Finding a dress for a special occasion can be daunting at the best of times. Throw in being 5 – 6 months pregnant when your body is changing weekly (if not daily!) and shopping for special occasion maternity dresses can be quite the task! I had two special occasions to shop for this summer so I went straight to Carry Maternity for some help!

{Shopping For Special Occasion Maternity Dresses}

Carry Maternity is located in the Yorkville neighborhood in Toronto at 110 Cumberland Street. If you’re familiar with the Toronto area, don’t let the posh address fool you! Carry Maternity is a very approachable and friendly store. The entire staff is always wonderful to deal with and they work with you to find items that suit your style and your needs – without the hard sales pitch!

Really, a sales pitch isn’t needed as there are so many options in store to choose from I’m sure you’ll find something you love! Although I was there to shop for specific occasions, Carry Maternity offers a wide variety of clothes to keep you dressed well all throughout your pregnancy.

Up to this point in my pregnancy, I’ve managed to get away with purchasing only 2 pairs of maternity jeans. Since I had the two events to shop for, I figured that specific special occasion maternity dresses would be my best bet to ensure I felt that I looked my best and was comfortable too!

I had a great time shopping with owner and designer Pat Gillespie. She explained to me that it’s important to look for quality maternity clothes, since we generally wear them “harder” than our regular clothes. If you think about it, many women will only need maternity clothes for maybe half of their pregnancy. I’m pretty sure that most of us don’t have the budget to spend on a whole new wardrobe that will only last us 4 – 5 months! This is why it’s important to pick up a few great pieces that will last stand up to our changing bodies!

For me, I had a few criteria when shopping for my special occasion maternity dresses:

1. I had to be able to wear them for other, more casual occasions too (perhaps for weekend or work)
2. I wanted pieces that would grow with me throughout my entire pregnancy AND that I could wear after the baby was born
3. They had to be affordable. I was willing to spend a little bit more on these pieces as I knew I was looking for quality items; however I really needed to stay within a reasonable budget

While shopping at Carry Maternity, I tried on many dresses and eventually found the silhouette I was most comfortable with. As with any dress, it’s important to try on a variety of styles. But it’s even more important when you’re pregnant since you may be unfamiliar with dressing your new shape!

For the first special occasion, I ended up choosing this Tees By Tina Dress in black. I needed a new little black dress anyway and this one is perfect because I could dress it up or down!

For this look I accessorized the dress with a necklace from Shop For Jayu, low wedges from Nine West, a vest from Dynamite and a bright clutch from Ela Handbags.

I left Carry Maternity with another dress for a wedding I have to attend later this month. I’ll share that pick in another post 😉

Have you had experience shopping for special occasion maternity dresses? I’d love to hear your stories and if you also have any tips to share!