Alternatives to a Wedding Dress with Sleeves

We know that our beautiful curvy and plus size brides are often looking for a way to cover up their upper arms. Or their shoulders. Or that extra wiggle area under the armpits. So they're usually looking for a plus size wedding dress with sleeves, thinking that will cover their challenge area.

Often they're looking for something much like this, a matronly, sack-like gown shamelessly stolen from Lightinthebox.com (please read their reviews on other sites before considering purchasing direct from China!!!).

We love the lace detail, but it just doesn't flatter most figures. You could look like this, instead:

 
This is Strut consultant (and bride!) Pam wearing a tulle ball gown. Check out the amazing hourglass shape this dress gives her. It has a bit of a lower waist line, so we're not adding bulk in the tummy area. The reason we adore this new bridal gown is because it comes with that bit of tulle that covers the upper arms. Here's a better view:

 
Isn't that lovely? We best love how it gracefully drapes across the upper arms without screaming, "I hate my arms and am desperately trying to cover them up!!" Here's a view of the corset back:

 
It's a bit big on Pam (hence the pretty red clip), but corset back wedding dresses can give you such a snug, customized fit that they are great on plus size wedding gowns. Here's a close up of the beaded bodice:

 
It's the perfect princess ball gown wedding dress, with sparkles all over the full tulle skirt.

If you'd like to draw attention to another area of your body, such as your collar bone or decolletage, you may want to try an off the shoulder wedding gown. This is also known as a portrait collar.

 
In this close up, you can see that it creates stunning lines across the top of the bodice in photos. In the interest of full disclosure, we have to tell you that off the shoulder wedding gowns do limit your mobility. It'll be hard to hug your guests and you definitely will not be YMCA-ing. But yes, they are gorgeous, and we love the simple flowers on this dress.

 
This is a silky taffeta ball gown from Sincerity. Silky taffeta is usually lighter weight than satin. This has a bit of a sheen to it and can also look a bit wrinkled. But we love the ruching on the waist!! If you like a wedding dress that is beautiufl for it's simplicity, then this is a great gown to try.  

If these simple wedding gown straps don't give you the coverage you need on your arms, consider adding just a bit of sheer chiffon to the elbow. Lace would also work well. We seldom recommend wearing satin as a wedding dress jacket or bolero or sleeves because they are very warm. And no bride wants the gentle trickle of sweat down her elbow as she walks down the aisle.

Because so many of today's styles are strapless, we often encourage brides to find a plus size wedding gown that they love from the bust down, and then let us show you how to get customized coverage for the most flattering fit.