College and has worked for national bridal chains both in San Diego and in New York, where she has lived off and on over the past 10 years.

"I’m absolutely passionate about this industry," Springer said. "It’s the only business where the customer leaves feeling more beautiful than when they came in. They get to look the way they always wanted."

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But whenever larger women came into the stores where she worked, Springer said she had to ask them to imagine how they’d look in their dream gown. The same thing happened to her when she became engaged three years ago. She’s a size 24, but the dresses she squeezed herself into at the bridal shops were all size 16.

That experience inspired the creation of Unveiled. Springer and her husband, Andrew, were living in New York, but they decided to open their first store in Escondido because it’s where her mother lives and where they hope to raise a family.

"I love this city. It’s got that small-town feel and everyone is so encouraging and wonderful," she said.

The 700-square-foot shop at 556 S. Escondido Blvd. carries 30 to 40 bride’s dresses as well as a small selection of mother-of-the-bride gowns. Springer is also planning a line of bridesmaid dresses that range in size from 00 to 30. The shop also carries veils, jewelry, accessories and undergarments in larger sizes.

Springer’s shop is closed on Tuesdays so she can spend the day shopping for merchandise online. She buys plus-size versions of last season’s dresses in myriad designs and colors. Most of the dresses are priced under $799.

"I don’t like going overboard with pricing," she said. "A bride can feel just as beautiful in a $499 dress as a $12,000 dress."

She said the reactions she has received from customers have convinced her she’s on the right path.

"It’s such an emotional response I get," she said. "They walk in with their defenses up, mentally prepared to be miserable, and then that turns to sheer happiness when they find so many options and everything comes together."

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