How to Choose the Best Wedding Dress Style for your Body Type?

Finding your dream wedding dress takes time and some effort. We often can get overwhelmed by all the options available and don’t know where to start to find the best dress for your special wedding day.

Indeed, it can be challenging to the dress which would fit your silhouette perfectly as well as present and make you feel at your feminine best.

So we decided to create a little guide to help all the lovely ladies out there to find the best wedding dress style for your body shape!

How to Find the Best Wedding Dress Style For Your Body Shape?

The first thing you need to know is that it is easier to find your dream dress when you already know what you are looking for.

And for this, it is better to know your body type. It will help you determine what dress is made for you and will complement your silhouette the most.

Of course, this is purely indicative, and if you already have a precise idea of the wedding dress you want, go for it no matter what your morphology is!

But for all the ladies who are a bit lost in the infinite ocean of wedding dress options, we made a guide with dresses for all body types to help you narrow your search and find your dream dress easier!

The Best Wedding Dress According to your Body Type

Hourglass Shape

The hourglass shape is characterized by a defined waist, wider hips, a bigger bust, and a curvaceous silhouette.

If you want to show your curves, a close-fitting dress will be perfect and look gorgeous on you. You can for example choose a classic mermaid dress.

However, if you are not into skin-tight wedding dresses, you can choose almost any type of dress with a sweetheart or V-necklines: Timeless Wrap Dresses are for example a classic and lovely option, that will for sure complement your figure beautifully. Also, Pinafore Dress is a lovely choice to highlight your curves of the body.

Yet, there are some types of dresses you might want to avoid because they could look less flattering on your body, like Empire waistline dresses, dresses that add volume to the bust and hips, or finally high neck wedding dresses.

Pear Shape

Women with a Pear Shape body usually have a defined waist and their hips wider than their bust area.

The best option for this body type is dresses with long sleeves because they will help balance your smaller shoulders with your wider hips.

Fitted dresses can also be a very nice option, so if you are into close-fitting clothing, you can choose a mermaid wedding gown.

You can check our Classic Dresses with long sleeves, they will accentuate your waist and balance the shoulders and hips proportion smoothly.

Another wonderful option, is the Butterfly Dress which is especially flattering to women have wider hips as the sleeves draw attention to the waist and away from the hips.

The dresses you might want to avoid are again Empire waistline gowns because, with their very high waist, they might create the illusion that you are bigger in size than you are in reality.

Triangle Shape

The Triangle Shape body is defined as a morphology where the upper body is bigger than the lower body. It means that women with this body shape have broader shoulders with a slimmer waist and smaller hips.

V-neckline dresses will work perfectly with this body type since they will tend to make your shoulders look smaller and will balance your silhouette a bit more.

Long sleeves can also have the same effect and will look absolutely gorgeous – a bride with this morphology would for example look truly amazing in a Sophie Wedding Dress with beautiful linen lace details!

Among the types of dresses to avoid are all the gowns that are strapless or off-the-shoulder. High-neck wedding dresses are not advised as well. Indeed, all these dresses might highlight your wider shoulders.

Oval Shape

Oval Shape bodies are characterized by a larger bust, narrow hips, and a fuller torso area. Women with this body type tend to have a more rounded silhouette.

The best dresses for ladies with an Oval Shape morphology are gowns with a straight shape like an A-line, full circle skirt, or an Empire waistline dress!

Lower necklines and V-necklines will also look wonderful on them. For example, a Classic Dress or a looser Smock Dress are an excellent option.

However, it is better to avoid anything with a high neck, since it will make your chest area look bigger than it really is, and would give your body little to no definition.

Dresses with pleated skirts should also be avoided because they would look less flattering on your body.

Rectangle Shape

Women with a Rectangle Shape body have their shoulders, waist, and hips all being within the same width. They also usually have little waist definition and a small bust.

The best dresses for ladies with this morphology are Empire waistline dresses as well as classic ball gowns and princess-style dresses.

Any dress with an A-line or full circle skirt will also look amazing on them. All these types of dresses will create the illusion of a curvier figure and will beautifully and elegantly add some definition to your silhouette.

And again, Classic Dress and Wrap Dres silhouettes would create a beautiful feminite shape with the structured shoulders shape and full circle skirt.

However, close-fitting dresses – such as mermaid dresses – won’t compliment your figure as much as other types of dresses would and should be avoided.

What Are The Most Popular Wedding Dress Styles?

Some wedding dress styles are long-time classics and remain very popular designs, even today. Among them are the timeless ball gown wedding dresses.

With their fitted bodice and puffy skirt, usually with a petticoat underneath, they are perfect for a classic glamor and princess style!

Another very popular design is the mermaid wedding dress, characterized by its close-fitting cut as well as its attractive and very feminine look.

However, just like in every sector of the fashion industry, some trends are happening every year.

For 2023, one of the trends is to wear a shorter dress. Wedding dresses are usually floor-length or ankle-length, yet this year, the trend is to have a below-the-knee wedding dress, or even shorter!

If you are looking for the perfect wedding dress, maybe it is time to give this trend a try and opt for a more comfortable and practicable wedding dress.

Another trend are minimalist wedding dresses – dresses with very simple shapes and almost no ornaments. Indeed, it seems that dresses with a lot of lace, glitters and crystals have grown a bit out of style and that the latest trend is to wear a dress as simple as possible!

Classic styles are something that stays relevant and appealing with time. We believe our timeless linen dresses are wonderful for your special wedding celebration as well as many years after as they are versatile and easy to style after.

FAQ

What Is The Best Wedding Dress for a Bride with a Small Bust and Wide Hips?

If you have a small bust, any dress with long sleeves will be perfect for you, since it will help balance your graceful silhouette.

A dress with a V-neckline will also look absolutely lovely on you! Finally, close-fitting dresses will suit you very well and will look amazing on you.

What Is The Best Wedding Dress for a Short Girl?

If you are a short girl, you might be a bit concerned about the length of wedding dresses.

Indeed, traditional wedding dresses are usually floor-length or ankle-length and you might wonder if this will look flattering on you or will make you appear smaller than you really are.

Well, do you remember when we said that shorter wedding dresses are one of the trends of 2023?

There is indeed a high chance a short wedding dress will look amazing on you, and an A-line dress would look even better. 

What Is The Best Wedding Dress for a Bride with a Big Bust?

If you have a big bust, A-line dresses will look perfect on you, since they will help balance your silhouette. V-neckline dresses are also ideal, and you can choose how deep and plunging you want your neckline to be.

What Is The Best Wedding Dress for a Bride with a Small Bust?

If you have a small bust, dresses with V-necklines are definitely one of the best options!

Wearing a long-sleeved dress can also be a nice idea since it will help balance your small bust with the rest of your body.

A-line or ball gown dresses are probably the cut of dresses that will suit you the best. 

What Is The Best Wedding Dress for a Petite Bride?

For petite girls, short A-line or full circle skirt dresses are the best designs.

Wearing a shorter wedding dress can sound a bit scary at first since it is not the most traditional option, but we promise, it is definitely worth giving it a try!

Short-sleeved dresses would also look amazing on you. 

What Is The Best Wedding Dress for a Bride with Broad Shoulders?

If you have broad shoulders, we recommend a  dress with a V-neckline. All the rest is up to you since ball gown glamor dresses will look as amazing on you as close-fitting mermaid dresses.

However, it is better to avoid dresses with long sleeves, since they will tend to enhance your broad shoulders.

Final Thoughts

We hope this helped you navigate among all the wedding dress options and styles available and that thanks to this small guide, you now know what to look for.

And hopefully, you will find your dream wedding dress very soon! Do not forget that these are only guidelines, you can choose any wedding dress you fancy, no matter what your body shape is. The most important thing is to feel beautiful and comfortable on your big day!