Congratulations! You are engaged! When the initial giddy euphoria wears off you will come to realise that you actually need to plan your wedding; the Guide can help with some tips, or you can engage the services of a professional wedding-planner to help guide you through the minefield that is Wedding Ettiquette - on the other hand you could ignore all the rules and do your own thing. One of the most exciting parts of your planning is deciding what you will wear on the big day and this entry aims to help brides-to-be with the bewildering choice of gowns they will soon be faced with. This Entry only deals with wedding dresses in the western tradition - other cultures have equally varied styles to choose from and indeed some brides are happy to take their inspiration from every source.
Think about the kind of neckline you want as this will draw attention to your upper body. Your bust, face, neck and shoulders can all be accentuated or downplayed by the shape of the top part of the dress. It helps to think about what you would normally choose for a going-out top ?do you often wear halter-, round- or V-necked wedding dresses?
Low round or scoop wedding dresses will suit most brides and do not give too much prominence to any particular feature, therefore will not detract from a pretty face.Halter wedding dresses looks best on a bride with great shoulders, but may look unbalanced on a woman with a large bust.
Queen Anne, or sweetheart wedding dresses have a heart-shaped line at the bust and are great if you want to discreetly display a bit of cleavage.
A V-neck can draw attention from a large bust as it guides the eye inwards and down the midline of the dress.
High Neck Wedding Dresses or slash-neck dresses will look best on a bride with a small bust and both are good if the bride doesn’t wish to show too much of her chest.
Square necklines will suit most brides, the shape is created where the neckline comes across in a straight line between the straps of the dress.
Strapless wedding dresses are very popular and may be straight across at the bust or may have a sweetheart shape. They suit most brides but may not be suitable if you are uncomfortable showing too much of your shoulders, chest or upper arms.
Asymmetric necklines, like one shoulder wedding dresses, where the dress has a single strap or irregular shaping are also becoming more popular in line with current fashion trends.
