@}-The Season Of Love Is In Full Bloom-{@

As we all know wedding season is in full bloom, and I wanted to give the full figured brides and bridesmaids out there some hints about choosing the perfect dress for your special occasion. Unlike our slender counterparts, it is hard to find a dress that makes us look and feel amazing. It seems that the fashion industry really just wants us to (A.) Go away, and (B.) Only wear a moo mo. I have thought about what I would want my wedding to be like ever since I was a very young girl, and the color white has NO PART OF IT! The color white is a very unforgiving color on me, so I have always wanted to go with a champagne color for my dress. The style though is something that has had me stumped. So first you need to figure out what type of body shape that you have. 

  I am a Apple shape myself, which means that I carry most of my weight in my middle section of my body. I have found there are about 4 different dress styles that look good on my figure. First is the "V Neck," it draws attention away my shoulders and towards my bustline. Most of the time women with a Apple shaped body have shapely busts, so be sure to wear a really well fitted bra that will show off your busts to the best advantage. I suggest getting measured to make sure you get the correct size, most stores will do this for you if you ask!

 The second style is The Empire Waistline. These dresses will emphasize the bust, since we want to draw attention away from our midsection. The dress will fall in a straight line from the bust to hide the midsection, and have a slimming effect. 

Third would be dresses with full skirts, also know as the A Line. The key with a full skirt is to make sure that it isn't to loose or they will look baggy. Choose a dress with the skirt that is tight enough to give your figure a shapely appearance, but that is loose enough so that the fabric isn't skin tight. If it is to tight it will make you look much larger, and that is exactly the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

The fourth and final style is a dress that is a solid color, or one with a small print. (This is mainly for bridesmaids dresses!) I do not look good in bright colored, or large prints that are multicolor. Darker colors help slim my figure, such as black, burgundy, royal purple, and navy blue. Soft pastel colors though can also have a slimming effect. I prefer not to show my lower legs, so when I find long flowing dresses that are pastel I have to try them on! 

 
Now brides this part is for you only. When you are choosing your bridesmaids dresses keep everyone's body in mind. What will look great on one woman, will not look good on another. So with that in mind, why not pick a color and material that your want the dresses to be, but allow the women pick their dresses out? This has become a popular idea lately. Before it was that everyone wear the same exact dress and most of the time you had pictures like this...

 Instead of something great like this...