Wedding Dress Styles: An Overview

Weddings have come a long way since their beginnings, and so have the wedding dresses that brides wear. Nowadays there are literally countless different designs you could go with, and along with colour combinations, you could spend months simply preparing your dress, let alone the wedding itself. Below you will find a brief overview of some of the most common wedding dress styles and how each of them is arranged for different body types. Wedding gowns are by far the most important element to a perfect wedding, so make sure you pick something that’s not only flattering to your body shape, but also agrees with the overall theme of the wedding itself.

A-Line

Probably the most common dress shape these days is the A-Line dress. Similar in shape to an uppercase “A,” an A-Line dress hugs the body just below the breasts and flows outwards towards the ground. Because of the simplicity of the design, the dress is most appropriate for almost any setting, including large gatherings at a traditional wedding, or a small romantic retreat wedding. Because of the shape of the dress, the flowing lines down the side of the body can either make the wearer seem taller or more slender by hiding a larger lower body under the shape of the dress.

Empire

The empire dress shape is similar to the A-Line in many ways, except that it features shoulder straps or sleeves to hold the dress onto the upper body. Similar to the A-Line, the dress flows from a point just below the bust line of the wearer and well above the waist. The empire is definitely best suited for women who have a smaller frame and bust line as the dress is intended to bring the eye to the wearer’s neck line as opposed to their bust size.

Ball Gown The ball gown is most likely what you think about when the word “wedding” comes to mind. The gown features a fitted upper body portion that hugs the bodice and in either an attached or separate piece, the gown flows from the waist line. Ball gowns are typically worn in traditional wedding settings and aren’t intended for small gatherings. If you have a large bust, this type of dress will help create the look of an hourglass figure while hiding any unwanted larger lower body elements by putting them beneath the gown. Also note that if you’re shorter and have a large bust, a ball gown can sometimes make the wearer seem larger than they actually are by accentuating the large bust and “poofing” out below the waist line.