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Wedding Dress Necklines

Choosing the perfect wedding dress neckline for you depends on your body type, the season of your wedding day, the silhouette of the wedding gown you love and also your wedding theme.  Much like we advise with wedding gown silhouette shopping, we recommend you try on all of the major wedding dress necklines to see what suits you.  You might just be surprised at the result!  The stylish girls at Pink Frosting have put together a guide to the main wedding dress necklines that wedding fashion designers use:

• Bateau (or boat neck): A wide neckline that sweeps straight across collarbone to the edge of the shoulders.  This style suits women with smaller chests.
• Halter: One or two straps go around the neck or across the back to hold up the bodice.  This backless (or keyhole backed) style is revealing, but sexy on most women.
• Jewel.  This neckline is rounded at the base of the throat. The jewel style moves the attention away from the bust and collarbone and is suitable for more conservative brides.
• Keyhole: A keyhole or tear-shaped opening either at the neckline or the back of the dress.
• Off-the-shoulder: With a sweep across the chest, this neckline rests below the shoulders and highlights your shoulders and collarbone.  This is a good option for full-chested or pear-shaped women.
• One-shoulder: This is an asymmetrical neckline where one shoulder is covered and the other is bare.
• Portrait:  This is similar to the off-the-shoulder style but with more fabric.  Instead, a fold of fabric creates a shawl-like collar and fames the face.   This style is suitable for women with angular bodies.
• Sabrina: Think Audrey Hepburn in the eponymous movie, this style takes a nearly horizontal line from one shoulder blade to the other.  Similar to a bateau neckline, this one starts further in from each shoulder, making a narrower neck opening.
• Scoop: Rounded but lower than jewel neckline, the scoop sometimes reveals a hint of cleavage.
• Strapless:  When the neck and shoulder of the gown are completely bare.
• Sweetheart: An open, sometimes revealing neckline which sweeps down, dipping to a point in the middle of the bust and forming a heart shape.
• V-Neck: Forms a v-shape, making the bride’s neck look longer and slimmer.
• Wedding-band collar: This style incorporates a band high on the neck, often in a contrasting fabric to the rest of the bodice, sometimes made of lace.  This emphasises a long and slender neck.

When choosing your wedding dress you also need to consider:

For ideas and inspiration, Brides.com has an amazing image gallery of the latest bridal gown designs to inspire you. Go on, have a look and start dreaming!

Main image by Samm Blake Photography . Mosaic images by Izaro Haute Couture .

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