Curvy Bride in Manalapan makes sure every woman can choose the best wedding dress

Growing up in Vermont and moving to East Brunswick with her family at age 10, Michelle Files — owner of The Curvy Bride in Manalapan — was a born entrepreneur.

“I remember organizing garage sales or setting up stands to sell things, then taking the money I made and donating it to a local animal shelter,” said Files, today a 43-year-old Freehold resident, of her early business savvy.

After graduating from Monmouth University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and then her getting her MBA, Files worked for Avon and then served as a finance manager for high-end skin care brand La Prairie, but realized she needed a change.

“I was commuting four hours a day to New York City and knew I wanted to start a family and couldn’t do that routine,” she said. As she started thinking about opening her own business, she landed on an idea that drew from her personal experience.

“In the summer of 2011, I began shopping for dresses for my February 2012 wedding and couldn’t put on one size at my local bridal shop,” she recalled. “At the time, I was a size 16 and had to squeeze into the one size 14 they had.”

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A followup visit to a larger bridal store in the Shore area proved hectic and impersonal and ended in similar frustration. “Two weeks later, I went to another shop but was limited to what they had,” she said. “They only had two dresses for me to pick from and I chose one of them.

“I’d never shopped in a plus-size store because I was at the top of the normal/Misses section, so I had no idea that I needed plus-size dresses, and there were no plus-size bridal stores around anyway,” she said. “I ended up getting a dress, but there were definitely very few options.”

Intent on opening a store that helped ease the way for other plus-size brides, “I connected with the owner of the closest plus-size bridal store — in Cincinnati — and she became my instant friend and mentor, introducing me to my first big vendors and helping me place orders, figure out sizing, and organize alterations,” Files said.

At that time living in a condo behind the Towne Pointe retail center in Manalapan, “I knew of a space there that had been vacant for a while and could walk there from my house, so I signed a lease and launched The Curvy Bride in August 2013.”

“I liked that name because it was positive,” Files said. “The name embraces that you’re beautiful at any size and that you’re welcome here. Bring your curves!”

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Personal, intimate setting

At her 1,640-square-foot shop, “we offer plus-size bridal dresses from sizes 16-34 as well as accessories including beautiful jewelry, veils and headpieces,” Files said. “We have about 200 dresses in the shop from such popular brands as Essense of Australia, Stella York, Allure, Maggie Sottero, and Rebecca Ingram and prices range from $1,000 to $3,200 and average $1,500 to $2,200.”

In terms of her store’s approach, “I wanted to do things opposite of what I couldn’t stand in other stores,” she said. “In other bridal shops, I’d had to stand next to smaller girls in large open dressing areas, so I wanted every bride of ours to have their own private area and enjoy a small, personal and intimate setting with no factory feel.

"Our shop is decorated in light purple, which is very calming,” she said, “and if you buy a dress, you receive a swag bag containing a lavender tote from Belmar-based Shop Sammy, lavender sachets, a personalized lip balm, artisan cookies from The Jersey Cookie Girl in Millstone, and a pretty pen with a big diamond on top.”

Files said plus-size brides have long been underserved/under-recognized, though that’s beginning to change thanks to stores like hers. “Size 10-16 brides aren’t necessarily considered plus-size in street clothes, but based on industry sizing they may need a plus-size bridal dress, which traditional bridal shops don’t typically carry,” she explained.

In terms of style and format, “people are increasingly having smaller, non-traditional, and/or destination weddings and a lot of brides are desiring soft, light and flowy dresses as opposed to the heavy, beaded, big ball gowns of the past,” she said. “Classic dresses with simple lines and a shimmery effect are in, and ivory, champagne, blush and even black wedding dresses are also popular alternatives to traditional white dresses, which can be very bright on some brides.”

Files said that the early days of the pandemic — “we closed on March 19th and had no idea when we’d open our doors again” — were challenging. Until they reopened that June, “I was in the shop the whole time conducting virtual appointments for brides whose weddings were coming up and personally driving dresses out to them,” she said. “That helped us cover the rent and our enrollment in the federal Payroll Protection Program was also helpful.”

Current product backlogs fueled by the global pandemic now add a new layer of difficulty.

“It’s hard when we don’t have control over manufacturers’ shipping, so we recommend that brides come to us as early as possible before their wedding so that we’re not dealing with such a tight shipping window,” she said. “Alterations can also be challenging, as a few tries may be required to get a perfect fit. Ultimately, the process takes a little patience and isn’t necessarily an overnight thing.”

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An enjoyable experience

Looking ahead, Files is excited about several trunk shows coming up at The Curvy Bride, including an Allure show on November 26-28 and a Stella York show on December 3-5. “These designers will be sending us a bunch of dresses on loan that otherwise won’t be available and offering sale pricing, so these events are a great opportunity to see more dresses than normal and save a little money,” she said.

“My hope is that we can continue to get the word out that we’re here,” said Files, who’s grateful for the positive word of mouth she received from the private NJ Brides Facebook group early on. “We’re not a high-pressure place at all; we just want customers to feel happy and beautiful at any size and have a great experience whether they buy a dress or not.

"Our six consultants have years of experience working with plus-size brides and really listen to what customers want and share all of the possibilities within their price point and comfort zone to ensure their satisfaction," she said. "We offer the latest-and-greatest styles for sizes 16 and up and offer a private, personal experience brides won’t get at other places. Plus-size brides no longer have to walk into a sea of bridal dresses they can’t try on.”

Though now a size 12/14, Files is dedicated to helping others avoid the experience she endured before her big day.

Among the best parts of her job, “I love when brides pick up their dresses, are so happy, and tell us that ours was the easiest process of their entire wedding experience and that they’re going to miss seeing us,” Files said. “I’ve heard the horror stories from plus-size brides about there being no variety or needing to have others try on dresses for them because the samples weren’t available.”

At The Curvy Bride, she said, “we want to find the dress that makes you feel the most beautiful and offer an enjoyable experience that you’ll treasure.”

The Curvy Bride

Location: 357 Route 9, Manalapan (Towne Pointe Center)

Phone: 732-536-6100

Owner: Michelle Files

Launched: August 2013

Website: www.curvybrides.com