to think strapless wedding dresses aren't very flattering.

[meyesmyeyes]

They look so unflattering on most people, especially if the top bit is too tight, resulting in any back and side fat 'spilling' up and over the sides of the dress.
You see Brides spending the whole day hoicking the dress up every five minutes - not a good look on your wedding day surely.

Anybody else think that the more traditional dresses look better?

I think I looked good in mine but I was young, slim, toned and tanned.
The ones I think have a tendency to be unflattering and which will date badly are the fishtail ones. Why people want to make their arse look enormous is beyond me!

I quite fancy a princess Anne

Haha' iloveport, I think he's talking to the guy further up the stairs and she's caught some of their conversation. Probably about where JFK is and which of the bridesmaids he's most likely rattling.

I think they're going out of fashion - quite a few people are going for lacy sleeves nowadays. No bad thing either, as they suit so few people.

YANBU

I think I have only seen a couple of women in over 20 years look nice in a strapless wedding dress and they were models in a magazine.

I don't like to see too much flesh exposed on a wedding dress. Long sleeves look more classy.

I looked fabulous is mine - AMAZING in fact.

It's all about the fit. Any dress that is too large or too small won't look good.

Overweight women look absurd in them and very slender women can looked a little drowned. Overall I think strapless dresses are a tiresomely uninspired choice.

Jaded, that dress is exquisite.

I looked lovely in mine. I am tall was very slim and had worked on toning my arms and back for a year. No hoiking as it fitted perfectly. I wore a cathedral length veil which covered my shoulders in church.

I actually didn't go with the intention of strapless, as I wear a lot of strapless maxi dresses etc on holiday and wanted something different, but the boat neck style I loved made me look bigger than I was.

I saw a tv programme ages ago which explained why they were so prevalent in the shops - apparently they cost the manufacturers a lot less to make, using less fabric per dress and faster to make.

The phrase "cathedral length veil" makes me

Carolyn Bessette's wedding dress was gorgeous. Like so many dresses though you'd need to be whippet slim and without any bumps or lumps to carry it off. I love that it looks so light and flowy.

I so agree that strapless dresses only suit a tiny minority of brides.
In general they are very unflattering, add about 10 pounds visually and just don't look like wedding dresses.
Plus they are so ubiquitous they are boring.

YANBU, they're boring too!

I'm planning to get married in something more like this

Er, leggings are also dangerously unflattering unless you spend lots of money on them so they aren't transparent and get a pair that actually fits. Ditto blazers without expensive tailoring.

So two pretty good analogies

That reminds me, Mrs Hathaway - yesterday I walked down the street behind a woman wearing black leggings stretched so tight they were see-through, with a tiny red thong underneath.

She obviously had no idea how it looked from the back.

Perhaps lots of people don't realise what their strapless wedding dresses look like from the back either?
I mean, what a dress looks like in the fitting room, when you're breathing in and standing up straight, with it arranged just right, isn't how you look sitting down, five hours into a wedding, after a couple of glasses of wine.

My friend looked stunning in her strapless dress.
I would always pick a strapless wedding dress too yet i never wear them usually

I loved my beautiful Jenny Packham one . It would look hideous know though with all kinds of spillage

*now

My friend isnt slim either and as still beautifull in hers. Just because you are overweight does not mean you can't wear one.
They also don't have to be boring!

YANBU. I totally agree with you. I have thought this for years and years. There are some really mean wedding dress designers and wedding boutique owners out there who are giving and continue to give appaling and very unfair advice to an entire generation of women. This is a real bugbear of mine. As others have said, all the usual rules about what looks good according to body shape and size seem to go out of the window...on your wedding day!

Very few women, probably a handful of slim size ten women, look good in a strapless dress. For goodness sake, half the dress is actually missing when you look at these beautiful ladies in their awful dresses. In 20 to 30 years time all these women are going to look back at their wedding photos and think why did nobody say anything to me?! Not elegant at all. Not timeless. Not classic. It is so unfair. Choose something beautiful, well designed (doesn't need to be expensive), suiting your body shape, modest with straps or sleeves and it will make you feel proud of yourself on the one day when it really matters most.

I've always understood that they are so prevalent because they are easier and cheaper to make. Why would you wear a dress that just looks like you have a towel wrapped around you?