How to Choose a Wedding Dress for Your Body Type

Every woman probably spends at least a little time fantasizing about her perfect wedding day--well before she meets the one she wants to marry. Your wedding day only happens once, and it is for this reason that many women want to get every little detail right, especially the wedding dress. The majority of women are not built like supermodels, nor should they be. So how can the average woman find the right dress for her body type? Follow the steps below to find out.

Instructions

1. Determine what your body type is. Are you full-figured? Petite? Large-chested? Bigger on the bottom? Before you can even begin to look for that perfect wedding dress, you need to know what your strengths and weaknesses are appearance-wise. Don't let this part of the process get you down: No one is perfect. All women have areas of their body that they aren't happy with, and which they do their best to conceal. (Than again, many of them have other parts of their body that they love to show off.)

2. Go for an A-line dress if you are full-figured or petite. Since an A-line dress works to lengthen your whole body, no unnecessary attention will be drawn to your waist. The dress will help you to achieve a slimmer overall look if you are a full-figured woman. If you are a petite, then an A-line dress works great for you, too, because it will appear to give you some extra height

3. Look for a dress that is more form-fitting on the bottom if you are larger in the chest area. Purchasing a dress that is full on the bottom will only work against you, making you look full all over, rather than just in the chest.

4. Avoid strapless dresses if you are petite or full-chested. Petite women will most likely have to raise their arms a lot when it comes time to dance at the reception, and this could lead to disaster should you have a wardrobe malfunction. Women who are larger in the chest area need more support from their dress, and wearing an off-the-shoulder design can also help take some of the attention away from your chest and bring it up to your shoulders.

5. Go for a dress that is full in the bottom and has a more structured top if you are larger in the bottom half. A nice, corseted top with a big, puffy bottom will help to create the appearance that the slimness you have in the top half of your body carries all the way down.

6. Look for a dress with a scoop or v-neck if you are a full-figured woman. These styles usually look best on a woman who has a little something on top.

7. If you are petite, avoid wedding dresses that are large on the bottom; they will only make you look bottom-heavy and shorten you.

8. Focus on showing off your back, arms and bust if you are bottom-heavy; this will distract the attention away from your bottom half.

Tips & Warnings

• Regardless of your body type and the attendant suggested dress styles, the most important thing is how a dress makes you feel. You will always be most comfortable and therefore look your best in a dress that makes you feel like a star.