Wedding Dress Styles: How to Choose the Best One

To think about choosing which wedding dress for your NJ shore, historical, country club, or ballroom wedding reception among the many, many wedding dress choices offered by NJ bridal vendors, can be overwhelming. There are steps you can take before you do the acutal shopping for your NJ wedding dress.

1. Take a good look at yourself in a full length mirror. What are your assets…what are not? What would you want to accent? What would you want to camouflage?
2. Now think about your evening dress wardrobe. Which styles have been the most fattering for your figure? What were you wearing when you received flattering compliments?
3. Look through the many wedding gown catalogs and online bridal attire websites with your maid of honor and others you trust. Ask their opinions on which wedding dress styles they think would look the best on you.
4. Take into consideration the season you will marry in. What would be the warmest and coldest temperatures…what style would feel the most comfortable under those conditions?
5. Speaking of comfort, remember to raise your arms as if you were dancing close with your new husband. Make sure there is enough room and that your dress, if strapless, won’t slip down.
6. Ask recent brides to recommend New Jersey wedding dress vendors that are known for their expertise in helping brides find the perfect style and dependable quality of service. The sales associates should have an extensive understanding of figure types and which styles look the best.
7. If you feel you need professional advice to achieve the look you imagine for yourself, hire a professional image consultant.

Your goal is to look exquisite in your wedding dress…to turn everyone’s head…especially the groom’s.

Wedding Dress Neckline Styles

Flattering, stylish neckline styles are important if you would like to draw attention up and away from your not so flattering waistline. Higher necklines are for brides who consider themselves more modest or with smaller busts. Lower necklines are appropriate for more formal evening wedding gowns. Showing lots of cleavage - not appropriate for any wedding unless you are in Hollywood.

• Off the shoulder: any neckline that leaves shoulders bare.
• On the shoulder: any neckline that covers shoulders.
• Bateau: little to no “scoop,” often accompanied with a high back, can also have a low or bare back.
• Halter: sleeveless style leaves the shoulders bare, neckline circles the neck, often leaving the back bare also.
• Portrait: frames the face, off the shoulder style, usually has a design at the center.
• Queen Anne: similar to the sweetheart neckline, extended back creates a diamond shape neckline.
• Scoop: dips to a “U” shape, often both front and back.
• Square: similar to a scoop, this neckline dips into a square shaped opening.
• Sweetheart: often off the shoulder, this neckline dips in front creating a heart-shaped opening.
• V-Neck: dips in the front, and sometimes the back creating a “V” shape.

Wedding Dress Skirts

How formal do you want your wedding dress? A floor length gown is more formal, but if you prefer a tea length or an even shorter length - that’s up to you. Your gown should fit not only your figure, but also your personality. Victorian? Sophisticated? Princess like? Sparkly? Simply chic? Which personality will your gown reflect? Do you want to bustle your train? Will it hide, flatter, or accentuate that lower, back portion of your body. There are several ways you can bustle your gown, which we suggest you consider before you make the final decision as to which wedding dress your will where on your NJ wedding day.

• Ballgown (or Full Skirt): full and flares out from the waist, often keeps it shape with the aid of a crinoline (an underskirt or slip made of stiff netting), may have long train to be bustled or held up with a wrist loop; hides hips yet gives narrow hips a curvy look.
• Fishtail or Mermaid: hugs the body until it reaches the knees or just below and then ends in a dramatic flare, (above the knees allows for freeer dance movement and is more popular at this time), may have detachable train; more suitable for trimmer figures.
• Tea-length: less formal, usually with little to no flare, ends a few inches above the ankles; popular for NJ beach weddings.
• A-line or Princess: A-line, starts to flare out just below the natural waist; flattering to just about every shape camouflaging the bottom; gives illusion of height; works well for full-figure brides because heavier fabrics won’t cling; popular for NJ shore beach weddings.
• Sheath: narrow, straight flattering - popular for New Jersey shore weddings because it is less confining and requires less undergarments allowing for more air flow on New Jersey’s warm, summer evenings.

Wedding Dress Sleeve Styles

Some NJ wedding dresses come with optional sleeves, detachable sleeves, thin or wider shoulder straps, or halter strap. Your NJ bridal shop will work with you to give you sleeves or straps that will be most comfortable during your busy wedding day. Cap sleeves might be less flattering to the larger upper arm, and the long sleeve is more flattering, but much warmer and confining. The loser, short or 3/4 sleeve are the most flattering, yet less sophisticated in style. A long sleeve draws less attention to the wider middle of the body, too, since there will be little contrast between arm and waist with them both the same color. (If you prefer the more sophisticated cap sleeve or strapless, it might be the incentive you’ve needed to hit the gym and tone the arms.)

• Cap: short, close fitting, long enough to just cover the shoulders; popular for NJ shore summer weddings.
• Fitted: long, (to the wrist) and fitted, hugging the arms; suitable for NJ winter weddings.
• Short or 3/4: roomier and longer than the Cap sleeve, reaching slightly more than half way to the elbow; popular for NJ spring shore weddings.
• Strapless: no sleeves and very sexy, not flattering to broad shoulders.

Wedding Dress Waist Styles

Wedding dresses may help pull in your waistline, but be sure you can breath - unlike the Victorian corsets. If you have a flattering waistline, choose a wedding dress style that accentuates it. If you don’t, your NJ bridal shop assistant will help you find one that flatters your best features.

• Basque: dropped waist starts at or just below the natural waistline, and dips in the center creating a “V” shape, elongates the torso, gives the tummy a flattened look - which is good.
• Dropped: any waistline that falls below the natural waist; actual location of the waistline varies with the style gown.
• Empire: begins just below the bust, flatters the smaller bust, and flows over a thicker waist, usually with square neckline.
• Natural: sits at the natural waist.

Wedding Dress Train Styles

Trains are designed to match each gown, some are detachable others are not. Be sure to ask your NJ bridal dress vendor to suggest the most flattering bustle styles for each train.

• Royal: formal train is the longest style, extending approximately 3 yards from the waist.
• Cathedral: formal train extends approximately 2 and a half yards from the waist.
• Chapel: formal train extends approximately 4 feet from the waist.
• Sweep: extends only a few inches longer than the gown, barely “sweeps” the floor.
• Watteau: attaches at the shoulders.