5 Most Popular Wedding Dress Silhouettes

Don’t know which type of gown to wear for your big day? If you’re not familiar with popular wedding dress styles, it can be difficult to know what to look for. As you shop, you’ll want to consider your own personal style, the theme of your wedding, and the accessories you’ll be wearing.

But there’s one other thing you should think about: the silhouette of your dress. A wedding dress silhouette refers to the overall shape the dress creates as it hugs your body. The way your dress fits can play a big part in the way you look and feel on your wedding day.

So, let’s go over some of the most popular wedding dress shapes. That way, you can decide which one is best for your body type.

5 Most Popular Wedding Dresses

1. Princess Ballgown

When it comes to wedding dress silhouettes, the princess ballgown is the most traditional. This gorgeous silhouette hugs the body at the waist and dramatically flares out, creating a look reminiscent of a princess in a fairytale. So, if you want to feel like a princess and would love a dress that flatters all body types, then the princess ballgown is the style for you.

2. A-Line Gown

While not as traditional as the princess ballgown, the a-line wedding dress is very popular. Like a ballgown, an a-line gown cinches in the waist. However, the skirt flares out more sharply, in a triangular shape, rather than a round shape. This gives the appearance of a capital A, hence, the name “a-line”.

An a-line gown is great for balancing out broad shoulders and creating an illusion of height. A-line silhouettes also look great on pear-shaped body types because they draw attention to the upper body, while slimming down the lower half.

3. Mermaid

The mermaid style is another popular wedding dress silhouette. If you’ve never seen a mermaid dress before, just picture a real mermaid in your head. They normally wear a costume that’s so tight all the way down to the knees that makes it hard for them to walk, but sexy nonetheless.
The mermaid gown is similar in that it’s fitted through the bust, waist, and hips. Then, it dramatically flares out at the knee. This creates a mermaid-tail effect that hugs all your curves and elongates the bodice area.

But even though mermaid gowns are fitted, they still give you plenty of room at the bottom to move around in. So, they’re not constricting like the costumes in the fairytales.

Mermaid silhouettes fit a wide range of body shapes. For example, these gowns are perfect for brides with an hourglass shape who have a narrow waist, with shoulders and hips of equal width.

Mermaid dresses also look great on brides with broader shoulders (shoulders wider than hips) and a rectangular body shape (shoulders, hips, and waist of equal length). A mermaid wedding dress is universally flattering because it creates shape and draws attention to a cinched waist and a curved silhouette.

4. Trumpet

Like the mermaid silhouette, a trumpet gown emphasizes the waist and hips. However, they differ because the trumpet silhouette doesn’t have the constrictive narrowing of the knees. Instead, the skirt flares around the thigh, creating a more straight bodice. In other words, the lower half of the dress is more flowy and loose, which creates more freedom of movement.

The overall effect mimics the shape of a trumpet horn, highlighting your figure, but not as dramatically as a mermaid-style gown.

A trumpet silhouette is ideal for more slender frames and hourglass body types. Brides who want to flaunt their curves, but don’t mind a more loose fit go for the trumpet wedding dress.

5. Fit-n-Flare

A fit-n-flare silhouette offers the same effect as an a-line, only their waist is more defined and they’re roomier in the skirt. Another difference is that a fit-n-flare wedding dress hugs your curves more because it flares out mid-thigh or lower, offering an overall fitted look.

Fit-n-flare wedding dresses look stunning on many body types. Whether you have curves or are more petite, a fit-n-flare dress will look great on you because the silhouette mimics the hourglass shape.

Get Glammed for Your Big Day With an Amarra Wedding Dress

So, now that you’re familiar with the common wedding dress silhouettes, you can make a more informed decision on which one to wear for your special day. Don’t know where to look? Shop with Amarra. We have plenty of wedding dresses for you to choose from, with gorgeous styles you’re sure to love. Need more wedding dress inspo? Follow us on Instagram.