How to Choose a Wedding Dress Based on Your Body Type

You want to look your absolute best on your big day. And your wedding dress is such a big part of that. Before you head out wedding dress shopping to find a dress, it can be a good idea to understand a little more the various styles common to wear on your wedding day, so that finding the perfect wedding dress for your body type doesn’t overwhelm you.

Depending on whether you’re small-busted, pear-shaped, have the inverted triangle shape, an hourglass shape, or are a petite bride, you want to find a style of dress that reflects your personal style but also draws attention to your best assets. Many brides will choose to go with a classic ball gown style with a voluminous skirt, but this isn’t the best look for all body shapes. Finding a wedding dress style that highlights you at your best without overwhelming you is important.

There are plenty of sites out there with great wedding dress guides for body types. Below I’ve gathered up some of my favorites to help you learn the difference between a mermaid dress and A-line when you want a flaring skirt rather than a full skirt and who should look for a fitted bodice. You can use those guides to find a dress that makes you feel absolutely gorgeous on your special day.

It’s a good idea to get multiple recommendations from a few different places so you choose the best one for your specific frame. Here are some excellent resources for which type of dress looks best on which body type. These will definitely help you find a dress that fits your body and style, no matter if you like empire waists, gowns, have wider hips and thighs, a petite body, an hourglass shape, or an inverted triangle shape.

How to Choose a Wedding Dress Based on Your Body Type

1. Real Simple’s Guide

True to its name, this site keeps things nice and simple. With eight slides that are each tailored to a particular body type (hourglass shape, inverted triangle, tall, etc) you’ll be able to easily get the information you need to help choose your wedding gown. No drowning in overly long blog posts that aren’t specific to you.

Real Simple Wedding Dress Body Type Guide

2. Bridal Guide’s Guide

If you’re looking for something a little more visual, Bridal Guide shows you a few more pictures to help highlight which dresses they’re discussing. This is really helpful if you’re looking to create the illusion of a longer neck, slimmer waist and hips or anything else. You can see the dress shapes in action on real bodies to know if it’s going to work for you.

Bridal Guide Wedding Dress for Your Body Type

3. David’s Bridal Guide

Begin your search with people who know what they’re talking about: dress designers. David’s Bridal will help you work through the various options and then show you real dresses you can purchase helping to make the process seamless and actionable. It also includes modern favorites like separates and jumpsuits. Wedding dresses don’t have to be completely traditional!

David's Bridal Wedding Dress by Body Type Guide

4. TheKnot’s Guide

Taking visual to the next step, this site also includes a video to talk you through the various shapes. So, so helpful if you’re like me and get sick of reading long posts! You’ll also be able to see the dresses on people as they move to get a better feel for it. It also highlights what certain styles aren’t great for. For example, you might love sheath dresses, but will they suit your pear-shaped curves? The Knot has the need-to-know information for you.

TheKnot’s guide to best wedding dress by body type

5. Glamour’s Guide

If you want in-depth and lots of options, this is a great site. Diving into more than twenty different body shapes, Glamour has you covered. This will help you with finding the perfect wedding dress for your body type that fits all aspects of your body, such as wider hips and thighs or curvy and busty or tall and pear-shaped. No matter what assets you’re looking to highlight and minimize, you’ll find recommendations for your perfect dress.

Glamour’s wedding dress by body type guide

Finally, I’ve also gathered up some of the best information into one place for you to read over. I know that too much info can sometimes be overwhelming and can confuse more than it helps! So here is my take on what style of dresses suit different brides.

I think the most important thing to remember is that it’s more than just the shape of the dress as well. How you feel in your body and dress is more important. I’m sure you can think of women you know that have worn dresses that would be considered “incorrect” for their body type, but because they wore them with so much confidence, it didn’t matter. Their glow and energy were enough to shine through, no matter what they were wearing. So keep that in mind when you’re reading over all this information. Yes, if a dress style makes you feel great then you should embrace it. However, even if all the sites say you should wear a particular style and you hate it, please don’t wear it. Find something else that makes you feel incredible and gives you loads of confidence. This is your special day and you should feel on top of the world.