How to Choose a Wedding Dress
Tips on How to Choose a Wedding Dress
Do you remember the famous line from Four Weddings and a Funeral? “Scarlet, you’re blind. She looks like a big meringue!” Whatever style you like—and I’m sure some of you have dreamed of your perfect dress since you were a little girl—wedding dresses are the item most people have an opinion about. But really, any good wedding photographer will tell you that it’s not about what other people think. It’s about what you feel comfortable in. And this article isn’t about our personal taste or what we think the best dress is for you. It simply deals with making sure you get the dress that suits you best, and makes you look best in your wedding photos, whilst respecting YOUR personal taste and being the dress you dreamed about.
When you were choosing your engagement ring—if you had a say in it—you likely found that the possibilities are endless, but what matters most is that it speaks to you, your personality, who you are, and what you want to remember. Our concern is to make certain that you’re comfortable so that you and your dress will photograph superbly at your Mexican destination wedding, where no matter what, you and your dress will be the stars of the show.
The fit is Everything. And That Means it Has to Fit YOU.
When it comes to choosing the right dress, we want you to get one that fits and suits YOUR body type. Our advice is to go into a high-end bridal store and ask them to fit you for your body type. Have them select dresses that they suggest will look good on your body shape, frame, and that meet your style needs. Don’t worry about the price. As your Cancun wedding photographers, we’re telling you that you don’t have to buy your dress there! Once you’ve found some styles that work, take photographs of yourself in them and go looking for cheaper alternatives of the same style.
Thoughts on How to Look at Yourself when trying on Dress’s
When you have a wedding dress on stand with both feet facing the mirror, so you can see all 10 of your toes head on. Then, take your right foot and place it behind your left foot to form a “T” shape. Then turn your shoulders a little more to the mirror. You should stand in this stance with EVERY dress you try on! This creates the same angle that we will use in your photos to help you keep your posture and create a slimming effect of your waist in your photos. And one more thing, you’re barefoot when doing this, so pop those girls and your butt a little, keep those shoulders back and make sure the dress in complementing your figure.
Don’t forget, black has a slimming effect, but white does the opposite, so it’s important that your dress allows you to create slimming effects just by changing your pose. If your dress and posing can’t work together to create that effect, you could end up looking like the dreaded meringue.
Again, don’t forget to try on your dress both with and without shoes. Bear in mind that when you are on the beach, you won’t be wearing heels. Ooops…that probably caused a little frowny face! We know that heels are really a miraculous invention for women’s figures. They push out your bust and push up your bottom, creating curves in all the right places. Removing them unfortunately removes all that awesome curvature, but by standing in the “T” position and by ‘popping’ it a little you can bring them back!
Summary of Tips on How to Choose a Wedding Dress
Our goal with this and all our articles on this site is to make your life easier and make sure you look amazing on your wedding day. Here are a few tips on how to choose a wedding dress.
Get a dress that won’t leave you roasting in the heat. You’re having your wedding on a beach. You should choose fabrics appropriate to the location. There are many stunning beach wedding dresses on the market. If you’re planning your wedding far in advance, go after the sales on summer wedding dresses that happen in the Fall and Winter months. Avoid dresses with sleeves.
In the run-up to your wedding day avoid tops that may leave you with strange tan lines. We had one bride who ran a marathon TWO MONTHS before her wedding day in a racerback top and she was unable to get rid of her tan lines by the day of the wedding. She was wearing a strapless, backless dress. Needless to say, it made for some interesting photographs. And yes, something like this can be fixed in photoshop, but your friends are not going to fix their photos in photoshop before posting them on Facebook.
Get your dress hemmed early on and get used to wearing it that way. Once you take off your shoes, you don’t want to be tripping on your dress. If you don’t like the idea of your feet poking out later on while you’re dancing, choose a dress with a floating skirt that stays away from your tootsies.
Bustle bustle bustle! If you’re choosing a long wedding dress, please ask your alterations specialist to add the means for a bustle! It’s a way to pull up your dress in a fashionable way that will keep it away from your feet. Don’t understand? Don’t worry! Dean is a bustle expert (yes, a MAN is a bustle expert). He recommends a French bustle, which relies on a ribbon and bow tie rather than a hook or button loop. Hook and button loops can break because they’re very dainty but a ribbon tie is more stable.
We know that choosing a wedding dress for your Mexican destination wedding can be as difficult as finding a man to marry! But what’s important is to remember that you get the best possible wedding photos when you choose a wedding dress that is as unique as you and your wedding. There will be one that is perfect for you and makes you look like the best and most beautiful version of yourself. All brides are beautiful. Ultimately, it’s not about the dress but the happiness that shines through as you walk down the aisle to someone you love.
If you have any other questions about dresses, bustling, or the beach, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here for you!
Written by Hanna for Dean Sanderson