Think your wedding dress has to be a Vera Wang extravaganza to look great on your big day? Well, think again. The most important choice you'll make about your wedding dress should not be the prominence of its designer or the trendiness of its cut but rather the style of the dress and choosing a style that suits your body shape is vital for looking your bridal best. With this in mind, we hit a bridal dress expert with our questions for the lowdown on what style suits what shape and what's in vogue in the world of bridal fashion.

Wedding Gown Styles:

The Apple
Contrary to what it suggests, having an apple figure doesn't mean you're overweight. Rather, this fruity label refers to a slightly rounded figure with hips, waist and shoulder widths of similar width, but set off by slim, toned arms and legs. "Women with apple figures tend to collect weight around the middle of their bodies, leaving the waist region a bit lost", says Marie Power, a Dublin-based bridal shop owner and designer. "A slim waist is the most feminine physical characteristic a woman can possess and on your wedding day, you want to look as womanly as possible."

Thus, choosing a dress that defines an apple's waist is a must. "A bodice worn with an A-line skirt - slim at the waist and flared at the bottom - is a popular choice for apples who need to pull themselves in around the middle", says Marie. "Choosing a bodice with a lot of detailing around the bust will promote that area well."

While all apples will look good in a bodice, those of super slim stature should make a bee-line for the bias cut. Superb figure-huggers, the bias cut clings to the hips and midriff, falling delicately across the body, lending it the label of 'a second skin.' "The bias cut is good for creating the illusion of shape. That said, you should avoid dresses with fish-tail skirts as these will not bring out the best in your figure."

While bias cuts are good for the apple, a longer-length dress like the ultra-straight column dress is an apple no-no. "It's hard to create definition between waist and hips with the column dress which is best suited to women with naturally slim waists."


The Hourglass
The hourglass figure is the closest thing to the perfect figure. Characterised by hips and shoulders of the same width and a well-defined waist, this body shape is synonymous with the classic Hollywood hot bod. Epitomised by the original queen of Hollywood, well-proportioned and voluptuous Marilyn Monroe, the hourglass figure has more recently been shown off by shapely Oscar-winner Kate Winslet. Topping a recent UK poll for 'Best Celebrity Body', it seems the size zero obsession of the noughties is slowly being replaced by a more natural, womanly curve as the Western body ideal. "The hourglass is the most proportioned of figure types", says Marie.

Those lucky enough to be blessed with such a 'perfect figure' will naturally be able to pull off anything. "This shape is by far the easiest to dress because virtually any style can be adapted to suit", says Marie. "You can choose to highlight your curves by wearing a fish-tail skirt which will show off your womanly shape to perfection. Alternatively, you can emphasise your bust area by wearing an empire-line top. You could also focus on your small waist region by wearing a well-fitted bodice."

But perfect people beware: while hourglasses may have a host of physical assets to highlight, less is more. "Women with hourglass figures have many different parts of their body worthy of flaunting but they should not be tempted to go overboard and highlight them all at the same time", warns Marie. "If you try to highlight your bust, curves and waist, rather than showing off your perfect figure, having too much going on in the design will simply take the attention away from your great shape. Avoid this at all costs by focusing on one of your assets alone."




The Pear
The pear is the most common body shape in a woman. Unfortunately, it's also the hardest to dress. Dominated by a large, voluptuous lower body with large hips and a pert posterior, the pear is shapely on the bottom with a noticeably smaller top half with small shoulders and a small bust.

"With curves on the bottom half, pear-shaped women often have a smaller bust and tend to carry any extra weight on their hips, bottom and thighs," says Marie.

But it's not all bad news. "They may not have the same shapely curves up top as they do on their bottom halves but pears are blessed with a beautifully slim torso and small waist, something many other shapes lack."

Of course that's cold comfort in an era where stick-thin rules. While the shape is proudly displayed around the Hollywood circuit by Latino ladies Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and more recently by the 'bootylicious' Beyonce, there's no hiding from the fact that most pear-shaped women want nothing but to hide their disproportioned figure. This desire for the perfect figure is all the more marked at the sound of wedding bells.

That perfect figure is not as elusive as pears may have thought however. With a little design know-how, the imbalanced pear can achieve the proportioned look. "Because the pear has a small bust, choosing a dress or corset with a lot of detail is ideal as it creates the illusion of curves", advises Marie. "And don't hide your shoulders. Pears almost always have a terrific slender shoulder area which should be accentuated by avoiding shawl-type accessories of any kind. Pears also tend to carry very little weight on their back so showing off that svelte area is a must. A plunging back on a simple halter or ball gown dress will ensure the attention is on your slender back."

While choosing couture that accentuates their slender top half is ideal for pears, it's important for pear-shaped women who aren't comfortable with their shape to deemphasise their lower body. "Pears are disproportionately bigger on the bottom so choosing something that hides that is important. Empire line skirts have an unstructured waist so that it falls in a straight line past the hips and into the skirt. This is good if you're trying to avoid clinging around the bottom area. Ball gown dresses skim over the hips and thighs too. Overall though, the perfect dress for this body shape overall is an A-line deep halter dress with a low back. This highlights all of your assets whilst hiding your apparent fla