Engagement Season: Leah Langley-McClean On Plus-Size Bridal

While singles are sliding into cuffing season (the time of year when cooler weather and holiday vibes nudge people toward romantic connections) couples are stepping into their own annual ritual: engagement season. Spanning roughly from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day, it’s when more than one-third of all proposals happen.

According to The Knot’s 2024 Real Weddings Study, December continues to be the most popular month to get engaged, with Christmas Day being the most popular day of the year. That surge means one thing: by early spring, newly engaged brides are already shopping for gowns, ushering in the class of 2026 and 2027 weddings.

Nashville designer Leah Langley-McClean, founder of Ellenelle Bridal, is well-equipped to meet the needs of these blushing brides. Known for sleek, custom, size-inclusive gowns that celebrate every body, Langley-McClean has built a reputation for rewriting the rules of bridal fashion—one confident bride at a time.

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A Look of My Own

When Langley-McClean began searching for her own wedding dress nearly a decade ago, she found herself disheartened by the experience.

“I was a size 12/14 at the time, and I just could not find anything,” she told MadameNoire. “I couldn’t find any dresses, nothing that spoke to me, nothing that showed my style, and was high fashion. Like I was kind of that girl that showed up and would always have on something cute… but when it came to my wedding dress, there just was not anything that really spoke to that.”

Unable to find what she wanted, she made it.

“I went ahead and decided to go down the route of customizing my own wedding dress. I’m self-taught and I didn’t know what I was really getting into at the time,” she said, laughing. “But I was able to make my own wedding dress from that, and that really just opened my eyes to the fact that the wedding industry was not catering to what even then was the average-size woman.”

That DIY dress launched her path toward entrepreneurship—and toward founding Ellenelle Bridal, the studio she now runs in the heart of Nashville.

Fit Is Not A Luxury

Langley-McClean believes confidence starts with fit. “We’re constantly telling them, ‘you look great, you look gorgeous,’ and trying to build up confidence in them in these vulnerable moments,” she said. “But at the same token, we all have our insecurities.”

After becoming a mother, she understood that message even more deeply.

“I had to kind of find what my style was,” she said. “I was wearing oversized clothes. Everything was super baggy and oversized, and I really had to kind of revamp and figure out what [is] almost like a formula for how to dress.”

Her advice to brides—and anyone rediscovering their body—is both sensible and freeing.

“I think a lot of people get stuck on the number when it comes to their clothing instead of the actual fit,” she explained. “Go up in size, get the fit you want, and tailor it. You look proportionate when you wear what works for you.”

That same care shows up in her design process. Every consultation begins with conversation, not measurement. “I like to look at what brides like to wear,” she said. “If you’re going to a formal, what is the dress that you gravitate towards? … I talk about things like how you want to feel on your wedding day—do you want to be the belle of the ball? Do you want your spouse to see your face first when you walk down the aisle? That kind of helps bring it all together.”

2026 Trends: Following What Speaks To You

Looking ahead, Langley-McClean sees the next wave of brides leaning further into self-expression.

“I kind of see brides just following their own path and what speaks to them,” she said. “You’ve got brides who are into vintage—they’re going to vintage resellers who specifically carry wedding dresses. You have brides who are into super over-the-top, editorial-style dresses. You’ve got brides repurposing their grandmother’s or mother’s wedding dress. And then you have super minimalistic brides.”

What unites them, she says, is autonomy.

“When I take a step back and look at all the ways and paths that brides are taking, it really just shows that they’re all following what really speaks to them and what moves them. They’re building and cultivating their whole wedding around that.”

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“Once You Start Moving Dollars Around, That’s When You See Change”

Still, she hopes the broader industry catches up.

“I think that buyers need to be more cognizant,” Langley-McClean said. “If inclusivity is important to them, they need to start being more open-minded to seeking designers and brands that care about being size-inclusive from the jump. When you find and support those designers, you’ll see more size inclusivity across the board. Once you start moving dollars around, that’s when you actually see some change.”

Her honesty cuts through the usual industry gloss.

“You have a lot of talk about people wanting to see inclusivity in bridal and in luxury, but they continue to go to the same designers and the same sources, hoping to see change in those,” she said. “It’s like expecting your ex to change—they’re showing the same behavior. They may temporarily change to appease you, but they revert back. That’s what we’re seeing in the industry right now.”

Building Legacy In Nashville

Langley-McClean isn’t just designing dresses; she’s building an ecosystem.

“We are trying to build Nashville up and let it be known that there is high fashion here,” she said. “I think a lot of brides want that Say Yes to the Dress experience. One thing that we do let them know is you can have that high-fashion gown here.”

Through Ellenelle Bridal’s upcoming prom dress program, she’s investing in the next generation of makers. Supported by Metro Nashville Arts, the program will teach high-school seniors how to design, pattern, and sew their own prom dresses.

“They’re going to make their prom dress from start to finish—make the pattern, everything,” she said. “Just to really help build that purpose-driven work and help the next generation of girls who were like me in high school…wanting to create, but not necessarily knowing how.”

The Dress, Reimagined

Ultimately, Langley-McClean believes the real transformation is internal.

“I think one thing I like to drive home is that our work is about confidence,” she said. “When a bride looks in the mirror and finally sees herself the way she always imagined, that’s everything to me.”

As engagement season ushers in the next class of brides, that message feels perfectly timed: the right dress reminds you of who you’ve been all along.

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