If you are a bride who is beginning to shop for their wedding dress, you are probably thinking a lot about what type and style wedding dress you will want to wear or what style you want to try on at the bridal store. While you will ultimately have to decide what dress silhouette you like best on your body, such as a ball gown or mermaid style dress, there are other elements to keep in mind. You’ll also want to consider the style neckline that you are most drawn to. Perhaps you want to be a more modest bride and are looking for a wedding dress with long sleeves. Perhaps you are a bride who wants to show off your shoulders so you are looking for a strapless wedding dress.
Today we are going to be discussing a particular style of wedding dresses, those with strapless necklines and those with illusion necklines. Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with what an illusion neckline looks like as we will be sharing all the details you need to know before you begin wedding dress shopping. We’re going to share everything brides need to know about illusion neckline dresses and strapless bridal dresses.
Video: Wedding Dresses with Illusion Versus Strapless Necklines & Low Backs
If you are a bride ready to shop for your wedding dress and are curious about the different styles and necklines, don't miss our video all about wedding dresses with illusion versus strapless necklines and low backs.
What Is An Illusion Neckline?
At Lovella, we carry a lot of wedding dresses that have illusion necklines or illusion elements to them. An illusion neckline is just what it sounds like. A sheer netting or mesh style fabric is used in illusion style dresses to give the impression of the neckline. You might see these sheer panels with lace detailing and that gives the illusion that the lace is directly on the bride’s skin. Or perhaps it’s a nude or skin colored panel that gives a barely there look to certain elements of the dress. You could have a plunging neckline wedding dress that makes use of illusion lace to give a hint of more coverage. A sheer mesh could give the illusion of a backless wedding dress without actually showing off too much skin. Wedding dress designers use illusion elements in many aspects of bridal gowns.
Choosing to wear an illusion wedding gown will really be a personal preference. Some brides love wedding dresses with these details. Other brides don’t love illusion dresses because the illusion panels don’t always match the skin tone well or brides don’t like how it appears in photos and video. Another good reason to always take photos while trying on wedding dresses! Some bridal designers do offer the option to change the color of the illusion material to better match a bride’s skin tone, but it will rarely be a hundred percent match. Many illusion bridal dresses are very seamless, but you will just have to try one on to see if it suits your bridal style.
Strapless Wedding Dresses
If you have begun shopping for your wedding dress or looking at wedding dresses online for inspiration, you have probably noticed that there are many styles of wedding dresses with a strapless neckline. The beauty in a strapless neckline is that it can make the dress very versatile. A strap can always be added in the alterations process. You can add an off the shoulders style strap or choose to wear long gloves. You could even opt to wear a detached sleeve that has an elastic cuff at the top so you can freely move your arms or remove the sleeves to change your bridal look throughout wedding day. We love a lace bolero overtop a strapless gown for more modest coverage during the wedding ceremony and then removing the bolero for the reception. A strapless wedding dress just gives a bride a lot of versatility in their bridal styling and a lot of ways you can customize your dress and look on wedding day.
Low Back Wedding Dresses
A common way that illusion details are used in wedding dresses are on the back of the wedding dress. There are many bridal designers who will use illusion fabric on the back of wedding dresses in combination with a low back. You can certainly find wedding dresses that are completely open in the way without any fabric. One important thing to keep in mind with these styles of dresses is that they will offer less support. If you have a wedding dress with a low back completely cut out, there is nothing on the back of the dress to help hold you in. The front of these dresses won’t have as much shape. If you have a low back dress with an illusion panel, it will help cinch you in and give your body more shape.
We would recommend a low back with an illusion fabric to help offer more support. If you really want to go the open back route, another option could be a dress that has some ties on the back or even a beaded strap in a racerback style to help give a little support, particularly in the bodice area of the dress. This is another reason why strapless style wedding dresses are so popular. They give a really secure feeling of being held in and your dress won’t move around a lot. This is something that you will understand more as you try on wedding dresses. Be sure to try on the various styles and see how you feel in them as well as how you look in the mirror to get a true sense of the dresses.
Front Versus Back Of The Dress
Illusion panels in wedding dresses can come in many different fabrics. Some may just be a sheer mesh style fabric to give the illusion of not being there. Others may have a lace pattern or even sparkle details. This can add a bit more dimension to the wedding dress. And you might be thinking that the back of a wedding dress is a chance for some really intricate designs, especially because a lot of people will be seeing the back of a bride’s dress on wedding day. There will be some designers who use the back of a dress to add some extra embellishments, but when you are shopping for your wedding dress, the front of the dress is going to be more important.
Wedding guests might see a lot of the back of a bride’s dress, particularly as they are walking down the aisle, but it’s the front of the dress that’s going to live longer. The majority of the photos you will have after wedding day, particularly the ones that will get framed and passed down for generations, are going to be with your loved ones from the front. Of course you may have some bridal portraits showing off the back of your dress, but most of your wedding day photos are going to be taken from the front so that is the part of the dress you should pay the most attention to when wedding dress shopping.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found this advice helpful when it comes to know what an illusion wedding dress is and how they differ in style and wearability to strapless wedding dresses. For even more helpful advice when it comes to shopping for your dream wedding dress and finding your bridal style, be sure to check out our past posts:
- What Wedding Dress Style & Shape Should You Wear For Your Body Type
- How To Decide When You Are Stuck Between Two Wedding Dresses
- Tips To Consider Before Buying An Off The Shoulders Wedding Dress
- Wedding Dress Shopping Tips For The Newly Engaged Bride
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!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
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.
