Here’s a rough guide to some of the most common wedding dress waistlines.
Natural Wedding Dress Waistline
As the name suggests the seam of this waistline sits naturally around the waist. It’s a good waistline for almost everyone unless your waist is the widest part of your body shape.
Basque Wedding Dress Waistline
white embroidered wedding dress with basque waistline
The basque waist sits just below your natural waistline and falls into a triangle shape with the point sitting just below your waist. It’s great to highlight an hourglass figure or pull in a tummy, but not so great if you have a very big tummy or are pregnant.
Asymmetrical Wedding Dress Waistline
white strapless wedding dress with asymmetrical waistline
An asymmetrical waistline curves around the waist and crosses from the waistline to the hip bone. It’s a modern style and can be really flattering if you have a big tummy or wide hips.
Dropped Wedding Dress Waistline
long train wedding dress with dropped waistline
The dropped waist falls several inches below your natural waistline and is a great style for elongating the torso but not so good if you have narrow shoulders as it can make them look smaller.
Empire Wedding Dress Waistline
sleeveless long train wedding dress with empire waistline
An empire line waist band doesn’t sit around the waist at all, it sits just above the waist just under the bust. Because of it’s position the rest of the dress falls into an A-line shape, which is really flattering if you are pear-shaped. Empire line waistband is also good if you have a small bust or if you are pregnant.[via]