Body Shape and Bridesmaid Dresses

The main challenge with choosing bridesmaid dresses is in finding one that will make everybody happy. And by everybody, it means the bridesmaids, of course. After all, your bridesmaid will come in different shapes and sizes, lengths and likes!

It's a good thing then that you can choose to make your bridesmaids wear the same dress color albeit in varying styles to suit their body shapes. Here then are basic guidelines to match your bridesmaids' body shape with their dresses.

Full Figured

You have to choose bridesmaid dresses that are as simple as can be in terms of fabric embellishments like ruffles and fluff to achieve a slimming effect. If you must choose puffy skirts, balance the volume with a small shawl or shrug.

As much as possible, you have to steer clear of two-tone bridesmaid dresses because these will only shorten the silhouette and hence make your full-figured bridesmaid look more, well, full-figured. Styles like halters, empire waists, A-lines, crossover necklines and bias cut skirts are ideal to accentuate full figures while hiding the flaws.

And if your bridesmaid is worried about a wide waist, then you can always let her use a darker-colored sash to slim it down. Who says that your bridesmaids must look like clones of each other?

Pear Shape

For the pear-shaped bridesmaids, you can design bridesmaid dresses that downplay their biggest flaw, no pun intended, which are their largish hips. First, opt for halters since these necklines broaden the shoulders and, hence, provide the illusion of smaller hips.

Second, necklines with pretty details can distract attention away from heavy hips. Just make sure that said neckline complements the shape of the face.

Third, the skirts must either be A-line or subtly flared or pleated/gathered at the front/back. This way, the heavy bottom will not be emphasized. If possible, design the bridesmaid dress with a cinched waist to provide more definition.

Just make sure that you don't incorporate all these suggestion in one dress lest your bridesmaid appear confused, style-wise. Just choose one that you can both agree on.

Tall

You can opt for bridesmaid dresses that break the long lines of a tall bridesmaid. Pretty details at the hips and waist like sashes and belts will do the trick of providing definition between the torso and the lower limbs.

Depending on the bridesmaid's choice, she can either choose to wear a tea-length dress or a floor-length gown. Either one can highlight the desirable feature of a tall girl. Just make sure though that the other bridesmaids will look as tall as she is by allowing them to wear high heels. Well, except for a beach wedding, that is.

Petite

In this instance, you have to design bridesmaid dresses that will elongate the body. This can be achieved through short skirts preferably knee-length, sheaths and fitted dresses that provide an illusion of length, dropped waist bodices for longer-looking torsos and higher necklines.

Just make sure that your petite bridesmaid does not come dressed in floor-length dresses as she will surely look like a small child playing pretend party. Keep the dress short and you will make her look tall. And high heels do help!

Again, your bridesmaids don't have to wear identical clothes if they don't have similar body shapes. Your friendship is more important than wrangling over the prettiest design for her!

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