Choosing the best wedding dress for your body type is a must! A wrong choice can leave your dress emphasising the wrong features of your body and have you grimacing at your wedding photos for the rest of your life. Thankfully, it’s easy to pick the right gown style by following our guide below on how to select a wedding dress for your body type.

First: Know Your Body Type

Before considering wedding gown styles, first identify what your body shape is:

  • Pear – your shoulders are narrower than your hips, with most of your weight around your thighs and hips.
  • Rectangle – your shoulders and hips are around the same size with no defined waist.
  • Hourglass – hips and shoulders are around the same size, but you have a defined nipped in waist.
  • Apple – you carry your weight in the middle section of your body.
  • Inverted triangle – your shoulders are wider than your hips, with a large upper body and small lower body.

Once you know your body shape, look for a gown which can accentuate your positive features.

Picking the Best Wedding Dress for Your Body Type

There are some wedding dress silhouettes which are best left to specific body types, while others can suit multiples. Here are the six wedding dress silhouettes and corresponding body type matches:

  • Ball gown – most suited to a pear-shaped body, a ball gown helps accentuate the waist and cover the lower half of your body.
  • Empire – an empire gown has a raised waistline from which the dress flows outwards. Most suited for a rectangle or pear-shaped body.
  • A-line – this gown shape suits many different body shapes. A flattering waistline, it can also elongate your body. Suitable for apple, pear and rectangle body shapes.
  • Mermaid – with a close tapering skirt, the mermaid gown is really only suitable for a bride with an inverted triangle shaped body.
  • Sheath – a sheath wedding gown is also known as a trumpet style gown. Form-fitting until just below the hips, the skirt gently flares outwards and is most suitable for an hourglass figure.

In terms of which style gown is the most comfortable to wear, the empire followed by the A-line lead the pack in comfort. The least comfortable would be the mermaid as it would restrict movement somewhat due to its close tapered skirt.

If you’re ready to start wedding dress shopping, be sure to visit the many wonderful websites of our wedding gown suppliers and get inspired!