For as far back as I can remember, I have been fascinated with wedding dresses. The yards and yards of silk, tulle, satin, lace, brocade, chiffon, crepe, georgette, moire, organza, polyester, taffeta, or velvet fabric, with different necklines and sleeves and drapes, with ruffles, tiers, ruching, pleats, and slits. Phew! I just love every last thing about wedding dresses.
I remember seeing my mother’s wedding dress for the first time, when I was about five years old. She had brought it out of its hallowed resting place to air it out. It was a beautiful Chantilly lace A-line creation, with Juliet sleeves and a high neckline. It was the most beautiful thing I’d seen in my short little life till then. That was the beginning of my lifetime romance with wedding dresses.
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It was much later, in my teen years that I learnt the myriad designs, fabrics, necklines, sleeves, trains, and silhouettes that so fascinated me when I was a kid. So I thought it was about time I put together a comprehensive list of all that I’ve learnt, that would be helpful for someone going wedding dress shopping.
Suggested read: 28 gorgeous unconventional wedding dresses perfect for a non-conforming bride
So if you’re a bride-to-be going wedding dress shopping in the near future, then you’d do well to know these terms, so that you don’t get lost in all the mumbo-jumbo spouted by the sales clerk. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girly girl who’s planning her wedding since she was six, or someone who just wants to find a dress that fits her fierce personality, you need to know these terms.
Let’s get to it!
I. Glossary: This list of terms will guide you through the following sections. These terms are commonly used in wedding dress shopping lingo.
1. Bustle
This is a poof of fabric at the back of the dress, which holds it back, so that it would ease your movement.
2. Bodice
A bodice is the upper part of a wedding dress, sans the sleeves.
3. Boning
This is the stiff insertion inside the seams of strapless wedding dresses, that prevents the bodice from gaping open.
4. Train
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This is the long back part of a wedding dress, that usually trails behind you.
5. Tiers
The various layers of a skirt of some wedding dresses are what are tiers.
II. Fabrics: The various materials that are used to make the beautiful and elegant wedding dresses.
1. Brocade
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It’s a rich Jacquard-woven fabric that has raised patterns.
2. Charmeuse
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This is usually silk, but can also be synthetic. It’s a light yet rich fabric with a lovely drape and a semi-lustrous sheen, which feels like satin to the touch.
3. Chiffon
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Sheer, delicate, lightweight, and transparent, chiffon is a light woven fabric. It’s made from silk or rayon, that is often layered. It’s popularly used for overskirts, wraps, and sheer sleeves. It drapes nicely over the body.
4. Crepe
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Crepe is identifiable with its crinkled surface. It’s again a light, soft, and thin fabric.
5. Georgette
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Often made with polyester or silk, georgette is a lightweight fabric, which is again sheer.
6. Lace
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Lace is often used for overlays and to add other detailing on the dress. There are myriad styles of lace, most often named for the city they were originally produced. These include Chantilly, Alençon, Guipure, and Venise.
7. Moire
This has a wavy appearance, which is usually made of silk.
8. Organza
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This is a lightweight woven fabric, which is sheer but far stiffer than chiffon. It’s popular for sleeves, overlays, backs, and skirts.
9. Satin
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Made using silk, nylon, or polyester, this is a heavy fabric that has a quiet luster to it.
10. Silk
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This is a rich and rightly expensive fabric, that comes in various different textures – raw silk and silk mikado, being two examples.
11. Taffeta
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It is a crisp, smooth, woven fabric, usually made from silk, that has a slight rib.
12. Tulle
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A light, net-like fabric that is sheer and made from silk, rayon, or nylon. This is mainly used for skirts and veils.
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III. Silhouettes: The basic outline of a wedding dress, how it falls on a body, where it’s cinched, where it flares out, is what is a silhouette.
1. A-line
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This silhouette literally resembles the letter A, in that the top is slim, the waist is fitten, and softly flares away from the body from the hips.
2. Ball gown
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This features a bodice that has boning in it to keep it from drooping, since it doesn’t have sleeves, and a skirt that has various layers of petticoats.
3. Empire
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This features a fitted bodice that ends just below the bust. That is, is it a high-waisted style, that drapes softly down. Ideal for small-busted or curvy women.
4. Sheath
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A sheath is a close-fitting style that hugs a woman’s curves lovingly.
5. Fit and flare or Trumpet
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A fit and flare style has a fitted bodice and waist, while flaring out at the knee. Ideal for women who want to show off their curves.
6. Mermaid
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This silhouette is shaped like a mermaid, with a form-fitting bodice and the skirt that flares out at or just below the knee, resembling a mermaid’s tail.
IV. Necklines: The peekaboo action of the décolletage is decided by the neckline of the wedding dress.
1. Bateau
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Bateau in French means boat. This neckline elongates the neck, by following the curve of your collarbone, almost to the tips of your shoulders. Very little of your décolletage shows.
2. Halter
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The straps in this neckline wrap around the back of the neck, or have a high neck with deep armhole.
3. High neck
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It comes up to the throat almost, that is perfect for taller women, or women with broad shoulders.
4. Sweetheart
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As the name suggests, this is a heart-shaped style that follows the outline of the breasts.
5. V-neck
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A v-neck lengthens the torso, making it ideal for petite or big-busted women.
6. Square
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As the name suggests, it’s square, and the right angles help draw the eyes up.
7. Illusion
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This consists of sheer fabric and other embellishments that cover a bride’s décolletage.
8. Scoop neck
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Unlike the square neckline, this is a U-shaped, circular neckline. It reveals the whole of the neck, while giving a peek at the bride’s décolletage.
9. Queen Anne
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This is a sophisticated and very elegant neckline, that has a higher collar in the back, while the front has scoop or v-neck.
10. Strapless
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This neckline cuts straight across. This is a flattering style for most figures, but maybe slightly difficult for full-busted women.
11. One-shoulder
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This one-shoulder neckline flatters small to medium-busted women, because this offer less support around the bust area.
V. Hems: The style of the skirt where the wedding dress ends.
1. Tea-length
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This hem ends just a few inches above the ankle, touching your shins.
2. High-low
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This is also called an asymmetrical or an intermission hem. In the front, it hits at mid-calf, while in the back, it’s floor-length.
3. Mini
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This one falls above the knee.
VI. Trains: The back of the wedding dress, that trails a bride as she walks by.
1. Court
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This train starts from the waist, while ending only about a foot behind the bride.
2. Chapel
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Falling from the waist, the chapel train trails behind the bride for about three to four feet.
3. Cathedral
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Longer than a chapel train, a cathedral train trails behind the bride for about six to seven feet in length, and falls from the waist.
4. Fishtail
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Usually associated with mermaid wedding gowns, the fishtail train trails behind the bride for about a foot. It seamlessly flares out from the knee.
5. Watteau
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This is like a waterfall, that falls from the just below the shoulder blades to the floor.
VI. Embellishments: The added details to a wedding dress, that make it that much more graceful.
1. Bows
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Placed in front or back, girly style or origami-inspired folds, bows can help accentuate a part of the bride’s figure.
2. Peplum
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This is an overskirt that is attached at the gown’s natural or dropped waistline. It’s a way to add curves to a lithe woman.
3. Sequins
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To add sparkle to the wedding dress, sequins – small, shiny discs, that are available in various colors as well – are sewn on to the fabric.
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4. Crystals
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Larger than sequins, crystals are sewn onto the wedding dress to add lots of sparkle, thanks to their highly faceted appearance.
5. Bugle beads
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These are long, tube-shaped glass beads.
So there you go. All the terms you need to have at the tip of your tongue when you go wedding dress shopping. Even if your wedding is a long way off, it’s always good to improve your knowledge and wedding dress vocabulary, no?
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