Now that you’ve picked a wedding date and have decided on the perfect venue, the next order of business for most brides is finding that perfect wedding dress.
I always advise my brides to start this process early. Although it may seem fun to play dress up, it truly is a process that’s not for the faint of heart. It's often known to spark some emotions and can bring some of your insecurities to the surface. Besides, walking into a bridal salon and seeing rows with racks of all white can be very overwhelming. Especially if you don’t have a clue as to what style of dress you are even looking for.
So before you make your reservation with your favorite bridal gown designer or book a date at your ideal bridal salon, take some time to compile a list that will help you narrow down your options for finding your perfect wedding dress.
You’ll want to ask yourself a couple questions:
Do you like simplicity?
Do you gravitate to sparkles?
Do you want modern elements and styles that are trending?
Do you prefer something traditional?
Do you like to show your arms or do you feel more comfortable in something with sleeves?
Do you want to emphasize your curves or do you prefer to hide them?
Do you like lace or do you prefer a sleek material like atlas that’s classic and not as busy.
These are just a few things to start thinking about that can actually help to guide you when requesting specific wedding gowns at your bridal salon appointment.
Narrowing down your list will get you one step closer to figuring out your wedding dress style. Here’s a list of the most popular wedding dress styles for different body types.
Ball Gown
This style of wedding dress is perfect if you want to feel like a princess on your wedding day or if your wedding is being held at a venue that is regal, grand and has elegant castle like components. It is perfect for body types that are tall and thin, apple and pear shaped.
A-Line
This style is elegant, chic and sophisticated. It’s a perfect choice for a romantic and dreamy wedding atmosphere. It’s the perfect fit for body types that are petite, hourglass, full figured, apple and pear shaped.
Trumpet
This style of dress can help to show off your silhouette in a classy and subtle way. It’s goes well with a romantic and whimsical wedding design. Perfect for an outdoor, beach or garden style wedding ceremony. It’s the right fit for body types that are hour glass shaped or tall and thin.
Column
This style is classic and timeless. Perfect for a church ceremony followed by an elegant and glamorous reception. It compliments body types that are hourglass shaped, petite as well as a tall and thin figures.
Mermaid
This style of wedding dress is perfect if you are looking to emphasize or show off your curves. It’s sexy and sophisticated and is for the bride that isn’t shy when it comes to owning the aisle. It goes well with romantic and whimsical wedding designs for both ceremony and reception spaces. The perfect body types for this style are hourglass, apple and pear shaped figures.
I always advise my brides to try on at least 3 dresses in the style that they have narrowed their search down to. Then try on one more in the style they would have never thought that they would like or feel comfortable in. Why? Because I want my brides to be certain that the style they gravitate to in theory is actually what they imagined it would look and feel like once they try it on after a couple of times.
And then, just to be absolutely sure that they don’t miss out on and pass over another stunning option they should try on the one style of dress that they are ‘so certain’ in their minds that they would not like. You’d be surprised at how many brides have walked into a bridal salon thinking that they wanted a ball gown style dress to feel like a princess on their wedding day but realized that this style isn’t as flattering for their body type. Then they try on mermaid style and realize that this style works best to compliment their beautiful curves as opposed to hiding them under a ball gown.
To help you figure out your body type, I've added a chart below:
Saying yes to the dress isn’t something you should leave to chance. Doing a little homework and showing up prepared will help to make the process easier. I hope you found this to be a great read and that it can serve as a helpful guide to assist you in your wedding dress search.
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