Selecting Your Wedding Dress Style

Brides, you put a lot of thought into finding your perfect wedding dress.

We want to help make your selection of a wedding dress easier for you. Prior to shopping for your wedding dress, you should know something about the basic parts of a wedding dress, the traditional styles, and the terminology that is used.

Wedding dresses are usually described in five different parts. The basic parts of a wedding dress are the silhouette, bodice, neckline, sleeves and train.

1. Wedding Dress Silhoutte - the basic shape of the wedding gown is called the silhoutte and there are five traditional styles.

A-line or princess has vertical seams that flow from the shoulders down to a flared skirt, which creates an A shape.

Ball gown has a fitted bodice and a wasitline that leads to a full skirt.

Empire has a high waistline that is located right under the bust and falls to a slimmer skirt.

Mermaid is form fitting at the top to the sheath and then flows our around the knees.

Sheath is a slim sheath that creates a form-fitting look that follows the contours of your body.

2. Wedding Dress Bodice - The bodice is the body of the wedding gown which is the section between the neckline and skirt. There are seven traditional bodice styles.

Corset is a tight, form fitting bodice that has boning and snap or lace-up closures.

Empire bodice ends below the bust and flares into a full skirt. This style works with almost all body types.

Halter is a sleeveless sexy bodice that wraps around the neck and is sometimes backless.

Midriff fits close around the mid-rib cage and is great for small waists.

Princess-line is a sleek bodice that has two vertical seams that travel from the bust to the hem. This bodice is great at slimming and makes you look taller.

Surplice cross-wraps the fabric that is either in the back or the front.

Tank is a short top with wide armholes and no sleeves.

3. Wedding Dress Neckline - The neckline of your wedding dress will be one of the most prominent feature of your wedding dress in your wedding photos. Your selection of a beautiful neckline will make for a beautiful wedding dress.

Halter style wraps around the back or your neck which creates deep armholes. When matched with a backless style, you can create a very fun and sexy look.

Jewel neckline is also known as the T-shirt neckline which is round and lies at the base of your throat. This style is known for giving you a more busty look.

Off-the-shoulder neckline will sit below your shoulders and exposes your shoulders and collar bone, while your sleeves cover a portion of your upper arm.

Portrait is similar to the off-the-shoulder neckline except there is more fabric covering your shoulders. This neckline forms a soft, wide scoop from one shoulder to the other.

Sabrina or Bateau neckline that is cut straight across following the curve of your collar bone. You can use this neckline with or without sleeves.

Scoop this is a classic U-shaped neckline that will sometimes continue onto the back of the wedding dress. This style looks good on most all body types and you can always raise or lower the scoop depending on your shyness.

Sweetheart has a shape like the top of a heart and is a great look on women with larger busts.

V-neck dips into the form of a V in the front of the dress. This look does de-emphasize your busline, and is good for B and C cups.

4. Wedding Dress Sleeves - The design of wedding dress sleeves can depend on if you want your arms to show, and if so, how much.

Cap sleeves are more rounded, shorter that the T-shirt sleeve, showing more of your upper arm. If you have well-toned upper arms that are fairly slender, these sleeves will look good on you.

Off-the-shoulder sleeves leave your shoulders exposed, but cover the upper portion of your arm.

Sleevless wedding gowns are very popular today. There aren't any straps and strapless gowns work great for many different body types.

Spaghetti straps have skinny straps with no sleeves. If you don't want your arms to show, this isn't the look for you.

Three-quarter length sleeves are the traditional elegant look which have the sleeves ending between your elbow and your wrist. A great sleeve for weddings during cool weather.

T-Shirt sleeves cover the upper part of your arms just like a T-shirt does.

5. Wedding Dress Train - The train of your wedding gown completes the look of your dress. Your wedding style and theme will somewhat dictate the type of wedding dress train you will select.

Cathedral trains are considered wonderful for formal weddings and extend back about 7 feet from your waist.

Chapel trains are shorter than the cathedral trains and extend about 5 feet from your waist.

Court train extends about 3 feet from your waist and can be used in most of the wedding ceremonies.

Royal train is the most formal and longest wedding dress train and extends more than 10 feet from your waist. The royal trains definitely make a statement and are commonly used in the royal weddings.

Sweep trains are the shortest and just barely touch the ground. It can be worn at almost any type of wedding ceremony.

Watteau are a single panel that attaches to the top of your dress and can fall to the length of your dress or it can also extend beyond your dress in a more formal style.