Princess

Choosing Your Perfect Wedding Dress Silhouette

Il admit it: Even though there are, at last count, 4,386 reality shows that share the premise that fashion is the most important thing in the whole universe, I hadn really been paying attention.

So when I started shopping for my wedding dress, I had some catching up to do. My saleswoman started throwing new and faintly terrifying terms at me. I thought about just trying to fake it, but I became increasingly sure that if I said the wrong thing a trap door would open up under my feet and send me tumbling down a long, greasy Chute of Shame. At the bottom would be Anna Wintour, and Tyra Banks, waiting to confiscate my Girl Card.

I dove in with hand gestures instead: want it to sort of?go up here?And then maybe like this??The saleswoman cocked her head at me like the RCA dog and took a moment to consider pressing the silent alarm, then suggested I look through the racks a bit.

To save you from that particular slice of pre-wedding embarrassment, here a quick rundown of basic wedding dress silhouettes.

A-line

Youe probably worn an A-line dress at some point. (If you haven, give one a try! Theye flattering on just about any figure.) Some flare out gently from the shoulder, celebrity evening dresses creating kind of an overall letter A shape, and other versions flare out from the waist with a more fitted bodice. Either way, youl look terrific.

Ball gown

Youe seen these on most animated princesses. A ball gown has a closely fitted bodice, then poofs out into a very full, bell-shaped skirt that is usually floor-length. The waistline may dip down into a V, and may sit higher or lower on the hips, depending on your preference.

Ballerina

This is a less common wedding dress style, and youe probably already guessed how it looks. Like the ball gown, a ballerina dress has a fitted bodice and a skirt that poofs out from the waistline, but in this case there more of a tutu effect, with the skirt hitting about mid-calf. Youl be working with very light, floaty fabrics in lots and lots of layers, and there may be some petticoat action.

Bustle back

When seen from the side, this dress has an S-shaped silhouette that was popular from the 1890s through the 1910s or so, when folks liked to (demurely) emphasize the fact that Baby had back. Youl see either a big bow-style decoration or maybe even an extra bunch of fabric in back. Some women automatically freak at the idea of emphasizing the badonk, but I think bustles are classic and fun.

Empire

This confusingly named waistline actually starts just below the bust, and then the dress drops straight down, or close to it. Youe seen these in Jane Austen adaptations like Emma and Sense and Sensibility. Ie read alleged experts who say that empire dresses look best on slender women and others who say they look best on full-figured women. Me, I think they give all women a little-girl look, which may or may not be your bag. So forget the experts and just go by whether or not you like them.

Mermaid

A mermaid dress will give you a shapely silhouette without being inappropriately sexy for a wedding dress. The dress hugs your curves from your bust to your hips, then flares out at the knee to create a fishtail effect. (That looks way better than it sounds.) Mermaid dresses can be strikingly beautiful, but because they are fitted so closely, they may not be good for ceremonies in which you have to kneel. You may even have some trouble sitting down if your dress is very form-fitting, so consider changing into another outfit for your reception.

Princess

In this case, youe going for a grown-up princess instead of a Grimm. Think Grace Kelly. This dress is less close-fitting than a mermaid or sheath, but still follows your natural curves. The bodice has vertical panels of fabric and then the skirt flares out gently. This is an elegant style that brings out the inner stone-cold fox in most women.

Sheath

Like mermaid dresses, sheath dresses are very form-fitting. In this case, though, your guests get to see your feet as well as your curves. A sheath dress will be clingy from shoulder (or bust, if youe going strapless) to hem, with no flaring out. It looks like an evening gown ?one that really hugs your body, so make sure youe feeling bold. And, as with the mermaid, make sure youe not feeling like sitting down or kneeling.

Slip

This is an elegant style that is usually kept very simple. It a slinky fall of satin (or satiny material) that clings to your body. Slip dresses are often cut on a bias, with shoestring shoulder straps.

A final word on fashion xperts?br /> Ie seen a lot of expert commentary on how women should dress to look their best lately, and Il just say this: Many of these people are well-intentioned men and women who love, love, love women and their bodies.

But many of them aren.

Some love clothes but don like women, and some only like very tall skinny women, and some sincerely mean to love women but are carrying around great big laundry baskets full of issues, and some of them like to lash out at anyone who might be an easy target because they secretly don like themselves and being snarky reassures them that theye superior to somebody.

Some of them are people who just need to fill that magazine issue and sell some ads and are terrified of doing anything different from the last 117 issues lest someone else get mad or make fun of them. And some people just can stand it when not everyone conforms to their idea of what looks good.

My point is that you may want to take expert advice with a grain of salt, and maybe the whole shaker. Some fashion experts can be positive and wonderful, and some can really mess with your head, whether they mean to or not. By all means, read or watch them, but if youe starting to feel worse about yourself as you do, pull out. The most useful fashion experts are the ones who start with the premise that youe a babe and then work to help you become the most fabulous version of yourself.

And, in the end, your instincts trump them too. If a dress breaks all the rules but makes you feel absofreakinglutely amazing, that The One.

Good luck, Gorgeous. Happy shopping!

Color Accented Plus Size Wedding Dresses

The bride almost always wears white on the big day, but accent colors are very important too. Color accented plus size wedding dresses are excellent choices for curvy brides to be. Color is a great way to emphasize and showcase your best features and incorporate some personality into your dress. If youe interested in adding color to your dress, here are some helpful tips and guidelines.

Monochromatic Plus Size Wedding Dresses

Monochromatic plus size wedding dresses can create a longer, leaner silhouette. Plus it an easy look to coordinate with bridesmaids?gowns.

If youe worried that a monochromatic dress will look plain or one dimensional, experiment with sashes and ribbons in bold colors to break up the shapes. This is a great way to emphasize the narrowest part of your torso, generally right beneath your bust line.

You can also play with texture if your dress is monochromatic. Add a wisp of lace, or mix and match fabrics to complement your best attributes. Detailing like ribbing, scalloping and beading can also add character and interest to a single color dress. A good way to do this is with texture.

Plus Size Wedding Dress Accenting Colors

Curvy women are generally advised to only wear dark colors and vertical stripes. Keep in mind that this isn a hard and fast rule. It more important to find a dress that showcases and flatters voluptuous curves. Once you find a cut and style that does this, choosing accent colors will be a cinch.

When choosing the accent colors, body shape needs to be taken into account. As a general rule, incorporate darker hues where you carry most of your weight, and lighter colors where youe the narrowest. For example, if you carry most of your weight on the lower part of your body, choose a deeper shade for the skirt portion of the dress.

If this isn an option, look for dresses with empire waists or A-line cuts. These dresses cinch the ribcage just beneath the bust to emphasize the smallest part of the waist. To incorporate accent colors and make your waist appear even smaller, try tying a sash around the smallest part of your waist too. This is a simple, but elegant way to use rich colors and flatter your figure.

If your wedding dress is sleeveless or strapless, and you need a little bit of coverage for your upper arms and back, consider using a colorful shawl or scarf. Again, this is an ideal way to incorporate your wedding theme colors into your dress. Shawls and scarves made in flowing, delicate fabrics add a touch of romance and femininity to any dress.

Regardless of what size you are, you can incorporate color accents into your dress using accessories. Jewelry, shoes and even handbags can provide the perfect pop of color.

Colorful Plus yellow strapless dress Size Wedding Dresses

If you want to incorporate even more color into your wedding dress, you have endless options. Black is an elegant choice for many plus size brides. If you pair it with other outstanding colors or patterns it has the ability to lend an air of sophistication and style to any wedding dress. Consider adding long panels of black to your wedding dress to create a long silhouette. This is a great way to draw attention away from the midsection and make your waist appear smaller.

Apart from black you could consider chocolate browns as they are also quite slimming. Used as an accent color, chocolate brown can be paired with a host of other colors such as antique gold, ivory, taupe or dusky pink.

As a general rule of thumb, bright colors should be avoided near the midsection for most curvy brides. However, when used sparingly as an accent color they can make a high impact visual statement.

Lime greens, sun yellows, azure blues or bright oranges should be used very sparingly in plus size dresses. It best to incorporate these colors into the trim or to use them in scarves or shawls. When used with a dress that is constructed to flatter a voluptuous figure, these bright shades can be highly flattering. Bright summer colors are perhaps best picked up in accessories and accents.

Bright colors when paired with a predominantly white or off white wedding theme can make a wedding look and feel fresh and summery. But they should blend in rather than dominate a black sheath dress wedding theme.

Wedding dresses don have to be stark white. Plus size brides especially can benefit from incorporating color accents. By strategically choosing colors, shapes and patterns, you can create long, lean silhouettes and emphasize your finest attributes.