A Guide to Shape Wear for Weddings

Whether you are the bride or the bridesmaid you could use a little help from body shapers in getting the right look in your gown. It doesn't matter what your starting shape is, with the right shape wear you can look smooth and sleek for the big event. Here's a guide to help you pick out what shape wear is best for your original shape and dress.

Georgette, Silk, and Chiffon Materials

For those that are a little rounded or lumpy around the middle, georgette, silk, and chiffon materials can look awful as a wedding or bridesmaid dress. To get a better drape around the middle you will want to try a waist cincher shaper. These are similar to the old-style corsets of Victorian times, except without the restrictions to breathing. They usually come with a set of hooks and eyes or an invisible zipper and wrap around your waist area to cinch your middle for a smoother look under soft, flowing materials.

If the outfit you are wearing is close-fitting and/ or is one piece, than you might want to upgrade to a body briefer. Body briefers are a pull on underwear/bra combo that covers your middle like a bathing suit with shaping power. When paired with a half slip, these body briefers will give you a better shape for silky wedding materials that tend to be clingy.

Close-fitting Spandex materials or one-piece gowns

These materials are harder to wear if you aren't super slim, but not impossible. For this situation you will need more shaping to be wedding picture perfect. You will need a slip shaper that acts as a slip (because it is skirted) and offers upper body support. For a sleeveless or tube dress, you will need a slip shaper that is designed to hold in place over your chest with no straps. Usually these have a bit of 'rubber' or other type of slip-proof grippers so that they don't fall down when they are in use. The strapless ones also seem to look sleeker under gowns because they don't have all the adjusting pieces of strapped shapers that show through.

Think about what your 'problem' areas are when you try on a dress without a shaper. Is your stomach wrinkling the fabric in front? Try a slip shaper with extra strength in the stomach area to pull it tighter. Is your waistline in need of definition? Use a waist cincher or body briefer that cinches at the waist specifically. Is your butt in need of smoothing? A slip shaper will do the trick if it has enough spandex to give you a great line there.

Other "problems"

What if you are having a hard time finding a shaper that fits your chest correctly? If you find that shapers with built in bra forms tend to be too much, than get a shaper that does not have a bra form or comes only to below your chest so that you can use a regular bra with it. If you are worried about back fat showing, than use a shaper that comes up over that area. The more you cinch below the chest, the more back fat can rise. Knowing the problems with 'displacement' (it has to go somewhere) you will need to purchase shapers that will not reposition your problem areas to another problem area. Sometimes it's easier just to use a shaper that is only for your bottom half, so that displacement of extra fat will not cause a bigger problem. If you have a dress that is A-line at the skirt, than try a stiff slip underneath to define your waist and give you a better silhouette.

Comfort

Many wedding shapers are uncomfortable for extended wear. This is why you should always try out the shaper when you purchase it (it isn't always possible to try it on before hand as they are considered underwear in most department stores). To save money, however, you should ask around your friends and family if they have one you could try out. This way you can tell whether it will work for the dress you want to use it for and if it is comfortable enough to wear for a number of hours. Some shapers need to be 'broken' in a little, or stretched around you so that they aren't as restricting. The more spandex in them the more it will pull you in, but the less comfortable it will be to wear. Also keep in mind that you will need to match the color of the shaper to your dress; don't buy a black one for use under a white wedding or light colored bridesmaid dress.