How to Choose Your Bridal Gown
September 20, 2008 by BellaB
Wedding Gown Primer
Choosing a wedding gown is one of the most exciting tasks in the wedding planning process. It can also be one of the most stressful. If you’re like most brides, you started looking in magazines and online for the perfect dress as soon as you got engaged. It’s helpful to go into your dress hunt armed with the basics in bridal gowns.
Consult these wedding planning tips to help you with everything from understanding different types of bridal gowns, necklines and fabric types, to selecting the right dress to flatter your body.
Wedding gowns come in a variety of shapes and styles. This wedding planning tip will help you understanding the general silhouette of each type of wedding gown. It will help you determine the direction you want to go in. If you walk into a bridal shop with one or two or these gown types in mind, they will be able to provide much better assistance in finding the perfect dress.
Before you head straight for a strapless gown, it can be helpful to research your other options and find the best neckline for your body type in this wedding planing tip. Consider the features you want to accent, or maybe those you want to take attention away from. There are a wide variety of options available, each with its own unique attributes.
No two brides are ever alike. As you will quickly discover, the dress that looks amazing on the hanger or on the girl in the next dressing room may look completely different on you. Don’t lose hope when the wedding dress you loved online looks less-than-lovely in the mirror. In this wedding planning tip, we made it simpler for your to determine your body type and what will flatter it most.
You may be tempted to walk into a bridal shop using words like “shiny”, “swishy”, and “flowy”, but you’ll be much better prepared if you learn a little bit about the different fabric types first. Don’t know the difference between dupioni silk and silk georgette? You’ve come to the right place to find out.
After reading our wedding planning tips on how to choose your bridal gown, you now have an idea of what to look for. Begin your gown search early in your planning timeline. Give yourself time to try on several different styles. Remember that it might take the bridal shop several weeks to get your chosen gown in their shop and it might take even longer if you need alterations. Use the table below to guide you on your task of choosing the perfect wedding gown for you. Enjoy your gown hunt and have fun trying on the gown of your dreams!
How to Choose Your Wedding Gown at a Glance
| Body Shape
|
Style
|
Neckline
|
Avoid |
| Pear | A-line; start at natural waist to the floor | V-neck, bateau, scoop, spaghetti straps | Sheath, trumpet or mermaid silhouettes |
| Apple | A-line; empire waist | V-neck, scoop, plunging necklines | Ball-gown silhouettes |
| Petite | A-line (elongate waist and make you appear taller); Sheath, empire waist, princess seams | Depends on whether you are small-chested or full-chested | Ball-gown silhouettes, dropped waist- silhouettes, calf-length |
| Tall | A-line; Ball-gown, bias-cut, mermaid or trumpet | Depends on whether you are small-chested or full-chested | Princess seam silhouettes |
| Straight- Figured | Ball-gown, mermaid or trumpet, full A-line | creative necklines | soft sheaths |
| Hour-glass | Modifies A-line, mermaid or trumpet | V-neck. sweetheart | empire (hides figure), bal-gown with overly full skirt |
| Plus Size | Dropped-waist A-line, flat-front ball-gown | V-neck, scoop | sheath, mermaid or empire waist gowns, spaghetti straps |
| Small chested | A ruched bodice | Bateau, jewel, lightly padded halter | strapless gowns |
| Full-chested | A-line | Square, sweetheart | Bateau and jewel necklines, ruched bodice |
Wedding Gown by Allure Bridal
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