Each year, there are more than 2.2 million marriages in the U.S. Your soon-to-be spouse popped the question, and now it’s time to start wedding planning. One of the bride’s biggest tasks to prepare for her big day is finding the perfect dress to wear to say “I do.”. On your wedding day, you want to feel as magical and beautiful as you look, so you look for the best possible dress for you to walk down the aisle. You know yourself better than anyone else, so while you’re shopping, think about dresses for your specific body type. Look for dresses that accentuate the things you want to enhance and make you feel both confident and comfortable.
Different Wedding Dress Silhouettes for All Body Types
While you likely have already spent countless hours browsing dresses online, trying to figure out what you like best, it’s crucial to think about your body type when picking out a wedding dress. Although scrolling through options online certainly helps you come up with a basic idea of what you want, trying on dresses is a whole different experience. To truly know what wedding dress silhouette works best for your body type, you should keep an open mind when wedding dress shopping and even try on those silhouettes you might be uncomfortable with. After all, many brides end up choosing a dress they may have never envisioned trying on. Whether you’re short, tall, slender, or curvy, here are some styles you want to make sure you try on.
Wedding Gowns for Short Women
When looking for the best wedding dress style as a short bride, you might have the ideal gown in mind, but find that it swallows your petite frame or makes you look even shorter when you try it on. To find the wedding gown of your dreams that works well with your height, consider the following:
1. A-Line Dress
A-line dresses work well for all shapes and sizes and would make a dazzling gown for a short bride’s big day with its fitted waist and hips into a full skirt. Although some short brides may go in looking for a voluminous ball gown, the large, flared skirt tends to overwhelm brides with a petite frame. A-lines take on a similar role as the ball gown, just with less drama in the flare of the skirt, creating a more defined A-shape silhouette sure to look great on a short bride.
2. A Slender Sheath
A sheath dress helps accentuate your natural shape and helps shorter brides appear longer and leaner, as a sheath’s seam runs in a continuous line from the shoulders to the hips. This seam helps create the illusion to make you appear taller. Additionally, sheaths are generally very easy to hem, making alterations easy, and are simply an exquisite wedding gown for short women.
3. Experiment With Waistlines and Hemlines
Trying out different lengths and waistlines on wedding dresses may also help short brides find something that perfectly balances their proportions. An empire waistline can help a short bride’s legs look longer, but you may want to try a dropped waist with a smaller, more structured skirt to see if it gives you the same effect. Additionally, try on at least one dress with a high-low hemline to see how it can make your legs look elongated. When it comes to the details, stick to one-dimensional accents and try some elegant embroidery or light beading.
Wedding Gowns for Tall Women
Tall brides also need to know what styles and details to look for to find the perfect dress for their big day. To feel your best, confident self as you walk down the aisle as a tall bride, consider these dress tips:
1. Try a Slit
Love your long legs and want to show them off a bit? Try a wedding gown with a slit. Showing a little bit of leg accentuates a tall bride’s features in a dress that helps exude confidence while still maintaining elegance.
2. A-Line to Balance Height
A-lines are great for all shapes and sizes and can be the perfect dress for a tall bride when paired with a high neckline. Together, these dress details help show off and balance your height simultaneously so that you can walk down the aisle feeling and looking your best.
3. Dramatic Ball Gown
While a dramatic ball gown may be too much for a shorter bride, it can be a prime option for a tall bride. Many times, your wedding is your only chance to wear this dramatic, princess-style dress, so go for it. With a fitted bodice and large flared skirt, you’ll be floating down the aisle looking like you came straight out of a fairytale. For a more personalized take, you can even add sleeves, like an off-the-shoulder lace sleeve, to put your own style on a traditional gown.
Wedding Dresses for Thin Figures
For slender, straight figures, you want to find a dress that accentuates your slim build without making you look shapeless. Before you say yes to your dress, consider the following for thin brides looking to accentuate their natural curves:
1. A Sheath Silhouette
A body-hugging sheath dress has a narrow, tailored silhouette that looks amazing on sleek, slender brides. A wedding gown with a sheath silhouette helps cling to areas of the body to accentuate your figure.
2. Volume and Details at the Hips and Chest
To add some curviness, try something like a voluminous peplum skirt by the hips or some added details around the chest area to help create an hourglass silhouette. A fitted chest area that comes out by the hips helps keep things balanced and prevents a dress from looking too shapeless for a thin bride.
3. Fitted Mermaid Gown
Mermaid gowns are great to show off your slender build, as they are tight around the length of the bride’s body before flaring out around the knees into a skirt. To accompany your slim, smooth figure, you could keep things simple and try a material like satin. Contouring seams on the gown can also help make the bride appear curvier.
Wedding Dresses for Curvy Figures
As a curvy bride, you want to find the right dress to showcase your curves the way you want. Whether you’re apple-shaped, pear-shaped, or have an hourglass figure, you can find a dress that you feel gorgeous and comfortable in.
1. Wedding Dresses for Apple-Shaped Bodies
To make your torso appear slender and elongated, try an A-line dress. When you try on an A-line gown, the narrow top and flared-out waist keeps things flattering around your lower half without going full-out ball gown. You could even customize your bodice or neckline with some lace detailing as an added touch.
2. Best Wedding Dress for Pear-Shaped Body
Pear-shaped brides can create the ultimate wedding entrance with a ball gown. Since ball gowns flow out into large skirts, they help draw attention to your waist and give an extra boost of shape and definition to your midsection to help highlight your curves in the best possible way. To add extra proportional balance, pick a gown that has textural or style details on your top, such as lace or gemstones.
3. Wedding Dresses for Hourglass Figure
If you have an hourglass figure you want to accentuate on your big day, you must try on a mermaid gown. Since mermaid dresses have a fitted bodice that flows out around the knee, you can show off your feminine curves in a subtle but elegant way. Stay away from too many tiers and ruffles that can take away from the overall dress silhouette. You could go the extra length and find a mermaid gown with beading or sequins throughout the bodice for some extra attention around your curves.
Schedule Your Appointment at Alexandra’s Bridal Boutique Today
No matter your body type, find the perfect dress for your big day at Alexandra’s Bridal Boutique. With more than 30 years in wedding fashion consulting, our professional bridal consultants here at Alexandra’s Bridal Boutique work with you to help find the wedding dress fit that’s perfect for your body type. We offer wedding dresses in various styles and sizes to meet the needs of all the brides who walk through our door, so you can find your dream dress and walk down the aisle feeling as beautiful as you look. Don’t wait to find your perfect gown — schedule an appointment today.
