katiedarlin
hello and welcome.
i was reading that you were worried about going dress shoppping. i dont know your area at all but have found quite a few shops specialise in dresses for a curvy lady when i was looking for bridesmaid dresses.
there are some ranges that specialise in curvy dresses eg sonsie and alfred angelo also have a large range that go up to a 24. what i would do is look on there websites and see what takes your fancy then phone stockists and see what there attitude is like on the phone if they seem helpfull then you are on a winner.
failing that if you have any family or friends near york i couldnt recommend louise at curvy bridal enough she was great...but it is a long way to travel for you
@wifelet