{"id":4476,"date":"2025-09-08T10:59:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T10:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/wedding-dress-shopping-with-a-stoma-by-ayesha\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T10:59:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T10:59:02","slug":"wedding-dress-shopping-with-a-stoma-by-ayesha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/wedding-dress-shopping-with-a-stoma-by-ayesha\/","title":{"rendered":"Wedding dress shopping with a stoma | by Ayesha"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-947\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/03\/Meet-our-ambassadors-page-scaled-2-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-70 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#6e6760\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-258149caad340178ce1126669108e4a2 text-center lg:text-center\">Wedding dress shopping with a stoma | by Ayesha<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-8    lg:h-24\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I think every girl dreams about their wedding dress from a young age. When I started looking and shopping for my wedding dress, I got a sense of overwhelming worry that I wouldn\u2019t be able to pick the style I liked due to having my stoma bag.<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-4    lg:h-12\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl\">I shopped around and had 3 or 4 bridal appointments to find my dress. At each appointment I explained to the stylist that I had a stoma bag and might be restricted to certain styles. They quickly reminded me that my stoma bag would be no issue at all and that we would continue looking at styles I liked and not rule anything out due to my bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl\">I would advise anyone to enjoy the experience, go into your appointment open minded and still go for the styles you like! I also changed my bag just before each appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-xl lg:text-xl\">I allowed myself to feel exactly how I wanted to feel during the appointment, shopping for your wedding dress is an emotional experience anyway, but I tried on many different dresses and finally found the one! I kept reminding myself that I deserve to pick the dress I love, embrace my stoma bag, and feel beautiful, just as all brides should on their wedding day<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-purple-600-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-649c51c1cba161912fdfc58c6fb67e6a text-xl lg:text-xl\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ayeshaduffy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Ayesha<\/strong><br><strong>@ayeshaduffy<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-8    lg:h-8\"\n>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div>\n    <div class=\"stories-carousel\">\n        <div class=\"glide__track\" data-glide-el=\"track\">\n            <ul class=\"glide__slides\">\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/the-questions-i-was-too-embarrassed-to-ask-about-my-stoma-by-rachel\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_9540-e1776175755681.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_9540-e1776175755681-300x289.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_9540-e1776175755681-1024x985.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_9540-e1776175755681-150x144.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_9540-e1776175755681-768x739.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_9540-e1776175755681-600x577.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_9540-e1776175755681.jpeg 1143w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">The questions I was too embarrassed to ask about my stoma | by Rachel<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/living-fully-with-a-stoma-by-ayesha\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sunset.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sunset-236x300.jpeg 236w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sunset-807x1024.jpeg 807w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sunset-118x150.jpeg 118w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sunset-768x974.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sunset-600x761.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/sunset.jpeg 1009w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Living fully with a stoma | by Ayesha<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">4 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/how-i-manage-my-stoma-at-work-by-ayesha\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/work-1-e1762519631365.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/work-1-e1762519631365-279x300.jpeg 279w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/work-1-e1762519631365-954x1024.jpeg 954w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/work-1-e1762519631365-140x150.jpeg 140w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/work-1-e1762519631365-768x824.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/work-1-e1762519631365-600x644.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/work-1-e1762519631365.jpeg 1320w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">How I manage my stoma at work | by Ayesha<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">2 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/how-i-built-confidence-leaving-the-house-after-stoma-surgery-by-rachel\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_0496-scaled-1.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_0496-scaled-1-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_0496-scaled-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_0496-scaled-1-113x150.jpeg 113w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_0496-scaled-1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_0496-scaled-1-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_0496-scaled-1-600x800.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_0496-scaled-1.jpeg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">How I built confidence leaving the house after stoma surgery | by Rachel<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">5 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/building-confidence-as-a-man-living-with-a-stoma-by-kevin\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/image-e1775133570707.png\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/image-e1775133570707-236x300.png 236w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/image-e1775133570707-118x150.png 118w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/image-e1775133570707.png 376w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Building confidence as a man living with a stoma | by Kevin<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">4 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                                    <li class=\"glide__slide story-slide\">\n                        <a class=\"group\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/blog\/getting-active-again-after-stoma-surgery-by-summer\/\">\n                            <picture class=\"block z-0\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                                    loading=\"lazy\"\n                                    class=\"aspect-square object-cover\"\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_2398-scaled-1.jpeg\"\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_2398-scaled-1-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_2398-scaled-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_2398-scaled-1-113x150.jpeg 113w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_2398-scaled-1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_2398-scaled-1-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_2398-scaled-1-600x800.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/04\/IMG_2398-scaled-1.jpeg 1920w\"\n                                    alt=\"\"\n                                \/>\n                            <\/picture>\n                            <span class=\"block font-bold text-lg\">Getting active again after stoma surgery | by Summer<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"reading-time block\">3 minutes<\/span>\n                            <span class=\"group-hover:underline read-more block relative z-20\">Read more<\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n                    <\/li>\n                            <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"glide-navigation-wrapper\">\n            <a href=\"\/us\/blog\/\" class=\"btn btn-gradient w-full text-center lg:w-fit\">Explore all stories and advice<\/a>\n            <div class=\"glide-navigation\">\n                <div class=\"bullets\" data-glide-el=\"controls[nav]\">\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 0\" data-glide-dir=\"=0\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 1\" data-glide-dir=\"=1\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 2\" data-glide-dir=\"=2\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 3\" data-glide-dir=\"=3\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 4\" data-glide-dir=\"=4\"><\/button>\n                                            <button class=\"bullet\" aria-label=\"Go to slide 5\" data-glide-dir=\"=5\"><\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n                <div class=\"controls\" data-glide-el=\"controls\">\n                    <button aria-label=\"Previous slide\" class=\"prev btn btn-gradient\"><\/button>\n                    <button aria-label=\"Next slide\" class=\"next btn btn-gradient\"><\/button>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"spacer\n    h-4    lg:h-20\"\n>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For two years I put off running as I thought it would feel uncomfortable with a stoma, but I was completely wrong!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[84],"class_list":["post-4476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-ayesha"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eakinostomy.com\/US\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}