You’re newly engaged and one of the first things you do will be to stock up on every bridal magazine you can find. Flicking though these pages, or online, you will be bombarded with lots of beautiful wedding dress ideas – all that little bit different – so where do you start to find the one for you?
It’s important that your dress reflects your style and personality but probably one of the most important things you will need to consider is your body shape.
We are often asked by brides-to-be if we could tell what style of dress would suit them as soon as they walked through the door and although we may have a thought in mind we are constantly surprised. It goes to prove that there are no hard and fast rules about styles as it’s all about getting the proportions right for your height, size & shape.
As many people will tell you, you need to try on lots of different shapes and styles to find out what suits you and this is very true, however there are general guidelines which may help to make your search a little easier.
Your body Shape
Every woman’s figure is as individual as the lady herself! Generally however ladies have similar traits so that they tend to fall into one of four categories. We have attempted to describe these and give a guide to the style of dresses to compliment these body shapes.
Hourglass
Arguably the body shape we all desire! With balanced, full bust and hips, well defined waist and often shapely legs this is the body shape which was epitomised by Hollywood screen sirens such as Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren and more recently Kate Winslet & Salma Hayek.
Most styles of wedding dress will suit this shape but consider showing off your curvaceous hips, full bust and small waist by wearing a fish tale gown to compliment your curves. A princess skirt would should also show off your small waist and a straight or curved neckline will accentuate your bust.
Some styles we have that we would suggest are:
Dolce by Nicola Anne
Diana by Diane Harbridge
Trudy Lee 25701 we call her Isis
Apple Shape
For those with a more rounded or apple body shape take the opportunity on your wedding day to make the best your curves by considering an A-line skirt to create balance with a larger bust and broader shoulders. Choosing a design that has asymmetric pleating and no horizontal lines will add length and even out your figure. One of the world’s greatest inventions is the corset lace up back which is a great way to nip the waist in and create that hourglass silhouette. Some of our styles we maight suggest are:
Natalie by Donna Lee
Obsession by Nicola Anne
Trudy Lee 63002 we call her Freya
Pear Shape
A classic pear shape (like the fruit!) will have wider hips, bottom & thighs, smaller bust. Some of worlds sexiest women are celebrated pear shapes such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson and Shakira.
Compliment and accentuate your small bust and curvaceous hips by having an embroidered, beaded or a lace bodice with a sweetheart or curved neckline to add shape. A full princess or A-line skirt will cover or skim your hips to enhance your figure. An empire line gown will lengthen the body and again, accentuate the bust however if you’re proud of your curves and you want to show them off don’t be afraid to try a fishtail gown, keeping the styling simple.
J’Adore by Nicola Anne
Bonita by Diane Harbridge
LB19 by Lou Lou we call her Daisy
Athletic or Rectangle Shape
An athletic or rectangular shaped body with very few curves will often have an undefined waist, narrower hips and small bust such as Keira Knightly, Cameron Diaz, Reese Witherspoon and Trinny Woodall.
As with the pear shape accentuate your smaller bust with a sweetheart or detail neckline and an embroidered, beaded or a lace bodice and add balance with a princess or A-line skirt. A corset lace back will nip the waist in to add shape and create an hourglass figure. With more fitted styles consider adding a belt to create a waistline and emphasise your figure. Consider drapes and detailed backs to add interest.
Dahlia by Donna Lee Designs
Laura by Diane Harbridge
A splash of Colour
The tradition of wearing white wedding gown is often credited to Queen Victoria in the 1840 prior to that any colour was acceptable (Black was very popular in Scandinavia!)
Over the last 50 years the traditional white gown has been replaced largely by Ivory or variations of this such as Diamond White, Cream, Champagne, Oyster, etc, however with a nod back to the 19th century a greater variety of colour seems to be making a comeback with pink, peppermint green, lemon, black & red seen at recent bridal catwalk shows.
The colour of your gown is something to consider against your skin tone and the setting for your wedding. It’s well worth trying on a variety of colours – as even within Ivory dresses there are so many slight variations
Something to think about!
- Once you have started trying dresses on you will get an idea of what style suits you so use the internet and magazines to get an idea of styles you like the look of. Check out the Designers websites to see where your local stockist is.
- Your wedding dress is one of the most important dresses you’ll ever buy so don’t be pressurized into making a hasty decision. We always tell our brides that if the dress is ‘the one’ it will still be ‘the one’ after they’ve tried on dozens more.
- Make sure you leave plenty of time to order the dress you love! We recommend at least 6 months before the wedding but some suppliers may need longer than this so check it out!
- The experience you have when you’re looking for your dress should be a memory that you treasure forever so take people with you whose opinion you value but who will let you make the decision. Choosing you dress is emotional journey, not a democratic vote, so don’t add confusion by being tempted to take too many friends & family with you!
- Everyone works to a budget and there are bargains to be had but think carefully before ordering your wedding dress off the internet. Not only are these sellers breaking copyright law (the picture you see is usually the designers original, this is not the dress you will get) but you may find it’s a false economy as the quality of design, fabric and manufacture is often very poor. We have heard of a couple of success stories using this route but this is far outweighed by the number of horror stories we hear and the number of alterations & remodeling we’ve done on these dresses.
Just some thoughts and ideas that will hopefully help you on your way and of course we at Pink Confetti would be delighted to help you in your search :o)
Happy Hunting!
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