One of the biggest wedding dress fashion faux pas is to pick a dress style that doesn’t suit your body shape. You obviously want to look your best on your big day and finding the perfect style to flatter your body is the first step in choosing your dress before you decide on colours, materials, accessories etc.

First of all, work out your body shape:

Triangle – Actually more of an upside-down triangle, with wide shoulders and back but a much narrower waist and hip.

Pear – When you have hips that are wider than your shoulders and form a pear-shape.

Apple – Fuller bust and tummy, more voluptuous.

Hourglass – Equally sized bust and hips, with a defined inward curve at the waist.

Banana – Where your waist measurement is not vastly different to hips and bust.

Which dresses suit each shape?

Hourglass – If you have an hourglass shape then the mermaid or fishtail style dresses will accentuate your figure to perfection. Dresses that have corset backs also really suit the hourglass body shape. A sweetheart neckline suits this shape with a balanced bust and hips.

Apple – Go for straight dresses the flow down the waistline and lower necklines. Anyone with larger busts should avoid a high neckline and choosing a dress that has lot of detail on the upper body will keep the focus more on this part of the body.

Triangle – An A-line style will suit the triangle shape best, adding symmetry between the shoulder width and the lower body through the added shaping of the lower part of the dress. This is also the best option for streamlining silhouettes and gives a slimming effect.

Pear – Avoid dresses like the mermaid which emphasis your lower body. A-Line wedding dresses and dresses with fit and flare silhouettes work best with this body shape. Having more detail on the upper body is also a good way to highlight this body area more.

Banana – If you have a long and straight type of body shape then a halter-neck dress can provide some extra curves to the silhouette. If you are taller and have a smaller bust then a high neckline will be very flattering and add sophistication to the look.

Now that you have found the right dress shape for your body, you can start looking for your perfect dress in that style. At Wed4Less, we have a huge selection of dresses to match each body shape and our team of experts will be on hand to advise you on what style will suit you best. You can try on loads of different dresses in different styles to see which will give you your perfect silhouette. Visit our website or come into one of our outlets to get started with your wedding dress shopping.