For Ann Campeau, finding her dream wedding dress was less than ideal. A slightly bigger woman, Campeau found difficulty in finding the perfect plus-sized dress.

That was, until an idea sparked in Campeau’s head five years ago to turn the proverbial lemons into lemonade by creating a beauty store where fuller-figured women could feel like princesses in their wedding dresses.

Campeau said that when she opened her first store in Phoenix, it was only the third of its kind in the entire country. Then, a year ago, she opened Strut Bridal Salon in Long Beach.

“What makes us different from most bridal stores is that we focus on sizes 12-32, which means that curvy and plus size brides can actually try on wedding dresses, instead of ordering from a book or photo, holding it up to themselves in the mirror, or, like in my case, having someone else try on gowns for them,” she said.

Campeau said she travels about six times a year to visit designers and view their new collections.

She said most designers release two wedding dress collections a year, and purchases she made in March are just now arriving at her store, located at 4264 Atlantic Ave.

“We are not exaggerating when we recommend to buy your wedding dress a year in advance!” she said.

She said the dresses at her store show off the latest trends, like low, sexy, embellished backs while remaining flattering on curvy bodies.

“The Allure gowns feature top quality materials and construction, which is important for plus size brides,” she said. “Plus, I use my years of experience to check the style and fit and buy gowns that I think will flatter fuller-figured brides.”

Strut will feature some of its wedding gowns in a plus-sized, mini-runway fashion show at the Bixby Knolls First Fridays event tomorrow.

First Fridays visitors will also be able to meet individually with the wedding collective vendors to learn more about products and services. Brides will also get a coupon for $100 off their wedding dress purchase.

“While the event is free to attend, we highly recommend that brides register in advance so they’ll get a swag bag loaded with freebies and discounts from local vendors,” Campeau said.

Brides can register for the event by emailing [email protected].

Strut Bridal Salon is located at 4264 Atlantic Ave. Visit them online or follow them on Facebook.