Finding the Perfect Wedding Gown
Provided by: BrideSave.com
Begin Looking Early!
It is best to allow four to six months for your dress to be delivered to you. Don't forget all bridal gowns will need to be altered. You'll also need to allow time to have your bridal portrait. Your goal is to have your gown 2-3 months before your wedding date.
At BrideSave.com, we have noted approximate delivery times for the dresses we showcase. Please understand, you and we are at the mercy of the dress manufacturer. 99.9% of the time the manufacturers are able to meet our shipping deadline. But, if you're going to be cutting it tight on time, go with the dress that has a delivery time well in advance of your deadline.
Magazines - A Great Place to Start
Buy 2 to 3 bridal magazines. You really don't need more (they're expensive!). More than 3 and you'll just keep seeing the same styles over and over. Tear out pictures of the dresses you like and write on the picture the magazine name and page number it came from! You'll start to notice you are drawn to certain skirt or bodice styles. Maybe you're drawn to beadwork or sweetheart necklines.
What's Your Style?
Okay, so you've got a stack of pages torn from magazines. Now what?
Step One: Contact your Church, Synagogue or Mosque
This is very important because deposits and payments for gowns are typically non-refundable! Many religious sites impose certain restrictions on what you and your party may wear. Common examples include no sleeveless gowns or no backless dresses. Check into this first to avoid expensive and devastating delays!
Step Two: Formality
Do you envision a Black Tie wedding or a simple, elegant garden setting? Once you have decided on how formal your day will be you will then be able to begin looking for your gown. Keep these rules of thumb in mind:
| Formal | Semi-Formal | Informal | |
| Daytime | White, off-white, long gown, train, long veil. Gloves are optional. | White, off-white, pastel, long gown, short or no train, short veil. Gloves optional. | White, off-white, pastel, soft pattern, short or tea-length dress, cocktail dress or suit. |
| Evening | White/off-white long gown, train, long veil. Gloves are optional. | White/off-white long gown, short or no train, short veil. Gloves optional. | White/off-white/ pastel/soft pattern/ brights long dinner dress or simple gown, short cocktail dress or evening suit. |
Step Three: When and Where?
Will you be married at your family church in Chicago in December or at the Garden Club in New Orleans in July? One dress would probably not suit both weddings. Think of the style of your church decorated for Christmas with the cold, Chicago wind blowing off Lake Michigan versus the sultry, hot, humidity of a lazy New Orleans July day. I wouldn't want to be wearing a long, satin gown with long sleeves in New Orleans in July! Would you?
Fall/Winter try: satin, heavy damasks, heavy taffetas, moiré, heavy lace, velvet, heavy beadwork
Spring/Summer try: chiffon, tulle skirts, lightweight satins, dotted Swiss, lace
Step Four: Know Thyself
Be honest. Short, tall, average, slim, heavy, busty or hippy, there is a dress to complement your figure.
Most bridal gowns fall into one of five categories:
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 |
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| A-Line or Princess | Empire | Ballgown |
| Great on almost every figure. | Helps add height to petites. May also be combined with A-Line skirt. | Great on busty brides. Often combined with a Basque waist. |
 |
 |
| Sheath | Mermaid or Trumpet |
| Often have a detachabletrain. | Similar to a sheath. Great for showing off your curves! |
| Petite (under 5'4") | Think Gwyneth Paltrow, think Room with a View, think long vertical lines. Go for a high neckline, empire waist (if you're slim, try a full-length sheath) with short or no sleeves. No train. Add elbow length gloves and a veil no longer than floor length Try a pouf veil for more height. The long lines will add inches of visual height. |
| Tall (over 5'9") | Unlike the petite bride,you'll want to break up your natural vertical. Go horizontal. Look for a drop waist. Maybe a wide belt, ruffles or trim that wraps around your gown. Lower necklines and off-the-shoulder. Fuller sleeves also can help. Try a hat or fantastic veil, but don't go for a pouf veil. |
| Average Height & Weight (5'5" to 5'8") | Your parents were right when it came to average grades, but thank your lucky stars you're considered average here! Most dress designers style the majority of their lines for you. Look to your Grooms height. You may want to follow the guidelines for Tall or Petite Brides to help balance your height to his. |
| Slim | You have two options, play it up or visually fill-out. If you want to play it up follow the guidelines for petite or heavy brides. You can visually fill-out by going with a heavier fabric (velvet, damask,...), full skirt, slim waist and sleeves. You may consider a blouson bodice as well. |
| Heavy | Generally, add height. Read the guidelines for the Petite Bride. Go for a high waist or A-Line. Run from flouncy ruffles, clingy fabrics and big sleeves. |
| Busty | You probably have already learned that you don't look your best in empire, A-Lines or cinched waists. They only add to your bust. Try a V- or high neck. You may even find an attractive keyhole neckline. You may also consider limiting the amount of beadwork on the bodice as it would draw attention to your bust. |
| Hippy | The most dramatic way to solve this figure flaw is to go Elizabethan. Try a broad collar. Two other ways to solve this are balance or camouflage. To balance, try a hat or big, pouffy sleeves. To camouflage, go with a flared skirt, A-Line or a skirt which obviously requires a lot of petticoat. |
What Size Are You?
The number size in a bridal dress is about as important to its actual size as its color is - not at all. At BrideSave.com, we show you the size charts from the manufacturer. They're based on your measurements. If you're right on the edge of two sizes, order the larger. You order your gown to fit your largest measurement size. So if your bust equals a size 14, your waist a size 12 and your hips a 12, you would order the 14. Gown sizes may be, and often are, very different than regular clothing. Remember, its easier to cut a dress down than to try to lose that last inch, especially with all the goodies at the teas and showers!
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| Topic | Author | Replies |
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Shelly |
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Brides today have more choices than ever before when they are picking a wedding dress. Many of the old rules have been tossed out. For example, dresses aren't always white, they're not always big and poufy and they don't have to include trains that go on for miles. A bride can feel free to choose a wedding dress that fits her body type and personality.
Looking great on your wedding day means being radiant, relaxed, and ready to start a brand new existence with the person whom you've chosen to spend your life with. Your hair, nails, makeup, dress - and how you look in that dress - are all part of becoming the bride you want to be on that special day. Since pictures taken on that day remain part of your life forever, it's important to look and feel your best.
When shopping for wedding dresses it helps to know what kind of dress will look good on your body type. Find out what style of wedding dress will flatter your body type the best.
How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it. - George Elliston
We had shopped for hours, my mom and I, and we were having a ball. We knew in our hearts that we would find just the right dress. Five months remained until the wedding; we had plenty of time; we had lots of patience. And then we found it-at J.C. Penney's Bridal Shop.
I remember standing on a dark blue-carpeted platform, surrounded by mirrors. The clerk brought gown after gown for me to try. I felt like a queen, admired by my mom perched in a cozy, overstuffed chair. As soon as she zipped the back of the third dress, we both knew we had found the one.
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