Like other parts of a wedding gown, different styles of bodice look best on some types of body shapes. Therefore choosing the right style of bodice is an important step to finding the best wedding gown for your body. Choosing the wrong bodice style will make your entire wedding dress look unflattering. This post will show you the popular wedding dress bodice styles and how to choose the right one for your body type. Read on.
Below are the names of the basic types of wedding gown bodice and the types of body shapes they look best on. Read on to find the one for you.
1. Corset Bodice Wedding Gowns
Corsets used to be worn as women’s shapewear undergarments only. While women still wear corsets as shapewear, wedding fashion designers have included it as part of the bodice of wedding gowns. The bodice of corset style wedding gowns features a very tight-fitting corset top that covers the front and back.
This style of wedding dress draws attention to your bust and the feminine features of your upper body. The corseted bodice is usually decorated with beads and laces to create a sexy look on the bride.
Who’s a Corset Wedding Dress Suitable For: You’ll usually find this style of bodice in different dress silhouettes/ shapes and the bodice styles are named after the silhouette they are found in. Hence there are strapless corset wedding gowns, corset ball gowns, many sweetheart neckline wedding dresses.
These styles of wedding gown silhouettes usually have corset bodice: mermaid style wedding gowns, ballgowns, trumpet or fit n flare wedding gowns. Other wedding gown silhouettes sometimes have corset bodice.
2. Empire Bodice Wedding Gowns (also known as Empire Waist)
Unlike other bodice styles end in the waist area just before the hips, the bodice of empire waist wedding gowns have a high waistline that ends under the bust. This style of wedding gown bodice is tight-fitting from the chest to under the bust, where it starts flaring down to a straight, loose-fitting skirt.
The no-fail way to identify an empire waist wedding gown is to check where the tight bodice ends: if under the bust, then it is an empire style dress. In this bodice style, you could say that the dress waistline is cut above the position of regular waistlines – hence the name “empire waist’.
Because of the cut of this style of bridal gown, it emphasizes the bust and hides a big stomach. While this type of bodice can look good on all body shapes, the empire waist dress is a favourite maternity wedding gown style for pregnant brides; and can very well hide early pregnancy bump. Stay away from bodice styles with dropped waistlines if you want to hide your tummy.
3. Midriff Bodice Wedding Gowns
Your midriff is the region between your chest and your waist, that portion that is revealed in a crop-top. Bridal gowns with midriff bodice style have a tight-fitting midriff, that appears to show bare skin on the waist region.
Usually, midriff wedding gowns feature sheer fabric of illusion lace (transparent or nearly transparent) covering the midriff part of the dress. The illusion lace in the bodice of the dress gives an appearance of a soft midriff reveal.
In some bridal dresses, the height of the illusion lace is like a lace-fabric-belt, like in this one. Likely inspired by the crop top fashion, some versions of this style of bridal gowns, and also called Illusion Midriff or Lace Midriff bodice.
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Suitable For: The midriff bodice style is suitable for brides with small waistline and not afraid to flaunt it. Just so you know, although some midriff wedding gowns are either a two-piece crop top or have a revealing lace cover on the midriff, many styles of midriff wedding gowns are very grownup, as they actually do not expose any midriff skin (thanks to illusion lace that provides coverage).
What Part is the ‘Bodice’ on a Wedding Gown?
The “bodice” refers to the upper part of a dress, between the waist and the neck. Looking at any dress, including a wedding dress, you can divide it into two – up part and lower part. The lower part is called the ‘skirt’. We covered that in another post discussing the names of wedding gown parts.
Wedding gowns come with different forms of embellishment that draw attention to the bodice and that is why you’ll hear names of bodice styles describing the type of embellishment/ decoration it has. For example illusion bodice wedding dress, lace bodice or beaded bodice bridal gown.
Common Types of Bodice Decorations
The bodice part of a wedding dress is one of the most prominent and is usually decorated with various elements. Sometimes, a wedding dress bodice is described or named by the type of embellishment or its pattern. During your shopping,, you can ask for a wedding dress with specific embellishment. Some names used to describe wedding gowns with popular decorative bodice include lace bodice wedding dress and beaded or sequined bodice wedding gown.
MORE WEDDING GOWN SHOPPING GUIDE:
- Mermaid vs Ball Gown Wedding Gowns (w/ images)
- The Different Types of Wedding Gown Silhouettes/ Shapes (w/ images) – check them out to see the ones that have corset-style bodice.
Conclusion: Finding Your Wedding Dress Bodice Style
Wedding gowns are made up of different parts and each part comes in assorted styles. For you to find the perfect wedding dress, you’ll have to choose the style you want for every part of your dress – neckline style, bodice style, sleeve style, train style, and silhouette.
If you want to look perfect on your big day, you should not have some parts of your dress looking suitable and one or more parts looking imperfect. We’ve seen some brides in wedding dresses that look perfect on the body (silhouette) and an improperly-fitted long sleeve or neckline.
We’ve also seen some women choose a wedding gown that looked great on the sleeves and neck but looking ill-fitted on the body/ silhouette part. That is so not-cool. Be sure to check out our posts on how to choose different parts of your wedding gown right.
What do you think of the different styles of wedding gown bodice above? Which one do you think you prefer to have on your wedding gown? Comment below to tell me.
Beautiful wedding gowns…
Mr. Right please come and take me down the aisle…me I no fit wait.
Lolzzz
Thanks, Chioma. Don’t worry o – he will come (because God heard you).
Lol.