Can Petite Brides Wear A Mermaid Wedding Gown?

Mermaid Wedding Dress Azazie RouxAzazie Style Roux

Experts say that a mermaid wedding gown is probably not the best choice for petite brides.

For the most part I agree with the experts... but if you are a petite, short bride who wants to wear a mermaid style wedding dress, there is a way for you to carry this style off.

Now... a mermaid wedding dress is a fit and flare style that generally looks best on average height or tall women. But... with careful planning ahead of time, a petite bride can wear this style.

First...pay attention to where it flares out.

  • You have to pay attention to where the flare starts on the gown.
  • Sometimes the point where the dress flares will drop lower than your knees. This will not look in proportion to your body. Also, it will cause problems when hemming it.

Here is another thing to think about.

  • The dress may flare at the right place around your knees.
  • But once the gown is shortened, you find that you lose a lot of width in the flare.

This can change the whole look of the bridal gown. In some cases this can work out to be better or the gown could loose some of it's style appeal.

So to find out what the finished appearance will look like, while you are trying on the gown ...

  • Hold up the hem in the front to the correct length. This way you will see how the gown will look cut off.
  • Does the gown still look proportionate?
  • Will the hem being shortened change the way the gown looks at the bottom?


How A Petite Bride Can Wear A Mermaid Wedding Gown

mermaid wedding gowns

If you like the mermaid bridal gown style, don't give up hope! You can wear this dress style if you are willing to... 

  • Wear the highest heel you can. This will add more height to your stature.
  • Choose a bridal dress where the flare starts slightly above the knee, and has a minimal amount of flare. The more flared the bottom, the shorter you will look.

The trumpet style wedding dress is a variation of the mermaid bridal gown. The flare starts on the style above the knee or around mid thigh.

The trumpet style will give you better proportion since the flare starts higher.

Another modification of this style you may have heard is the fish tail wedding dress.

  • This style typically is a mermaid dress, that slightly flares at the sides.
  •  And it flares out in the back around the knee or a little above it, flowing into a long train.

So if you are a petite bride, the fish tail mermaid wedding dress may be your best choice if you really want to wear this style.

  • Just make sure that the fishtail in the back of your mermaid wedding gown is not starting to flare too low in the back.
  • And check to make sure the train length doesn't overpower you.

But if in doubt . . . try on different mermaid wedding gowns to find out what looks best on you.


Fit and flare wedding dress

"The above wedding dress is from the Mori Lee collection style Fabrizia. What is great about this dress is that Mori Lee makes the hollow to hem in 3 different lengths starting with 55 inches to accommodate shorter women. This is especially helpful so that you are not cutting off so much at the bottom hem of the gown. This dress is a fit and flare style,or modified mermaid style gown, which is great for the short bride because the flare is not too full and starts at mid thigh level. This style is great if you have an hourglass body shape or rectangle body shape, because it accentuates your body curves!"


For more information on which designers carry petite wedding dresses read this article.


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