One of the most exhilarating elements of planning your wedding is selecting what you will wear on the big day. It is therefore a good idea to take your mother or a trusted friend along with you for an honest opinion. Here are some guidelines to help you choose the perfect wedding dress.

          Take Into Account Your Wedding Style:

     Formal: A floor-length dress in ivory, white, cream or champagne, with gloves and a train will create an ambiance of pure elegance!
     Semi-Formal: Pastels, a floor-brushing (ballerina) length gown, a short veil and no train work best together in this type of setting.
     Casual: Any length dress works well in this setting. Another option would be a two-piece suit corresponding with a classic pillbox style hat.

          Accentuate Your Physique

     Try on several wedding dress shapes and types. There are many different dresses, but by picking from a broad array of styles (A-line, princess, ball gown, sheath and empire waist), you will get a feel for which type of dress works best with your physique. Check to be certain that you can move around in a flowing rhythm in your selection, as well as being able to sit, turn, and bend comfortably. also, keep in mind the photography shoot, that you will be hugging guests, reaching out to gesture, gather and give, and will be bending over to speak to children and those seated. A dress that is too tight or too warm would make these things difficult and awkward. It is essential to realize that comfort and confidence are paramount in order for you special day to meet your desires.
     If you are of small build (petite or short), it would be best to avoid straight, slim gowns that leave little to the imagination. If you like custom-fitted gowns, a mermaid skirt would work best for you as well.
     If you have an hourglass figure, balance is essential. Try to even out your upper body with your lower body to avoid coming across as being top or bottom-heavy. A strapless or V-neck top with an A-line skirt usually works best with your physique. If you have a pear-shaped figure, it is best to avoid straight-cut and bias-cut gowns.
     Your perfect wedding dress will be one that minimizes what you want to hide, and accentuates your best features.
     Also, avoid trends or fads when selecting a wedding dress. This is your special day, and should be remembered as such for many years to come. As such, choose a gown that you feel and look great in, not one that a magazine or television show tells you would look good on you because everyone in Hollywood is wearing the same design to their weddings. This is your wedding day: your special day to shine, not theirs. Also, as most of us can remember about parachute pants and mullet haircuts, today’s concepts may turn out to be tomorrow’s mockeries. Parachute pants poses don’t usually make it to mom and dad’s fireplace mantle: wedding photos usually do.

          Flatter Your Skin Color

     While a white wedding gown is not mandatory, dress color does count. Choose a wedding gown that compliments the style of your wedding and your body shape, not one that conflicts with such. For example, if you are full-figured, it would be to your best interest to avoid bold colors.
     There is a growing movement away from the traditional white wedding gown. Today more brides are wearing non-white dresses. Part of the reason why, is that very few brides have a skin color that works well with a pure white wedding gown. If your skin color conflicts with the traditional pure white wedding dress, it can make you look overly powdery and pale, which can ruin your whole outlook on your wedding as well as create uncomfortable emotions in others. Ivory, off-white, various cream colors and champagne tend to work much better with most skin tones. Deep reds (such as burgundy) are becoming more popular, and likewise, more women are opting for soft pastels such as lavender, pink and lilac, and various shades of light gold or cream. What is essential is that regardless of what your favorite color is, the detail must be kept to a minimum, and that the goal is to find a color that works well with your skin tone.

          Keep the Seasons In Mind

     Wedding gowns come in many types of materials, from very light fabrics such as crepe and chiffon, to moderate silks and satins, to heavy brocades. Comfort is essential when selecting a wedding gown, and a large part of comfort is body temperature. Too much material for the season will make you look - or at the very least, make you feel - sweaty and clammy. Avoid heavy fabrics if you are planning a summer wedding or to get married in a warm climate. Likewise, Crepe and chiffon do little to make you feel warm inside in the middle of the winter in New York, for example.
     The use of embroidery and beading is gaining in popularity, as such have the ability to not only add color and character to a gown, but they also can draw attention away from some areas and towards other areas.

          Your Ideal Neckline

     The neckline of your gown has the task of drawing attention to your upper body. It also has the ability to accentuate or divert attention from different areas of your body depending on your body type and how you feel about those areas. Those areas include your face, breasts, shoulders and neck itself. The neckline is likewise dependant upon you gown’s top portion in order to create the overall image you are attempting to achieve.
     For the most part, a combination of a low round or scooped top and a square necklines works well for most brides, as these combinations create a neutral effect that neither draws attention to any individual feature, nor detracts attention away from your face.
     Strapless heart-shaped and square-shaped gowns work well with shapely brides, and have become very fashionable, so long as you are comfortable with the way your shoulders, upper arms and chest appear.
     Asymmetric necklines are likewise becoming increasing popular due to their ability to are also very flattering as they help deflect attention away from problem areas such as the hips. An asymmetric neckline is one which drapes in an irregular order, or consists of just one strap.
     Halter tops work very well with brides whom have broad or large Shoulders. However, halter tops tend to give women with large busts an appearance of disproportion.
     V-necks work best with big breasted women, as they draw the eye to the midline of the dress, away from the busts.
     A high round neckline or a slash-neckline gown will work best for a bride with small breasts or a bride whom doesn't want to show too much cleavage.

          To Train or Not to Train

     There are many types, lengths and styles of trains:
     A sweep train or duster train is the most easily managed type of train, since it does not extend more than a foot from the hem of the gown.
     A puddle train extends in a circular pattern around the skirt, giving the appearance of the bride standing in a puddle of fabric. This type of train is commonly paired with a fish-tail dress, or a column dress of a lighter fabric.
     A chapel train is a basic train which is usually around a yard long.
     A cathedral train is likewise a basic train, and is commonly 6 or more feet long.
     Keep in mind when choosing a train, that the longer and heavier the train is, the more wear it will show and the harder it will be to store after the wedding. The best resolution for these concerns is a detachable train, because it can be removed after the wedding ceremony is over.

          Conclusion

     There are many aspects involved in the selection of a wedding gown, but the most important aspect of all is to have fun figuring these things out. This is a magical time for you: don't overlook that magic: allow it to manifest, and it will treat you well now and for years to come. Enjoy, experience, be happy and embrace the magic that is your soul's reunion.