Which Wedding Dress Silhouette Is Best For Your Vision?
Written by Curator Grace + Ivory
With so many styles and fabrics to choose from, finding your best wedding dress silhouette can be more difficult for brides than anticipated. Especially when you're torn between what features you’d like to accentuate and what dress style fits with your vision and venue. Throw in the anxiety that can come with trying on a wedding dress for the first time…and you’ve got a whole lot on your wedding dress shopping plate!
Anamaria Vieriu Photography
At Grace + Ivory, we're all about wearing the dress that makes you feel your best (despite what your bridal shopping party may want you to go with!) "Wedding dress silhouettes for your body type" charts aside, we think it's ultimately up to you and what you feel your most bridal in. Just like with sample sizing, these charts are not one size fits all...and there's better ways to determine what dress shape is perfect for your wedding day vision. So leave the chart behind and take it from our team, which wedding dress silhouette is best for you and your vision?
Wedding Dress Silhouette: Ballgown
Categorized by a fitted bodice to the natural waist and a skirt with some "poof," a ballgown is usually ideal for our brides looking for a more traditional or princess look. It's like we say to our brides, it's the dress you've got to try at least once...even if only for the fun of it (Go on and give it a twirl!). We've found a lot of our petite brides feel swallowed by too much tulle while our plus-size brides often love the waist definition a ballgown gives. But again, that's a decision you'll have to make for yourself no matter your body type!
Aspen Avenue Photography – Grace + Ivory’s Arabella Dress
If you love a dramatic skirt and want to wear a dress unlike anything you’ll ever wear again, you may be a ballgown bride. Especially if your venue is more grand, think a ballroom or an Italian villa…a bridal ballgown would go beautifully. There so many different types of ballgowns, and they look different depending on the fabrics used. So, we recommend trying on something all lace, something clean and satin, and something tulle to ensure ballgown is or isn’t the right shape for you!
Wedding Dress Silhouette: A-Line
Categorized by a fitted bodice and lighter skirt that flows from the natural waist, an A-line wedding dress silhouette is ideal for our brides who want an effortless dress that plays into their romantic side. Bear in mind that the look of an A-line dress will depend heavily on the fabric. Crepe A-lines tend to fit with a modern wedding vision, while a chiffon or tulle A-line will give you that airy garden party look.
Kelsey Straus Photography – Grace + Ivory’s Sloane Dress
Although A-lines vary from style-to-style, it's one of the silhouettes most brides feel confident in! It accents the waist without the poof of a ballgown, while still giving you plenty of shape and room to dance the night away.
Wedding Dress Silhouette: Fit-To-Flare
Fitted through the waist and hips, a fit-to-flare wedding dress silhouette is ideal for a bride that is looking to elongate her frame and show off her shape. A fit-to-flare dress is more subtle than a traditional mermaid gown and often provides more mobility. Without layers of crinoline and tulle, a fit-to-flare dress can actually be fairly comfortable! Especially if you opt for an all-over crepe or material with a bit of stretch.
Aspen Avenue Photography – Grace + Ivory’s Ida Dress
If you classify yourself as a more modern bride, or one is wants to forgo the “fuss” of a wedding gown…fit-to-flare may be the wedding dress silhouette for you. From crepe, satin, to all over-lace, fit-to-flare gowns come in a variety of fabrics so be sure to try them all!
Wedding Dress Silhouette: Sheath
Categorized by a skirt that falls straight from your natural waist, a sheath silhouette is ideal for a bride who wants to show off her shape in a more subtle, minimalist design. If you've pinned a few "slip dress," looks to your wedding day Pinterest board, it's safe to say you've already decided on sheath dress. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try on at least one dress of every silhouette type because you truly never know until you see each shape on your body. After all, you've probably never had to shop for a wedding dress before
Aspen Avenue Photography – Grace + Ivory x Goli June’s Irving Dress
If you are craving a dress that is simple yet chic and are not loving the “Flare” in fit-to-flare…you are definitely a sheath silhouette bride!
Wedding Dress Silhouette: Hybrid
Sometimes it's hard to narrow it down to only one silhouette type when most wedding dresses you try on will be so beautiful! Luckily if you can't choose between the shape of a fitted gown or the flirty skirt on an A-line, hybrid dresses do exist (this isn't your grandmother's wedding dress!).
Mandelette Phorography – Grace + Ivory’s Ava Dress
Sometimes a fitted gown alone can make us feel self-conscious even though we know we look amazing (iykyk!). Something as simple as an added layer of tulle can make all the difference in our confidence. Plus give you that twirl photo on your shoot wish list!
What To Keep In Mind While Shopping For Your Wedding Dress
You've heard it before and we'll say it again, try on at least one dress of every silhouette type! Don't be afraid to step out of the driver’s seat and let your bridal consultant pick out a few dresses for you. Your bridal consultant is listening to every detail you like and dislike to help get you closer to the "YES" dress. Plus they know best what dresses adhere to your vision, once they are on your body.
Fabric types can play a huge role in how you feel in a dress, so don't throw the whole vision away if the first fitted dress you try on is not the one or vice-versa for A-line! Perhaps all-over lace wasn't your thing and you'll feel your most bridal in a crepe or satin.
Anamaria Vieriu Photography – Grace + Ivory’s Caira Party Dress
Above all, you should search for the wedding dress that feels the most like you. Stepping out in a dress that's so opposite of who you are can have you feel like you're just playing dress-up. It can sound cliché but this tip is huge in helping you ground yourself while shopping and ensure that you feel as you should...like the bride!