In order to find the dress with a perfect fit, it is essential to understand what body shape you are. Choosing the cut which suits your body shape and flatters your figure will give you more confidence. Award winning bridal designer Sanyukta Shrestha gives her expertise on how you will find your dream dress:

Start with putting together a moodboard (eg. online on Pinterest) of the style and shape of dresses you like. You should start with your wedding dress search very early on (about 8 months in advance) in order to avoid rush-order fees.

A wedding dress should be ‘Beauty with comfort’. So you as a bride should follow your heart and not the trends! The perfect wedding dress is the one that reflects your personality, compliments your figure and most importantly, it’s the one you feel most comfortable in. So stay true to yourself and stick to the shapes you know work. You should feel beautiful and happy while you are wearing it.

The bridal entourage you bring to a dress appointment should be small, as everyone has a different taste and likes something else. This might be distracting from what you – the bride – wants and you would end up trying dresses you don’t like in order to please your entourage. Finding your dress would become stressful rather than a relaxed lifetime experience. So my advice is that you should only bring very few people who you trust to a bridal appointment as they will be able to give genuine feedback embracing your personality and emotions.

You need to understand that most of the time, the dream dress what you have seen on another bride and/or model would not necessarily flatter you as everyone is different and most commonly so are our body shapes and personalities. That is why I advise all brides-to-be to go into a bridal consultation with an open mind and try different styles in order to find the perfect shape to flatter.

Hourglass figure

Often seen as a body shape which can wear anything, as you have nothing to hide. It’s surely best to pick a dress that show off your best assets, highlighting your hourglass figure. Empire-line silhouettes and puffy gowns tend to hide your best bits.

Ellene Wedding Dress

Triangle shape

As you are wider on the top of your body with hips narrower than your shoulders, its best to break the eyes with sheer straps with V shape and softening neckline with sweet-heart-neck. The attention is on the center rather than letting the eye travel from one end to the other end of the shoulder making it seem even more wider. Use soft fabric and drape the fabric to emphasize the hip which would create a balance to the shoulder.

Rachel Wedding Gown

Apple shape

Apple shapes are more voluptuous body type with full breasts, a bit of a tummy and rounder hips. A soft corseted A-line dress with a dropped waist looks great as the structure of the gown holds your bust in the right place, skims your tummy and de-emphasizes your hips giving you a leaner look.

Alice Wedding Dress

Pear shape

As a pear shape, you are smaller on top with hips wider than your shoulders. Generally Princess style strapless dresses disguise fuller hips and put the focus on your better half, balancing your torso and bust. However, if you are a non-traditional bride who doesn’t like strapless princess gowns then go for wider open neckline with flutter or cap sleeves to add width to your shoulder giving the illusion of wider shoulders. A dress with a fitted waist accentuates your best bits and floatier princess cut on the bottom will disguise the hip to balance the top.

Grace Wedding Gown

Slim figure

Whether you are short or tall, if you have a straight figure with an undefined waist, a bias cut fishtail silk gown will flatter your slender shape creating a curvier silhouette. Delicate embroidery and beading in the right places can also highlight your best bits in a more subtle way.

Evelyn Wedding Dress

Petite figure

If you are 5’3” or under and you have got a tiny frame, then less is more. Clean, unbroken contours without too much fabric will elongate your figure. The empire style is perfect as it helps to make you look tall in a natural way. 

Sienna Wedding Gown

Tall figure

Tall brides with similar heights as models from 5’10” + should avoid empire line dresses. You would risk looking almost like a tower emphasizing your already long legs. Choose the gown which shows your waistline so it breaks the eyes mid-way. Full princess gowns with waist detail work very well but if you are a fashion forward bride, horizontal layered dresses are a perfect choice.

Lake Wedding Dress

If you would like to book a free bridal appointment with the designer herself, please call us on 0207 385 9927 and Sanyukta will help you finding your dream dress. You can also make an appointment request online.