Wedding Dresses 101

With the new arrival of "Something Borrowed, Something New", on TLC, the hype of watching a reality show, where women shop for wedding dresses, is back! OK ,so maybe it never went away. I mean, I don't know about you but I am still in love, and obsessed, with "Say Yes To The Dress", and who isn't! We get to watch women put on dresses and choose "the one" with tears in their eyes, while we secretly sit in our living rooms and make fun of every dress they tried on along the way.

The truth is, many women have no idea what type of dress flatters their figure best, and with names such as trumpet and sheath we have no idea if we're talking about an orchestra or a cheating boyfriend. So I might have gone a little too far in that last statement, but honestly, who can keep up? We mostly shop on impulse and when we look at a magazine full of wedding dresses, we're looking at the overall look and we fall in love with the glitz and the glam or the ruffles. We have no idea whether that would look good on our bodies, leading us into a world of disappointment in the fitting room.

Before you go back to looking at bridal magazines take a look at the list below. While you are flipping through the pages keep an eye open for the "style" of the dress, it will help you, not only narrow down your search of dresses but it will help you from falling in love with a dress that will not flatter your figure. Though, I will say this, if you like it, try it! Just because these are the typical guidelines, it doesn't mean that you have to strictly follow them. They might just save you from trying on 100 dresses of a style that doesn't "fit". If you feel like it's "the one", it might be, so don't let anything stop you from trying it on, you might surprise yourself and hate it when you put it on anyways.

A-Line-Fitted at the bodice and flows outward. The difference between this and the ballgown is that the ballgown stops at the waist and immediately opens up, while the A-line opens up proportionally as it flows away from the body. This gown can flatter almost every body type. Whether you are top heavy, pear shape, hour glass figure or you have no waistline, it can make you look fabulous. If you are full figure with a large frame this may or may not work for you, but it's worth giving it a try!

TheKnot.com

Ballgown- Fitted at the bodice, with a full skirt, the most common and "traditional" wedding dress available. The ballgown, can indeed, flatter any body type, and if I must mention, it fulfills a lot of princess dreams!

TheLuckyBridal.com

Sheath- Fits very close to the body and has no waist. Falls straight to the ground, with no added volume at the skirt. Think of a beach wedding type of dress. This type of dress will flatter an hourglass figure or someone who is very fit.

TheKnot.ccom

Mermaid- The most popular of "our time". Fits very close to the body, the tighter the better, from the chest to the knees, and then flares out to a full skirt. This will flatter an hourglass figure or someone without a waistline. If you are very top heavy I would be weary to try this on, while it will flatter some large chests, it can make others look very top heavy. Also known as "Fit & Flare".

PRLOG.ORG

Trumpet- Just as the mermaid gown, this gown fits very close to the body, from the chest to mid-hip, and then flares out. The flare can be dramatic, such as in the picture below, or gradually. This dress also has an empire waistline.

DavidsBridal.com

Empire- This can be confused as the "style" of a dress, but it's actually a term for a type of waistline. Since it is commonly used, I've chosen to use it here. It is a raised waistline, sitting below the bust line, the rest of the dress flows away from the body. This is great for a pear shape or a large frame. Keep in mind, this waistline can be on many different types of dresses, including ballgowns and mermaid style.

MaggieSotero.com

 I hope this helps! There are other types of dresses out there but these are the most common!