Your special day is around the corner and just like almost every soon-to-be bride out there, you’re worried about the wedding dress that will make you feel more beautiful and comfortable while highlighting your best features.
Welcome to the ultimate gide on how to find the perfect wedding dress for your body type. For the apple, pear, inverted triangle, rectangle and hourglass woman, there’s something out there for you and I’ve done all the research so you don’t have to.
Apple
Mermaid wedding dress
Make your legs look longer and draw attention away from your muffin top on your special day by wearing a mermaid wedding dress. The unique shape of this dress looks a lot like the tail of the fictional mermaid, hence the name.
What makes this perfect for apple-shaped women? The apple body type is quite similar to the hourglass shape, with full bust and a round bum. However, the major difference is that you carry a lot of weight around your tummy region.
Therefore, you need a wedding dress that accentuates your curves at the smallest point and distracts from your midsection. A mermaid wedding dress can help you achieve this comfortably.
It’s great for creating the illusion of a curvier silhouette but be sure to let the waistline of the gown sit higher than your natural waistline. The results are more effective this way.
Trumpet wedding dress
Similar to the style of the mermaid wedding dress, the trumpet wedding dress is another exceptional style that works great for the apple body type. It’s perfect for highlight the lovely curves around your chest region which is one of the highlights of your body shape.
You could call the trumpet wedding dress a close cousin to the mermaid wedding dress. It accentuates your curves similarly, without being super tight on your body frame. No doubt about it, the trumpet wedding dress is super flattering for the apple body type and a win for that special day.
Fit and flare wedding dress
It’s tempting to want to wear a ball gown for your wedding day, as this is an extremely common style. However, the apple body type doesn’t look too great in this style of gown as the length and volume can overwhelm your legs.
A worthy alternative to ball gowns is the fit and flare wedding dress that creates the illusion of a defined waistline and conceals your tummy bulge naturally. Due to the body type, drawing attention to the upper part of your body is also a huge win since it helps to balance your body proportions.
Avoid high necklines
A few wedding gowns come with high necklines such as an armless turtleneck that can be flattering for some body types. However, the apple body shape is not on the list. Instead, it will give your face a puffy look that absolutely no bride wants on their wedding day.
The goal with your wedding dress is to create a well-defined waistline that gives a curvier silhouette. High necklines will distort your body proportions instead. So, it’s best to avoid them completely. Better alternatives are the wedding dresses already mentioned, and the empire waist wedding dress as well.
Pear
Off-shoulder wedding dress
The perfect dress for pear-shaped women is any one that cinches under the bust to accentuate their waist while skimming over the midsection area in a way that doesn’t highlight any tummy bulges.
It’s all about creating balance by making your upper body look bigger. The off-shoulder wedding dress is your go-to guy for this. The low neckline of this wedding dress style is great for adding volume to your small shoulder.
Wider necklines enhance the illusion of broader shoulders since they help to create a horizontal line around this area of your body. A huge plus of this is that it balances out your hips, so that your lower and upper body look more proportionate.
A-line wedding dress
This is one of the most flattering silhouettes for women with the pear body shape. The A-line wedding dress starts with a narrow cut at the top which extends in the shape of the letter A as it moves along your body.
A-line silhouettes are one of the most common in the fashion world due to their incredible versatility, and that makes it one of the best for your big day. You can wear this with a deep V-neckline that adds more volume to your upper body with a figure-hugging top before flowing beautifully on the bottom.
It’s also perfect for camouflaging your midsection. The A-shape highlights this part of your body without emphasizing the size as it floats away from your hips. Overall, you can make this wedding dress fit better on you by wearing one with a high waistband.
Empire waist wedding dress
Here’s another ideal wedding dress that takes the stress out of picking the right one for your wedding day. The empire waist wedding dress features several unique features including a raised waistline sitting just below your bust.
This is crucial for giving your upper body more volume and making your silhouette appear curvier. As the dress flows towards the hemline, it skims naturally over your hips without making them appear too big on your body frame.
This is more than enough to make you the perfect pear-shaped bride. Another major benefit of the high waistline is the illusion of longer legs, which is great for petite brides. You don’t have to worry so much about being the shortest person in the room and getting overwhelmed as this dress will offer a few extra inches alongside your pair of heels.
Deep V-neckline
Another impressive way to draw attention away from your wider bottom is to show a bit of your shoulders, cleavage and neck. What better way to do this than with the best neckline for your pear body type?
This is the deep v-neckline that shows just enough shoulders and neck to make your lower body appear more proportional with the upper half. So, if you don’t mind replicating famous wedding styles by apple-shaped celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Kim Kardashian, you’ll definitely love how the deep v-neckline flatters your body shape.
Inverted triangle
V-neck wedding dress
The inverted triangle shape is characterized by broad shoulders and narrow hips towards your lower half of your body. It’s all about highlighting your assets and concealing your weaknesses in the best possible way.
To achieve this, you should consider wearing a v-neck wedding dress for your wedding day. This is one of the most flattering necklines for the inverted triangle shape as it helps to balance your broad shoulders.
Balancing your broad shoulders helps to create a proportionate silhouette with your hips, giving you a snug fit on your wedding dress. Ultimately, you’ll be doing your upper body a lot of favor with a v-neck dress. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that you get to show off your beautiful shoulders and neckline.
Ball gown style
Yes, your inverted triangle shape affords you the opportunity to be a Disney princess for your wedding day. This body shape comes naturally with a heavy top. This means that there’s more volume on your upper body and you need to add volume to your lower half to keep your proportion balanced.
Cue in the ball gown style. Ball gowns have a full skirt which makes them quite voluminous on your lower body. This is exactly what you need: more volume on this part of your body. It creates a symmetry with your wide shoulders and balances your top. Ball gowns also have a structured bodice to give you a curvy silhouette.
A-line wedding dress
Once again, we have the superstar of all silhouettes: the A-line wedding dress. This is a classic and timeless wedding dress design that will make you shine on your special day. Of course, there’s no need to say so much about the elegance of the fitted bodice and how it flows in an unbroken line towards your ankles.
The beauty speaks for itself. With this amazing and versatile A-line dress, you can have an unforgettably pleasant wedding celebration. This style is so great that it works for other occasions as well, including family events, birthdays and even hangouts with friends.
You have the liberty to pick between a full A-line dress with a tulle skirt to make you bottom-heavy or a shorter style that draws attention to your legs.
Mermaid wedding dress
This wedding dress can be worn for your wedding day or alternatively, you can go for the trumpet wedding dress which is quite similar to this. both have the flattering skirt and bodice that tones down your broad shoulders.
If you’re looking to pull off a feminine silhouette that takes nothing away from your comfort on your big day, you should definitely consider wearing a mermaid wedding dress.
Rectangle
Bespoke wedding dress
As amazing as pre-made wedding dresses can be, especially those tailored to your body type, nothing beats one custom-made for you. A bespoke wedding dress will take into account all the bumps and curves on your body, and be made to perfection.
So, if you have the slightest bit of doubt about getting the wedding dress that takes into account your preferences and likes, contact a professional to make a bespoke wedding dress for your special day.
Some facts to keep in mind about this are the fabric type, length and fit. Preferably, this should be a soft cotton material that doesn’t feel too heavy on your body frame. Also, it’s your wedding day, so it’s okay to go floor-length if you feel like it.
Backless wedding dress
Want to feel extra sexy on your wedding day? You should consider wearing a backless wedding dress that makes your back the major focus on your body. For the rectangle-shaped woman, this straight silhouette will benefit a lot from styles that creates the illusion of curves and gives you a more feminine outlook.
A backless wedding dress can help you get this done effortlessly. Drawing attention to your back can balance out the straight lines on your body, showcasing your lovely arms and back. However, your choice of neckline is also super important.
In this case, you can opt for a deep v-neckline that adds more elegance to the silhouette of your dress while drawing attention to your collarbone. Can you imagine yourself in a deep v-neck backless wedding dress? It’s a one-way ticket to accentuating your natural beauty.
Sheath wedding dress
A sheath wedding dress has a fitted upper body down to your hips where it falls straight to the floor. There’s no seam to make the separation around the beginning of the flared skirt obvious.
Sheath wedding dresses work perfectly with lightweight fabric like chiffon, and it’s great for creating a simple yet classy silhouette for your wedding day. This is perfect for brides that don’t want a dramatic wedding dress for their big day.
Instead, they want something that has a subtle yet sleek effect on their body, while creating a curvy shape for their rectangle body type. A structured sheath wedding stress can be streamlined to elongate your body frame, especially if you’re a petite woman.
Wedding dress with sweetheart neck
Every woman with a rectangle body shape looking to get a wedding dress should consider the neckline as one of the most important features. Your neckline can either make or mar the wedding dress.
Therefore, lean more towards open necklines that enhance your figure by increasing the illusion of curves. One of the best necklines for this is the sweetheart neckline which works wonders on a wedding dress.
It gives your overall silhouette a more feminine outlook, thanks to the dip around the center that takes the shape of the top of a heart. It helps to create the illusion of a more defined waistline and bust, softening up the angular lines on your body.
Hourglass
Strapless wedding dress
An hourglass-shaped bride can’t go wrong with a wedding gown that accentuates their best assets. The right necklines can help you achieve this easily, especially subtle shoulder details that give the illusion of being taller.
So, if you’ll like to have an elongated body frame on your wedding day, a strapless wedding gown is the way to go. Strapless gowns draw attention upwards, giving the illusion of extra height and this works great on asymmetrical styles.
To make the strapless wedding gown work great for your body type, you should avoid any style that would add unnecessary details to your frame. A clean style works better than one filled with ruffles.
Fit and flare wedding dress
Your best assets as a woman with an hourglass shape is your full bust and hip that creates a natural curvy silhouette. Those feminine curves shouldn’t be hidden underneath baggy gowns or those that disrupt your balanced body proportion.
The fit and flare wedding dress is a style you would want to consider when shopping for the dress that will make you the star of the show on your special day. This style of wedding dress was specially designed to show off your feminine curves in a way that hugs your body without being overly tight.
Everything about the fit and flare wedding dress projects elegance and sophistication, especially with how it enhances your natural curves. To make this work seamlessly, choose a fit and flare-wedding dress with a waistline that sits above yours. This helps to elongate your legs, so you appear taller.
Drop waist wedding dress
Go classic with the elegant drop waist wedding dress with a silhouette that drops and flares slightly around your hips. However, the beautiful thing about this wedding dress is that you can choose from a wide variety of designs depending on the results you want to achieve.
Your drop waist wedding dress can be simple and chic or detailed and attention-grabbing. It’s the perfect choice for flaunting your hourglass shape and naturally enhancing your feminine silhouette.
Mermaid-style wedding dress
Another incredibly versatile style that ranks high as a feminine dress is the mermaid style wedding dress that is super flattering for almost every major body type. It is both form-fitting and curvy, both features that are perfect for hourglass-shaped women.
This style of wedding dress hugs your body all the way, with a flare around the skirt that looks a lot like a fish tail. You can still have the dramatic effect of a ball gown without wearing a dress that hides your lovely curves.
No doubt about it, wearing a mermaid style wedding dress on the day you tie the knot will make you feel like the most special woman in the world as you walk down the aisle. It’s your very own red carpet moment and you can make it the best one for you with the right wedding dress.
Found something that fits your personality? Now, you’re ready to stand out on your big day.