If you’re a bride-to-be shopping for a wedding dress in Southern California or Los Angeles, one of the first decisions you will make is whether you prefer a fitted mermaid style wedding dress or a full ball gown style wedding dress. But how do you know which wedding dress silhouette is right for you? Let's talk about the two different silhouettes and see which ones is right for your wedding day!
At Lovella Bridal, a top luxury bridal boutique in Glendale and the Los Angeles area, we believe choosing your wedding dress silhouette is one of the most important first steps in the bridal shopping process. Before worrying about lace, beading, fabric, necklines, or other design details, discover which wedding dress shape makes you feel the most beautiful, confident, and bridal.
And you may be surprised by which wedding dress silhouette you ultimately love.
Watch the Video: Mermaid vs. Ball Gown Wedding Dress: Which One Is Right for You?
Should you show off your shape in a fitted mermaid wedding dress or embrace the fullness and drama of a ball gown wedding dress?
Watch our latest bridal fashion advice video as Nayri, Wedding Fashion Expert and bridal stylist at Lovella Bridal, explains why every bride should explore different wedding dress silhouettes before deciding which style is right for her.
You may walk into your bridal appointment convinced you know exactly which wedding dress silhouette you want, only to fall in love with something completely different once you see it on your body.
Start Your Wedding Dress Search With the Silhouette
When you begin wedding dress shopping, it can be tempting to immediately focus on all the beautiful details. You might already know you love lace wedding dresses, sparkling embellishments, clean fabrics, or a particular neckline.
But before diving into those details, start with the overall wedding dress silhouette.
Do you feel best showing off your shape in a fitted wedding dress? Or does the volume and presence of a ball gown wedding dress make you feel more like a bride?
Once you identify the wedding dress silhouette you love, you can begin narrowing down the fabrics, embellishments, lace, beading, and other design elements that make the bridal gown feel uniquely yours.
Can Any Body Type Wear a Fitted Mermaid Wedding Dress?
One of the biggest misconceptions brides can have about fitted wedding dresses is believing they do not have the right body for one.
At Lovella Bridal, we believe any body can wear a fitted wedding dress. It is about finding the right bridal gown that beautifully contours your individual shape.
Nayri has worked with brides who arrive at their bridal appointment convinced they cannot wear a fitted wedding dress because they feel self-conscious about their stomach or another area of their body. Then they try on the right fitted bridal gown and are shocked by how beautiful and confident they feel.
You cannot always predict how a wedding dress silhouette will make you feel until you actually put it on.
Feeling Beautiful in a Mermaid Wedding Dress Doesn't Mean You Have to Choose It
You can look incredible in a fitted wedding dress and still decide you want a ball gown wedding dress.
For some brides, it is not simply about which bridal gown is the most flattering. It is about which wedding dress silhouette creates the feeling they have imagined for their wedding day.
You may love the way a fitted wedding dress contours your body but feel more bridal when you see yourself in a full ball gown. That feeling matters.
Your wedding dress should make you feel beautiful and confident, but it should also make you excited to walk down the aisle and marry your person.
Why You Should Try Both Mermaid & Ball Gown Wedding Dresses
Even if you arrive at your bridal appointment with a strong preference, give yourself permission to try both wedding dress silhouettes.
Trying on different shapes gives you real information about what you like instead of relying on what you think will look good based on photos, inspiration, or assumptions about your body.
You might discover that the fitted wedding dress you were nervous about makes you feel incredibly confident. Or you might confirm that the volume and drama of a ball gown wedding dress gives you the bridal moment you have always envisioned.
The goal is not to determine which wedding dress silhouette is universally better. It is to discover which one feels best to you.
What If You Love Both a Mermaid & Ball Gown Wedding Dress?
Some brides face a completely different problem. They love themselves in both.
If you feel beautiful in a fitted wedding dress but also cannot imagine giving up the drama of a ball gown, you have options.
One option is choosing two wedding dresses and creating two completely different bridal looks. Another is choosing a fitted wedding dress with a removable overskirt.
A bridal overskirt can give you the fullness and drama of a ball gown while still allowing you to reveal the fitted wedding dress underneath later in the wedding day. You get to show off your shape and have that grand, full-skirt bridal moment without compromising between the two looks.
For more inspiration, check out our favorite wedding dresses with detachable overskirts that we carry here at Lovella.
You might also find our advice for choosing two different wedding dresses helpful, or our tips on how to decide between two different wedding dresses.
Consider the Cost of a Wedding Dress Overskirt
While a fitted wedding dress with an overskirt can give you the best of both silhouettes, there is another factor to consider: the price.
Adding an overskirt can make the total cost similar to purchasing two wedding dresses because you are essentially creating two complete bridal looks.
For the bride who truly loves both silhouettes and has room in her wedding dress budget, however, it can be a beautiful solution. You can enjoy the fullness of a ball gown wedding dress and the shape of a fitted wedding dress in one bridal look.
For more, you might find our advice about wedding dresses with detachable overskirts helpful.
Choose Your Wedding Dress Shape Before the Design & Neckline
Nayri recommends approaching the wedding dress shopping process in a specific order.
First, find your wedding dress silhouette. Decide whether you feel your best in a fitted wedding dress, ball gown, or another bridal shape.
Next, focus on the design. This is when you can explore lace, beading, embellishments, different fabrics, and the other details that define the aesthetic of your wedding dress.
Finally, consider your wedding dress neckline. As we shared in our guide to wedding dress necklines, there are many ways to customize and change a neckline with straps, sleeves, boleros, and other detachable bridal accessories.
Starting with the overall shape helps you focus on the biggest decision first and then refine your bridal look from there.
Mermaid vs. Ball Gown Wedding Dress: Which One Is Right for You?
There is no universal winner between a mermaid wedding dress and a ball gown wedding dress. The right bridal silhouette is the one that makes you feel the most beautiful, confident, bridal, and excited for your wedding day.
Do not rule out a fitted wedding dress because you are self-conscious about a certain area of your body. Do not choose a fitted wedding dress simply because everyone tells you that you look incredible in it if your heart is telling you that you feel more like a bride in a ball gown.
Try both wedding dress silhouettes and pay attention to how you feel in each one. You may immediately light up when you find the shape that feels like you.
And if you truly cannot choose between the two, a second wedding dress or removable overskirt may allow you to have both.
Wedding Dress Shopping Tips from Lovella Bridal Los Angeles
We hope this guide to the top wedding dress trends helps you feel inspired as you begin your bridal gown shopping journey. At Lovella Bridal, we share expert bridal styling advice to help brides feel confident and prepared every step of the way.
For more wedding dress inspiration and helpful tips, explore these related posts:
- How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Dress Silhouette
- What Brides Should Know Before Wedding Dress Alterations
- Unexpected Truths About Special Ordering A Wedding Dress
- What To Expect When Wedding Dress Shopping For The First Time
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
Meet Lovella’s Wedding Fashion Expert in Los Angeles
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
