Finding a Wedding Dress That Flatters Your Body Type

When your wedding day finally arrives, you want to ensure that you feel confident and comfortable. After all, you will be the center of attention, and cameras will be on you most of the day. Unfortunately, finding a dress isn’t always as glamorous as it seems and can often be one of the most stressful parts of wedding planning for the bride. This said I am here to tell you that you don’t have to worry because following my guide will help lead you to the perfect dress for your body type!

Below, we will define the five most common body types: apple, pear, inverted triangle, rectangle, and hourglass. Using this guide, you can determine what dress style will best flatter your body shape and help you narrow down your dress options.

Apple

An apple body shape typically has broad shoulders, an average to large bust, a rounder waist, and narrower hips. To best flatter this body type, an empire waist wedding dress is my go-to! 

An empire waist wedding dress sits higher than your natural waist, giving the appearance of a slimmer midsection. In addition, the core of the dress sinches right below the bust. As a result, it can draw attention to your upper body and flatter your figure.

Pear

A pear-shaped body is defined as one with a slimmer waist, smaller bust, and broader hips. You will find that you carry most of your weight in your lower half if you have a pear-shaped body. Therefore, I find that an A-line wedding dress is highly suitable for a pear body shape. 

An A-line dress provides the silhouette of a skirt. It subtly hides the appearance of wide hips with a beautiful flowy skirt while accentuating your naturally slimmer waist. If you add a V-neck to your A-line dress, you can also expect to bring attention to your upper half. 

Inverted Triangle

You have an inverted triangle body shape if you have broader shoulders, a slimmer waist, and your hips are narrower than your top half. The best wedding dress for this body shape is a V-neck or a dress with wide shoulder straps. 

A V-neck dress will draw the attention of others to your bust and create more shape to your figure. By incorporating wider straps, an illusion of slimmer shoulders will become more apparent. Both V-neck and wide straps help to create an overall balance in your figure.

Rectangle

A rectangular body shape is often described as one with hips and shoulders that are similar in width. You may also find that your torso comes close to the width of your shoulders and hips as well. A sheath-style dress is the best dress to pick if you have a rectangle-shaped body.

A sheath-style dress hugs the body but is not too tight, allowing for the illusion of more balanced curves and shape to a rectangular body. Sheath dresses are also found to appear as one of the most romantic dresses. 

Hourglass

If you have an hourglass-shaped body, you will notice that your hips and shoulders are wider in length, and you have a more noticeable and defined waist. I recommend showing off your curves with a mermaid-style dress. 

A mermaid-style wedding dress hugs your body tightly and sinches your waist even more. This dress draws attention to all your curves, bust, hips, and behind included! 

What You Should Know

Understanding your body type is key to finding the right dress for you. The perfect dress for any bride flatters her unique shape and accentuates the parts of herself she loves the most! No matter what body type or shape you have, there is a wedding dress that will leave you feeling like the most beautiful bride there ever was!