What to Look for When Shopping for a Gown

Hopefully, you will be greeted by friendly, helpful and knowledgeable salespeople, however, "doing your homework" ahead of time can relieve some of the stress. You want to be able to enjoy this time with your friend and/or family member who participates with you in your dress shopping and not be a confused and frustrated bride.


"What style looks best on me? What kind of body shape do I have?"


If you know ahead of time, you'll know what dress style to try on first. See below to find the dress style best suited to your figure:


Triangle (smaller bust, bigger hip): Fitted bodice, embellished with lace, beading, etc..skirts should not be full or heavily embellished.


Inverted Triangle (broader shoulders and larger bust, small hip): Simple bodice-minimal embellishment, full skirts with train.


Rectangle (long and narrow body shape-bust, waist and hip nearly all the same size): A high waist or empire style for bodice, with full skirt.


Hourglass body shapes (bust and hip nearly same measurement with smaller waist): Hourglass shape:a dropped or "Basque" waist, A-line, "classical"


looks.


"Ivory? White? What shade? "


Many brides friend that white tends to give them a "washed out" look, but the best way to tell ahead of time it to stop by your local fabric store and take some bolts of fabric and drape each one across you holding it near your face. You will find lots of shades of white, ivory and other colors. This is also a good time to go up and down the aisles and "feel" the fabric. Look at


the end of the bolt to see what kind of fabric it is. Is it: Silk? Crepe? Satin? Chiffon? Organza? Visiting your local fabric store will help you attain knowledge about shades and textures and give you more confidence when talking with a seamstress or a salon salesperson.