Every bride dreams of walking down the aisle in a gorgeous wedding dress. In her vision, this dress fits and flatters her unique curves, proportions, and beauty. However, there are countless dress silhouettes and styles to select from. As a result, it can feel overwhelming trying to choose what will be most becoming for your special day. Taking stock of your body’s shape and learning which wedding dress elements enhance it can make finding “the one” a fun, rewarding process culminating in a jaw-dropping bridal look.
Knowing Your Body Shape
You need to know your body shape and proportions. Do you have an hourglass, pear, apple, or straight/athletic build? Will that boho wedding dress plus size look good on you? Do you need a classic style? Knowing your body shape will help you decide.
Hourglass figures generally have larger busts and hips balanced by a narrow waist. Pear body types carry more weight in the hips and thighs than in the bust and shoulders. Apple figures tend to have broader shoulders and busts than hip areas. Straight or athletic builds have less obviously defined curves.
Finding a Flattering Neckline
The best wedding dress necklines create the optical illusion of a more pleasing shape and proportion. Brides with fuller busts often shine in sweetheart necklines, off-the-shoulder designs, or square/strapless cuts. These draw eyes up to emphasize the assets of a voluptuous upper body.
Pear figures should choose necklines like portrait and V-neck collars to create length from shoulders through the bustline and waist. These designs carry visual weight upward. Less endowed and straight figures can accentuate curves with horizontal necklines like sweetheart and strapless bodices.
Prioritizing the Waist
Proper waistline cuts make a huge impact on wedding dresses. Brides want styles that nip or emphasize their narrowest point. Empire cuts just below the bust work beautifully for apple figures by skimming over the midsection. A-line silhouettes flatter triangles and straighter builds by flowing outward from a fitted waist down.
Curvier hourglass and pear shapes seek dresses with strategic darts, ruching, and belts to display their lower ribs and actual waist points. This may be higher like a “natural” waistline on some. Structured bodices mixed with fuller skirts achieve an appealing balance.
Choosing a Flattering Skirt Silhouette
Mermaid and trumpet dress silhouettes electrify with sex appeal on curvier body types. These fitted dresses hug hourglass figures’ contours until flaring below the knees. The same style overwhelms straighter frames and hides beautiful legs on pear builds.
A-line skirts, fitted at the top and gently flared at the bottom, complement a wide variety of figures. The universality comes from accentuating smaller waists before flowing outward over less defined parts of the lower half. Straighter builds may select less volume, while triangles and hourglasses can handle more dramatic A-line shapes.
Cylindrical sheath dresses slim straight down from the bodice. Leaner brides and those with athletic builds are great candidates for showing off more subtle body definition this way.
Seeking the Best Match
There are no universally flattering or failing wedding dress styles. The key is identifying a silhouette that plays up a bride’s best assets while supporting proportions she wants to finesse. Meeting with a knowledgeable bridal stylist makes turning a critical eye toward one’s own body a fruitful exercise. With an idea of which dress elements she finds most becoming, a bride can focus the search on pieces that make her look amazing and feel confident walking down the aisle.
