Shopping for a wedding dress
is a large task for a bride to be. There are many decisions to make on what
type of dress suits your style, compliments your body type and fits the venue
of your wedding.
The process of choosing the
perfect wedding gown can be quite a task. If you first learn the terminology
used by the professionals, you can start your fun and fascinating journey and
make it easier on yourself.
Dress Styles
It’s hard for you to get the type
of dress that you’ve always dreamed of if you don’t know what it is called,
but have a picture in your mind. You may choose a traditional and classic style,
a newer trendy style, or a mixture of both. Choosing the style you want first
allows you to move on to the construction details.
A-Line-has a fitted bodice
with a slight flair in the skirt. They are a popular choice of brides with a
classic style that suits any body type.
Asymmetrical-These are a newer
style of wedding dress that includes one shoulder strap or layering of material
that creates an uneven hem at the bottom of the skirt.
Ball Gown-This is reminiscent
of the fairytale princess. It incorporates a long, flowing skirt and a fitted
bodice with a very full skirt under which you can choose to add petticoats or
hoops.
Blouson-This style is very
blousy with a gathered waist at the natural waistline or a few inches below.
Drop Waist-This type of dress
has a rather loose or fitted bodice with styling that draws the eye to the area
below your waist or near the actual waist.
Empire-The empire style dress
includes a high waist that is drawn in just below the bust. This style elongates
the body of a shorter woman, minimizes pear shape women and can conceal a bust
that is very large or very small.
Mermaid-A mermaid dress is
also called a fishtail or a trumpet dress. It hugs the body and begins to flair
out in the skirt about knee length. The flair can be extravagantly large or
small and modest. This type works very well on tall women that have an athletic
build to accentuate the figure.
Mini-A mini wedding dress has
a hemline that falls at or above the knee.
Princess-A princess gown is
made from vertical panes and can be an A-line or have a larger flare in the
skirt. It is quite a slimming design for most all body types.
Sheath-This style is long and
slim in a body hugging design without a fitted waist.
After choosing you basic style,
you then need to decide on the construction and specific dress features that
you want.
Bodice and Neckline Features
Boat Neck-This type has a
neckline that rests on the points of your shoulders to reveal your collarbones.
It is sometimes called a bateau.
Cowl Neck-The neckline in
this type has loosely draping fabric that can be low or high at the neck and
bust.
Drop Shoulder-This style is
sleeveless with bands that start below the curve of your upper arm.
Halter- The halter-top is
angled diagonally on the outer bust and fastens behind the neck.
Jewel-The jewel style has a
neckline that follows the curve at the base of your neck and it does not have a
collar.
Portrait Collar-This type of
dress will be a drop shoulder neckline with a folded collar that can be
exaggerated.
Sabrina-The Sabrina style has
a straight neckline that begins well inside the curve of both shoulders.
Scoop Neck-The scoop neck
style is U-shaped with a curve at the bottom. It can be very daring or extremely
modest depending on how low you want the neck.
Spaghetti Straps-The neckline
is held up by very thin and delicate straps on each shoulder.
Square Neck-This neckline is
horizontal across the bodice front and it ends with sheer vertical straps or
may have shaping on either side of the neckline. From the front, it appears as
the shape of a square or rectangle.
Strapless- This style has no
straps to hold it up and leaves your shoulders bare. The bodice of the dress
holds the top up.
Sweetheart-The sweetheart
neckline has a curve over each breast and dips into a shallow or deep V at the
bottom.
Hem Lengths
You can choose from several
hem lengths in a wedding gown. The Ballerina is at or just above your ankles
while floor length either brushes the floor or is slightly shorter than that.
The hi-lo skirt hem is at the mid calf in the front and is a dramatic floor
length in the back. A mini shirt is above the knee, a street skirt just covers
the knees and tea length is a few inches above the ankles.
Sleeve Types
You can also choose from a
large variety of sleeve types. The bell sleeve is snug down to the elbow and
then it flares out to the wrist. The capped sleeve is very short and slightly
rounded to only cover your shoulders. The dolman sleeve is joined to the bodice
above the elbow level and then it tapers to the wrist. A kimono sleeve extends
into the main column of the gown and then lengthens deep and wide to the wrist.
The puff sleeve is gathered or pleated at the shoulder and can be small or very
large. Three-quarter length sleeves end between the elbow and the wrist while
tulip sleeves are formed with overlapping fabric in petal shapes.
Wedding Dress Fabrics
There is an immense amount of
fabrics for wedding gowns. Some of the more common are in this list.
Fine and Sheer-batiste, Chantilly, chiffon, crepe, crepe de chine, organza, tulle
and voile
Heavy Fabrics-brocade,
crinoline is a foundation for an underskirt, satin is shiny and smooth,
shantung is rough textured, taffeta has a slight sheen and velvet is the
heaviest fabric.
You can also choose to have
your train on your wedding gown as a part of the dress or have it made
separately so you can detach it for comfort. Choosing your dress for the most
important day of your life is a process. Contact a professional at Sydney’s Closet to help you to be picture
perfect on your big day.
Author Bio:
Jenny Larson has a degree in journalism and has over 10 years experience in writing. Her specialty lies in the plus size market, as she is a curvy woman herself. She writes candidly on many subjects that plus size women face on a daily basis, such as how to choose the perfect clothing for any occasion that compliments a specific body type. Her passion is fashion, clothing, hair and makeup and she writes from an insider’s view on these subjects.
