Plus Size Wedding Gown Guide - Shop by Shape

Plus size wedding gown, shopping doesn't have to be traumatic. Shopping for your plus size wedding gown can be so much easier if you know in advance which styles will flatter you. Dress Slimmer on your Wedding Day with Body Fit and Style. The following is an excerpt from Plus Size Bridal Guide. Hourglass Figure - Also called X shape, Curvy Shape: You have the easiest shape to dress. You can call attention to your waist. Soft fabrics are very flattering to you. If you are tall, your defined waist creates balance. If you are short, you may want to de-emphasize your waist a little so you don't look chopped in half. You would accomplish this by wearing a plus size wedding gown with vertical lines that curve in at the waist instead of a dress that has an actual, horizontal waistline. You are curvaceous. Celebrate it!!!!! The hourglass figure can easily wear ball gown, sheath or a-line style wedding gowns. Rectangular Figure - Also called H Shape, I Shape, and Straight Shape: Because your silhouette is straight up and down, you would want to create waist definition with vertical lines that curve in. Princess seams work well for you. Fitted bodices with a slightly dropped waist, Basque waist or v-waist work well for you, as well. Anything that gives the illusion of a waist without a horizontal line at your waist will work well for you. Empire waistline is your friend. You can wear sheaths, empire style, raised waist, a-line, Basque waistline, dropped waist. Avoid gathered or heavily pleated fabric at the waist. If you are in the upper plus sizes, you might look in evening wear and look for a white beaded gown in the tunic and skirt style. Apple Figure - Also called O Shape, Circle Shape or Round Shape: This is the most difficult shape to dress. Your figure is visually larger or wider above the waist and narrower around your hips and thighs. Think vertical lines. Avoid anything that creates an actual horizontal line at the waist. Some a-line in the skirt is ok if it falls in a nice, soft drape. No crinolines. Avoid gathered or heavily pleated fabric at the waist. Empire style and soft drape a-line styles are your best choices. If you could find a two piece gown with a straight skirt and a tunic style top, this would work very well for you. You might look in evening wear and look for a white beaded, lace or crepe gown in this style, especially if you wear the upper plus sizes and just not feeling comfortable in any other style. Pear Figure - Also called A Shape, Triangle Shape: Wonderful pear shaped women have a waist - sometimes a tiny waist. You can wear bodices that are fitted and defined. You can even have a gown with a horizontal line at the waist. You can wear a-line or anything that flares out. A fitted bodice that comes to a V in the front elongates your slim upper body and makes the skirt just flow over your hips and makes them disappear. Sometimes, however, a pear shaped woman can have very small or sloping shoulders. You may need to add some small shoulder pads (fabric store) to hold the shoulders up. Avoid straight skirted gowns. They will pull across the hip area. And you may read somewhere that empire style works for pear shape, but I disagree. Empire style hides your greatest asset - your little waist. A-line, defined waist ballgown, or Basque styles will look great on you. Plus size bridal shopping can be a wonderful and exciting experience. By knowing your body type, you can easily shop at online bridal shops. By choosing the right design for your body type, your perfect plus size wedding gown will arrive at your door ready to make you the beautiful bride you always dreamed of being.