Help with my wedding dress...?

Question

What silhouette of a wedding dress and other details are slimming?

Answer 1

I found this guide online a few days ago and saved it in a word document. Good luck.

Finding the wedding dress right for you

Article by: Pat Giuliano
What do you do when you’ve tried on many wedding dresses, but can’t seem to find “The One”? If you’re tall and slim, well you could wear just about anything, and look great. It’s not so easy though when you’re a bit shorter, hourglass shaped, or even pear shaped. Not to mention being over a size 16, now that’s a challenge.
The way to tackle this is by first establishing the best silhouette for your figure. I will outline the best wedding dress design options for different figure shapes, with the aim of helping brides who are not a standard size (in my opinion, that’s about 90% of us!)
Hourglass shape: This is where the bust and hips are in proportion, and there is a defined waistline. Typically a girl who is hourglass shaped is a size 14 or over, with a full bust and shapely hips. Contrary to popular opinion, girls of this shape are very often paranoid of their bust and would love to reduce its size! Also of concern are the shapely hips. Girls, I have great news for you! The majority of styles look great on hourglass figures, provided you stick to a few basic rules.
DO wear strapless gowns, they look fantastic on shapely girls! You will obviously need extra support in the bust area, but it is worth the effort. The best look is strapless at the neckline, with an A-line skirt. Also a straight-through gown is best, as opposed to a two-piece gown. The two-piece will tend to cut you in half, which can accentuate the hourglass shape.
If you’re not keen on strapless, a V-neckline is extremely flattering on a full bust. The V-shape should be fairly low (as low as you’re comfortable with), as a higher neckline actually makes the bust appear even bigger. A particularly flattering look is an off-the-shoulder V-neckline. A scooped, off-the-shoulder neckline is also very appealing.
The best silhouette for the skirt of the dress is A-line, and can be quite full. As for whether you should have a train at the back or not, that is a matter of choice.
The current styles which have lots of draping or ruching on them, are an excellent choice for an hourglass-shaped bride. Despite what many may think, draping is very good at disguising the not-so-good bits, which we all want to hide.
DON’T go for straight or bias-cut designs! They are strictly for the tall, slim, or generally size 10 girls. The only case in which these designs would work on an hourglass figure is if the girl is reasonably tall. I recently made a bias-cut cowl neck wedding dress for a size 14 girl, who was about 5 ‘ 11” tall, and the style worked really well on her. But on the whole, bias cuts are a no-no for shapely girls. They are too clingy and will only accentuate the parts that you would rather hide.
Also, avoid gathered or pleated skirts, as they add bulk around the hips.
Pear-shaped figure: Similar rules apply as the hourglass shape. The idea here is to balance the top half with the bottom half of the body.
DO wear strapless and A-line gowns, as they are an excellent choice for a pear-shaped girl. The off-the-shoulder scooped or V-neckline is also a very good choice, with an A-line skirt, as it helps to balance the figure. Two-piece gowns are a good choice for this figure shape, as the bust is smaller than the hips. You can have quite an elaborate corset bodice with an A-line skirt, and it creates the illusion that the figure is in proportion. I know this sounds odd, but it really works!
As with the hourglass figure shape, pear-shaped girls can certainly wear gowns with draping and ruching, provided it is with an A-line skirt silhouette. The best draping option here is diagonal draping as it is the most flattering. Go for detailing in the bodice, as it will serve as the focus of the dress.
DON’T choose straight or bias-cut designs. They look awful on a pear-shaped girl, no exceptions! Even tall pear-shaped girls should steer clear of bias-cuts and straight designs, as they simply cannot hide your hips.
Also, stay away from halter-neck gowns as this design actually gives the appearance of even bigger hips. Steer clear of full gathered or pleated skirts as well, as this look adds bulk to the hips.
The short, petite bride: If you’re shorter than 5’5”, and quite petite as well, you have a different set of challenges to deal with. Most people may think you can look good in just about anything, and you probably could. Your challenge is to choose the design silhouette that will look most flattering, given that you are small-framed.
DO wear off-the-shoulder gowns, scooped necklines, shoestring straps, and A-line skirt shapes. The best skirt shape is, in fact, a slight A-line, not too full. If the skirt is very full, you can almost look lost in the dress. The exception to this is the Cinderella gown, which is extremely full and can look very romantic and stunning on some girls. But this look isn’t for every petite bride. Being petite does mean you may need some padding in the bodice of the dress, to fill you out a bit. You do have many design options that would suit you, but beware of the ones that don’t work.
DON’T choose slim, straight gowns as you will disappear in them. If you prefer a straighter look, a good option is the mermaid skirt, which is fitted to the mid-thigh, then flares out.
Bias-cuts may fit you OK, but could have the effect of being too minimal as a wedding dress. One option is to have a full cathedral length veil, which acts as an addition to the dress. This can serve to make you look more like a bride! I find that many girls who are petite and want a slim styled dress don’t want a veil, but once they try one on, they fall in love with the look it creates.
The larger bride, over size 16: Girls who are a size 16 or over will probably struggle to find the perfect gown for them. To be quite frank, most designers put such girls in the “too hard” basket, and thus avoid making gowns in larger sizes as much as possible. It is a bit more challenging to find the right style for you, but with the right guidelines, you can truly look fabulous. You do need to be realistic about what will work for you, and realise that the size 10 model in the magazine will look good in anything. So just picking out a dress from a magazine that you love is most likely not going to work for you.
The idea is to choose designs that flatter your good bits, and hide your not-so-good bits. Here are some suggestions.
DO choose designs with minimal detailing, the less fuss the better. For example, a scooped, off-the-shoulder neckline, fitted to the hips with a slightly A-line skirt with or without a train is an excellent choice for a larger girl. You could have a V-neckline, and sleeves if you prefer (I know larger girls prefer some sort of sleeve, a small cap sleeve is a nice look). Two-piece gowns are often a good choice as well. But beware of the style if choosing a two-piece.
The best option is to go for a fitted bodice with some detailing on it, for example, light beading, or a light all-over lace, and an A-line skirt. Draped styles also look good, provided the drapes are diagonal, not horizontal.
DON’T go for full gathered or pleated skirts as it adds bulk to a larger girl. Straight styles can look good on a larger girl, provided she is reasonably tall. A short size 18 girl would be best advised to avoid straight styles though. Also strapless gowns mostly don’t suit large girls as the shoulders are usually sloped. If you have square-ish shoulders though, you could select a strapless gown (I know that most larger girls would never even consider a strapless gown though!) The main consideration with a strapless gown is the support needed to keep it up, which generally means it needs to be quite tight-fitting.
The best advice for larger girls is to choose a fabric you love and go for a simple, uncomplicated design. Choose nice trims or features to enrich the gown without making it fussy. For example, light beading on the neckline and hem; piping trim on the neckline; buttons and loops at the back; perhaps a contrasting fabric (like lace or organza) on the train.
In conclusion, I believe that every bride can and should look her best on her wedding day. Many, many girls nowadays are having their wedding gowns made, simply because they cannot buy a dress off-the-rack to fit or even suit them. Having your wedding dress made is certainly the best way to go, if you are not a standard size. Using these guidelines, you can certainly make the most of your assets, to ensure you look your absolute best on the biggest day of your life, your wedding day.

Answer 2

When I went to try on gowns I found the A-line dresses to be SO slimming and flattering. I am petite as far as height goes (I'm 5'1) but I have a very "buxom" figure...I'm way bigger on top than the bottom. The A-line dresses I tried on made me look very hourglass shaped and also a little taller. The worst ones were the very poofy ballroom type gowns and also the gowns that had a lot of gathering in the skirt. They made me look positively plus-sized! The great thing about an A-line is it pulls your waist in, and has a nice line from the hips to the floor. Good luck!!!

Answer 3

You really don't know until you try things on. Everyone's body shape is different. I went into buying my wedding gown with a very different idea of what I've actually bought! Your best bet is to look through bridal magazines and on websites like www.weddingchannel.com and www.theknot.com to look at dresses. Choose the ones that you think are most beautiful, then go and try on dresses in that style, but go in open minded to trying on anything. You'll definitely find something you love!

Answer 4

Can you give us an idea as to your body type? Is there a certain area you want to slim down? If your pear shaped, a voluminous skirt is a good idea, but if you're petite, you should go with a sheath style. This site has some good info, with links to pics for examples


http://www.henryroth.com/tip2.php

edit: I disagree with the above answerer. I think empire waist looks best on small to medium busts. It can place to much emphasis on a large bust, making you look disproportionate. Also, if you have a bit of a belly, an white empire gown might end up looking like a maternity gown, and you probably don't want that!

Answer 5

A wedding dress or wedding gown is the clothing worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony. Color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures, brides often choose a white wedding dress, which was made popular by Queen Victoria in the 19th century. In eastern cultures, brides often choose red to symbolize auspiciousness.
Western culture:
Weddings performed during and immediately following the Middle Ages were often more than just a union between two people. They could be a union between two families, two businesses or even two countries. Many weddings were more a matter of politics than love, particularly among the nobility and the higher social classes. Brides were therefore expected to dress in a manner that cast their families in the most favorable light and befitted their social status, for they were not representing only themselves during the ceremony. Brides from wealthy families often wore rich colors and exclusive fabrics. It was common to see them wearing bold colors and layers of furs, velvet and silk. Brides dressed in the height of current fashion, with the richest materials money could buy. The poorest of brides wore their best church dress on their wedding day. The amount and the price of material a wedding dress contained was a reflection of the bride's social standing and indicated the extent of the family's wealth to wedding guests.

Answer 6

Mermaid Informal & Casual No Waist Sleeveless Wedding Dress is a good ideal.

Answer 7

Think about your day, and what kind of wedding dress is most appropriate - a beach wedding vs. formal ballroom reception, winter vs. summer, outdoor ceremony vs. restaurant dinner for 25 etc. Different styles of wedding mean different styles of dress. A wedding dress or wedding gown is the clothing worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony. Color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures, brides often choose a white wedding dress, which was made popular by Queen Victoria in the 19th century. In eastern cultures, brides often choose red to symbolize auspiciousness.

Answer 8

Every girl has a dream about wedding dress!There are many beautiful and cheap wedding dress!Welcome to visit!
http://www.bride-loving.com/

Answer 9

A line dresses.

Answer 10

A-line wedding dress are very slimming. You don't want a ball gown.

Answer 11

A-Line or straight with maybe a flounce at the bottom. Not too fussy. No toole or tons of fabric as it will make the person look heavier. Make sure if the person has large bust, to get a gown that covers the cleavage and no strapless. Should have a cap sleeve.