Choosing the Right Style of Wedding Dress for your Shape

When it comes to choosing the dress, there’s more than just the colour to consider. You may have always dreamed you would swish down the aisle in top-to-toe chiffon or a duchess satin meringue, but childhood fantasies aside, it’s a good idea to choose a dress that will compliment your shape and personal style, not one you’ll look back on in years to come and cringe because it made you look any less than your most fabulous self!

You’re a princess for the day - so dress the part!

Your wedding photos will be around forever and you’ll hopefully want to show them off to all and sundry; they’ll be dragged out at every family do and you’ll imagine your future grandchildren poring over the faded images with gasps of ‘Oh what a beautiful dress grandma wore…’ So with that vision in mind it’s imperative not to waste your big opportunity. This is your chance to look the best you’ve ever looked. Go for gold and get the dress that was made for you and wear it with pride. You’re a princess for the day and it’s only right that you dress accordingly. It’s also important that you feel comfortable in your bridal gown as you’re going to be wearing it all day. A low-cut dress for instance that you can’t bend down in may not be appropriate if you are likely to spend much of the reception bending to greet elderly relatives or picking up small children. Your venue may also influence the style of dress you choose. Likewise a full skirt that is so full that you can’t get into a cubicle in the little girl’s room is going to be a serious problem if you want to drink any champagne on your wedding day!

Couture, designer or off-the-peg?

Couture dresses are designed for you and made to measure or can be made for you from a style which you have chosen from a designer’s collection; they are made to fit your measurements exactly and you can expect first class attention to detail and service from a bridal couturier. Designer or manufactured dresses are usually ordered for you in your size and then altered to fit you, while off-the-peg dresses can quite literally be bought straight off the peg in department stores or bridal boutiques.