When it comes to your perfect wedding dress, it’s not only the style of the dress that is important, but also choosing the best one for your body shape, because every Body is Different.
It’s all so exciting once you become engaged …until you have to start searching for your dress. If you’re like a lot of my brides, you begin by searching online and scrolling through pictures of dresses…
But you might be feeling disheartened seeing all the beautiful images,because you feel like your body is in the “awkward” basketand you’re worried that you’re not going to find a dress that fits your shape, especially if you don’t even know what your shape is!
When it’s your time to walk down the aisle, you want to be feeling like a princess, without having a complex about your body shape.
It’s really not your shape that is the bigger problem, it’s about getting the lowdown on how to dress to suit your body, because you’re already perfect just as you are!
The truth is.. YOUR shape is unique to you and it is absolutely possible to look and feel like a princess on your big day. One of the tricks to choosing a dress that you will fall in love with, is to figure out what shape you’re most similar to, and follow a few simple guidelines about what will fit and flatter your body shape. Which one of these do you resonate with?
- No matter how much I exercise, my hips and bum won’t shift.
You are a Pear Shape if your hips and bum are larger than your boobs. You have a nicely defined waist. You have slim arms and shoulders. For most of us, this is one of the most common body shapes, whether you are short or tall, petite or a little heavier.
The main aim for pear shaped brides is to reduce the emphasis on your larger derrière. We want to draw the eye up to the upper half of the body by choosing design styles with soft collars, ruffles or cap sleeves, plunging V-necks and cowl necks. By doing this it gives the impression of slimming down your hips and bum. A-line silhouettes look fantastic on you, as they draw attention to your narrow waist… so show off your wonderful self on your wedding day.
- I hate my bulging tummy so I always wear baggy tops to hide it. What style would suit me on my wedding day?
You are an Apple Shape if your waist measurement is larger than your bust and hips. Being an apple is YOUR perfectness – so be proud of your full figure and get ready to flaunt it.
Empire cut dresses are great for disguising your tummy. Your small pert bum and hips mean you can’t really rock fitted dress styles. But slide into an A-line dress and it will skim your hips just beautifully. Apples tend to have full, round boobs, your cleavage is a friend (or two) to draw attention away from your tummy.
- I am top-heavy and it’s extremely challenging to find a normal dress that will fit my big boobs, let alone my wedding dress!
Similar to an Apple shape, you are an Inverted Triangle Shape if you have big boobs in proportion to your hips OR broad shoulders, but with a small bust and small hips.
Many women seem to be a mix of these two groups and can share many similar styling tips because of the narrow hips and wider upper half. Your main goal should be to add more volume around your bottom half to balance out your frame.
Here’s what you can achieve that can help your ‘top-heavy’ shape appear more balanced and therefore make you feel and look like a princess.
Your best look is to find a gown with a fuller skirt base or with fullness over the hips to pull in your waistline and so ‘balance’ out the top half of your body by exaggerating the bottom half.
A strapless gown will look great on you as it will draw the eye to your top half, where ideally, you’re being cinched-in at the “empire” line, which is above the natural waist (under the bustline) and by adding fashionable straps it can give the gown a classic touch as well as giving the extra support needed for the day. This fitted bodice silhouette is also great for shorter brides because the raised waistline can create the appearance of added height.
- My waist measurement is really small compared to my wide hip measurements. What style would be best for me?
You’re an Hourglass Shape when you have a well defined narrow waist and your boobs and hips are similar in size. You have amazing curves, it’s time to embrace them in body-hugging silhouettes and pieces that hit you in all the right places.
Not that you need to, but you can exaggerate your figure even more with a figure-hugging classic mermaid style that will elongate your body and also hug your gorgeous figure.
- My body is straight up and down! How do I get to look like I have more curves?
You are a Rectangle Shape if you are evenly proportioned. You tend to be tall and lean and you may find your waist is not as defined since your bust, waistline and hips are around the same size.
Lots of dress styles will look amazing on you. Choose dresses that clinch in your waist, creating for you a slimmer and more curvier look. You can pretty much have your pick …
A-line, a nice high waist definition (empire waist) in a dress will work to make your waist look slimmer. High necklines work well on you, as do halter tops and boob tubes with sweetheart necklines and scooped necklines that show off your fabulous collarbones and shoulders are all great choices for your Rectangle shape.
You might worry that you have small or average boobs, little waist definition and a flat bum, but you actually have one of the easiest body types that can wear just about anything!
What Comes Next?
Once you find the right shaped dress for your ‘shape’, you may find that it will still need tweaking to fit you perfectly in all the right places, so having alterations done is pretty normal in most custom bought dresses. However that could also compromise the original fit and design, so finding an experienced dressmaker that will accommodate your shape and fix all your dress ‘wobbles’ is one option.
A better option, whatever shape you are… big boobs, small boobs, big bum, wide hips or any shape in between, is to consider having your dress made from scratch…
It’s not as difficult as you might think and it’s an exciting process from sketch to finish, seeing your dress come to life AND fitting your unique shape from the get-go.
As a dressmaker here in Perth with over 20 years in experience, I’ll be happy to help you if you’re considering having your dress made from scratch, come and visit my studio for an INITIAL DESIGN CONSULTATION, where we’ll discuss:
- Your dream dress ideas
- Perfect styles for your shape
- Best-suited fabrics and embellishments
- A sketch of your own unique, one-of-a-kind dress design.
This design consultation will put your mind at ease about what’s possible for your Dream Dress, and there’s no obligation to continue if you’re not ready to commit to having a couture wedding gown made to fit your body shape.