I’m 5’2″, and I have a clothing line for petite women under 5’4″, so I know from not only my experiences but also thousands of my customers that finding the right wedding dress can be such a challenge!
Here’s a comprehensive guide I’ve put together for all the petite brides looking for their wedding gown. I used these tips and tricks to find my own gown- they are proven to work!
First let’s go over the best necklines.
Table of Contents
V neck
The V-neckline is just simply flattering for my dear petite brides out there simply because of how it opens up space in the upper half of the body visually. The way it forms a V shape also draws a continuous vertical line right at the center of your silhouette, making you look leaner and taller.
Apart from giving you the illusion of height, a well-constructed V-neck also allows you to showcase your beautiful décolletage to add elegance to your look.
Plunging neckline
Wearing a wedding dress that features a plunging neckline shares the same style principle of the V-neck. The key to a more elongated and streamlined frame is to go for a dress that has an open neckline just like the ones that are plunging.
Apart from drawing a flawless visual line that adds length to your frame, a plunging neckline creates a perfect opportunity for you to flaunt that gorgeous neckline. For those who’d love to show off their incredibly beautiful cleavage, this is your best choice, that’s for sure!
Sweetheart neck
The romantic touch of a sweetheart neckline is hard to resist! And if you’re looking into channeling a dainty and graceful look for your big day, you have to try on wedding dresses that have a sweetheart neck style.
This style traces the natural curve of your cleavage so this is also a gorgeous option for those who’d like to add more depth to their upper half, such as short brides who have smaller breasts of a less prominent upper body.
Off-the-shoulder
Now if you’d like to show more skin and showcase your modelesque shoulder line, an off-the-shoulder wedding dress is probably the best style to dress you up on your big day.
The way this flatters your frame is that the horizontal neckline visually broadens your upper body to make you look more proportionate and lean. This visual illusion can make you appear taller, plus it’s a nod to timeless elegance that adds a touch of sophistication to your bridal look.
High neck
Some brides stay away from high necklines because of the common misconception that they are optically constricting. Well, that is if you go for the wrong style! What I’d like to emphasize here is the combination of a high neckline and a sleeveless style.
In this look, you can see how the bride flaunts a high neck that can also be described as a halter neck. The way it covers the neck elongates the frame, while the open sleeves expose a prominent amount of the upper half so creating a dimensional and lean appearance.
Next, I’ll go over the 9 best wedding gown styles for short brides.
One key consideration for shorter brides is to look for bridal gowns with a silhouette that can elongate the legs and create the illusion of height. In the meantime, it is crucial that your gown should have an elevated waistline, because that can instantly optimize your body proportion and make your legs appear longer.
Here’s the top 9 most flattering styles for petite brides:
Mermaid
This is the most feminine style that flatters many different body shapes and works perfectly for petite brides. It hugs at the midsection and flares at the skirt like a fish tail.
For petite brides who want to ditch the ball gown wedding dresses but still are interested in a little bit of drama, the mermaid style will make you feel glamourous walking down the aisle and give you the moment of “red carpet” feel.
Mermaid style emphasizes bust and hip, so they are the best wedding dresses for petite brides who want to show off their feminine curves.
The flare skirt has moderate volume and will not overwhelm the petite frame of short brides.
Look for elevated waistline (i.e. above your natural waistline) so that your legs will look longer.
High slit
A wedding gown with a high slit is heaven-sent to petite brides!
First off, because wedding gown has a lot of extra fabrics, they are very easy to overwhelm someone who is already short. When your gown has a slit, it visually breaks up the coverage of the fabrics, which instantly create length in your dress.
Secondly, when you are posing or walking, showing a bit of your legs under your gown will immediately make you appear taller and leaner.
Trumpet
Trumpet style wedding dress is a close cousin to the mermaid style. Some wedding gown retailers may use these terms interchangeably.
This wedding gown silhouette has a fitted top and hugs your butt and thighs tightly, and then the train flares out, which is why it is similar to the shape of a trumpet.
Just like the mermaid shape, this kind of wedding gowns emphasizes your feminine curves, especially flattering for petite women with bigger busts and slender waist.
Column
This style is designed in such a way that the seam runs vertically from the shoulders down to the hips. They are meant to be one of the best wedding dresses for petite brides who love simple and minimalist design. Many brides love sheath dresses made from chiffon material because the drape of the fabrics really accentuates your figure and appears remarkable as you walk down the aisle.
Because most sheath wedding dresses are light weighted, they are perfect for outdoor weddings and especially destination weddings in a resort setting on the beach (they are so easy to pack and go and you will be ready for your big day!). If you are a petite bride with a nice figure, let the sheath dress hug your body instantly and show off your natural curve. Sheath wedding dresses also help butter up your figure and give you that long and lean silhouette needed by short brides.
A line
A line dresses are ideal for petite brides because they hug at your hips to accentuate your waistline of your body. Like the letter A, this style has the look of a tightened hip line that gradually broadens all through the ankle. This style a classic wedding dress suitable for a traditional ceremony at the church or a casual ceremony, and really, it works for any other types of wedding settings too.
If you are a petite plus-sized bride, A line dress will work especially well for you because it instantly crates a figured silhouette and emphasize your charming assets of the body. Now, if you are a short bride, keep in mind you want a simple A line, nothing that overwhelms your petite body frame like the exaggerated ball gown style (which also creates an A shape). The right A line dress will make you feel the most beautiful bride of the world without too many details or accessories.
Fit & Flare
This silhouette is most common for wedding dresses at knee length or midi length.
This works the best for a shorter brides because it is fitted on the top half, bringing focus to your chest and show off your legs.
If you are short, it is always a good idea to bring focus upwards instead of downwards.
Fit & flare is especially flattering for shorter brides who do not have a defined waist, because the flared skirt can create the illusion of a smaller waist.
Short Length
If you want to opt for something different than the traditional wedding gown, go for a short wedding dress. There are many wedding designers who now offer short style for your special day.
Short wedding dresses never disappoint petite girls- they are one of the most obvious choices on our list for best wedding dresses for petite brides. The reason is quite simple- they show off your bare legs and make you look taller. They are also simpler than other wedding dresses and will not look you are being worn by the dress.
With a short wedding dress, you can feel free to get the embellishments and laces you desire without having to worry you are over-accessorizing.
Short wedding dresses are suitable for petite brides who want to try something different. They are perfect for outdoor ceremonies, as it is so much easier to walk down the aisle without a train dragging on the grass! And of course, they are your best bet for a destination wedding as well, given how much smaller they are than full length wedding gowns which make it super easy to pack and care for during your trip.
Empire Waist
Empire waist is ahigh waistline that cuts horizontally across the body, just below the bust. This waistline gives a long, slender look and excellent fabric drape in the skirt and allows for short, inconspicuous shaping darts.
Empire style wedding gown is defined by the raised waistline which sits just below the bustfrom which the rest of the dress flows down to the hem. Skimming over the hips and tummy area, this silhouette isperfect for any short brides, and especially flattering for pear-shaped brides.
The high waist line followed by the skirt of the gown will create the perfect illusion of length and perfectly camouflage the heavy bottom of the pear shape.
The waist line design is essential no matter what kind of wedding dress you are getting for your big day.
In order to emphasize your waistline, you can also wear jeweled belt and ribbon on the fitted waistline makes you look slimmer and shaped.
Avoid Puffy Gowns
Ever since you were a little girl, you may have been dreaming about wearing a princess gown for your wedding.
Now here is the reality. Those big puffy ball gowns are not very flattering for petite brides. I knew that from first-hand experiences.
When I was shopping for my dress, I had my eyes set on those Vera Wang for David’s Bridal collection. So I went to David’s Bridal and tried on all the puffy gowns they had. None of them looked flattering on me.
The reason is simple: puffy gowns expand you horizontally.
If you are already short, anything too puffy will only make you look bigger and shorter than you are!
Avoid Train Too Long
For petite brides, it is key to choose the right length for your wedding dress. In general, you want you dress to be long enough to elongate your short frame, but you do not want it to be too long as to overwhelm you, either.
When the train is too long for your gown, it can draw too much attention downwards and make you look bottom-heavy.
Meanwhile, when the gown has too long a skirt train, it can also make it easy to trip when you are walking down the aisle.
Chi
Chi is 5’2″ founder of Petite Dressing, an online petite clothing store dedicated to women under 5’4″. Petite Dressing blog is here to help you understand yourself and look your best ever. If you are new, start here. Visit my Youtube Channel. Comment below and share your thoughts about this post!
