The bride almost always wears white on the big day,

Prom Dresses Guide Find The Prom Dress That Flatters Your Silhouette

Prom time is almost here and choosing from so many styles and shapes of prom dresses isn't easy. It takes time and patience to try on all those prom dresses, hoping to find just the right dress for your special evening. You should first find a prom dress that flatters your body type, or silhouette. Use the guide below to find out what type of body shape you have and which prom dress will best complement your shape.

Determining Your Body Shape

It's important to determine your body shape before you start shopping for prom gowns. Once you know which types of prom dresses will best suit you, you won't waist time trying on those that won't.

Are you inexpensive plus size dresses Thin and Tall?

Here's a way to tell: Your body is straight and slender, has few or no curves, and your bust is average in size. Your height is 5' 6" or taller. If you meet these criteria, you'll want to buy a prom dress style that adds curves, shows off your long legs, flows gracefully to reveal your slim silhouette, and adds fullness to your chest.

Try on dresses with several different neckline styles including v-neck or an open neckline to see which looks best. Also, dare to try a dress with a cutout back. Some prom dress styles to consider are empire, sheath, ball gown, and a-line.

Are you Petite?

If you are 5' 3" or shorter with a small build and an average sized bust, you'll want a dress to complement the petite such as an empire, sheath or a-line prom gown. With a slit, you can make your legs appear longer. Or, you can look much taller by wearing a dress with a short hemline. The hemline might be ruffled, handkerchief, hi/low, or asymmetrical - whichever best suits you. There are also a-line and empire styles to take emphasis off your waistline if you are short-waisted. Your neckline could be sweetheart, halter, or v-shape.

Do you have an Hourglass, Pear, or Apple Shape?

With an hourglass shape, you are curvy with a medium-to-large sized bust. Your bottom is rounded and you have curvy hips. You can show off the curves with a sheath dress or de-emphasize them somewhat with a ball gown or a-line dress. To place more emphasis on the upper portion of your body, choose a dress mon cheri 2013 dresses with an embellished neckline.

With a pear shape, you strapless lace dress are probably bottom-heavy, meaning your hips, thighs, and bottom are larger than the upper portion of your body. Choose prom dresses that flatter the upper half of your body such as a-line, empire, or ball gown dresses with a circular halter neckline. Or, a strapless dress might do the trick.

If your body is apple-shaped, your mid-section is probably heavier or thicker than other parts of your body. Maybe your tummy is larger than you would like. Choose dresses that take the emphasis away from your mid-section. An empire gown might work best with this type of figure. An a-line dress can work well too if you have a bodice with boning to give it a slimming effect.

Are you Athletic? Do you have a Large Build?

If you are muscular, have broad shoulders, or a large bust, choose a prom dress that will give you a feminine shape such as a ball gown or empire style dress. The full skirt will immediately add shape at your waistline. With broad shoulders, you might find that trying to cover them with wide straps or sleeves will make them look even wider. Try on a few strapless prom gowns first. You might be pleasantly surprised!

If you have a large bust, be sure your prom dress offers proper support. Choose v-necks or halters and either an a-line or ball gown. To draw attention away from your chest, wear a prom dress that has eye-catching details at its hemline.

With a full figure, there are more styles today than ever in plus size prom dresses. Don't feel uncomfortable on your prom night by trying to squeeze into a smaller gown. Find a dress that fits your body size and flatters your figure.

More "Accentuating" Prom Dress Ideas

There are even more ways you can accentuate certain areas of your body. Prom dresses can also come with stylish features such as beaded panels, a fully beaded bodice, accordion pleating, a jeweled beltline, embroidery designs, sheer overlays, trains, and removable skirts.

Use these tips to get an idea of what style will work best for your body type before you start shopping. Check online to look at various styles and colors. Most online stores carry a variety of dresses including prom dresses, evening dresses, and bridesmaid dresses, so you'll have no problem finding just the right dress.

Color Accented Plus Size Wedding Dresses

The bride almost always wears white on the big day, but accent colors are very important too. Color accented plus size wedding dresses are excellent choices for curvy brides to be. Color is a great way to emphasize and showcase your best features and incorporate some personality into your dress. If youe interested in adding color to your dress, here are some helpful tips and guidelines.

Monochromatic Plus Size Wedding Dresses

Monochromatic plus size wedding dresses can create a longer, leaner silhouette. Plus it an easy look to coordinate with long dresses cheap bridesmaids?gowns.

If youe worried that a monochromatic dress will look plain or one dimensional, experiment with sashes and ribbons in bold colors to break up the shapes. This is a great way to emphasize the narrowest part of your torso, generally right beneath your bust line.

You can also play with texture if your dress is monochromatic. Add a wisp of lace, or mix and match fabrics to complement your best attributes. Detailing like ribbing, scalloping and beading can also add character and interest to a single color dress. A good way to do this is with texture.

Plus Size Wedding Dress Accenting Colors

Curvy women are generally advised to only wear dark colors and vertical stripes. Keep in mind that this isn a hard and fast rule. It more important to find a dress that showcases and flatters voluptuous curves. Once you find a cut and style that does this, choosing accent colors will be a cinch.

When choosing the accent colors, body shape needs to be taken into account. As a general rule, incorporate darker hues where you carry most of your weight, and lighter colors where youe the narrowest. For example, if you carry most of your weight on the lower part of your body, choose a deeper shade for the skirt portion of the dress.

If this isn an option, look for dresses with empire waists or A-line cuts. These dresses cinch the ribcage just beneath the bust to emphasize the smallest part of the waist. To incorporate accent colors and make your waist appear even smaller, try tying a sash around the smallest part of your waist too. This is a simple, but elegant way to use rich colors and flatter your figure.

If your wedding dress is sleeveless or strapless, and you need a little bit of coverage for your upper arms and back, consider using a colorful shawl or scarf. Again, this is an ideal way to incorporate your wedding theme colors into your dress. Shawls and scarves made in flowing, delicate fabrics add a touch of romance and femininity to any dress.

Regardless of what size you are, you can incorporate color accents into your dress using accessories. Jewelry, shoes and even handbags can provide the perfect pop of color.

Colorful Plus Size Wedding Dresses

If you want to incorporate even more color into your wedding dress, you have endless options. Black is an elegant choice for many plus size brides. If you pair it with other outstanding colors or patterns it has the ability to lend an air of sophistication and style to any wedding dress. Consider adding long panels of black to your wedding dress to create a long silhouette. This is a great way to draw attention away from the midsection and make your waist appear smaller.

Apart from black you could consider chocolate browns as they are also quite slimming. Used as an accent color, chocolate brown can be paired with a host of other colors such as antique gold, ivory, taupe or dusky pink.

As a general rule of thumb, bright colors should be avoided near the midsection for most curvy brides. However, when used sparingly as an accent color they can make a high impact visual statement.

Lime greens, sun yellows, azure blues or bright oranges should be used very sparingly in plus size dresses. It best to incorporate these colors into the trim or to use them in scarves or shawls. When used with a dress that is constructed to flatter a voluptuous figure, these bright shades can be highly flattering. Bright summer colors are perhaps best picked up in accessories and accents.

Bright colors when paired with a predominantly white or off white wedding theme can make a wedding look and feel fresh and summery. But they should blend in rather than dominate a wedding theme.

Wedding dresses don have to be stark white. Plus size brides especially can benefit from incorporating color accents. By strategically choosing colors, shapes and patterns, you can create long, lean silhouettes and emphasize your finest attributes.