Are you worried about "back fat" in your wedding dress? You're not alone and, even better, you're in the right place as we dive into this common worry that we often hear from our brides. Every bride wants to feel and look absolutely flawless on their wedding day. In our many years of experience helping brides in the Los Angeles area find their dream wedding dress, we know there are a few common insecurities that brides have, including wanting to hide their belly area or being self-conscious of their arms. Another common concern we have from many of our brides is “back fat” and how their wedding dress is going to look from behind.
Today’s bridal fashion advice post is all about how to avoid “back fat” with your wedding dress and how to properly zip up your bridal dress to eliminate any skin bulging over the top of your wedding dress. With our bridal styling tips, you can be ready on wedding morning to properly step into and zip up your wedding dress without any “back fat” in sight.
Video: The Shocking Truth About Back Fat While Wearing Your Wedding Dress
To help you look and feel your best on wedding day, be sure to watch our advice video so you can be prepared to handle and minimize any appearance of back fat while wearing your wedding dress.
What is Back Fat?
It’s important we start off by clarifying what brides refer to as “back fat” is not really fat at all. We want to try to eliminate this term as what brides are really seeing is just their skin being pushed around. Your body has elasticity to it and what looks like back fat is really just your back skin that moves and stretches so your body can move around.
Wedding dresses are typically designed to be form-fitting, often with structured backs, which are essential for creating a beautiful silhouette. Unlike ready-to-wear clothing, which tends to have more stretch and give, bridal gowns are made with fabrics that hug the body, resulting in a firmer, more sculpted fit. As a result, when you zip into your dress, it naturally pushes some of your skin upward or out, which may create the appearance of bulging in certain areas.
Smooth It Out
When you are putting on a wedding dress, whether at you bridal appointment trying on gowns or on wedding morning, there are a few simple things that can be done to minimize the appearance of “back fat” or any bulging. When zipping up a wedding dress, your skin is going to be squeezed together because of the tight fit of your dress. Once your wedding dress is zipped up, you just need to reach in from the zipper area and smooth your back skin down and in towards your armpits.
The zipper and fit of the dress naturally push skin up, but with a little effort, you can smooth everything out and create a sleek, flattering look. This technique can significantly reduce the appearance of bulging or creasing.
Don’t Over Fixate
If you are a bride who tends to overly analyze or hyper fixate on things, there may be other solutions to help cover up any skin that is coming over the top of your wedding dress. Your alterations seamstress may be able to add straps to your wedding dress going across the shoulder blade that will help cover up that skin. When you move around, even after smoothing out your back after putting on your dress, your skin is going to fluctuate. Moving your arms and shoulders is going to manipulate the skin and may cause it to sit on top of your wedding dress. A strap is an easy solution to help conceal those areas that may cause you to feel self-conscious.
When trying on wedding dresses, especially close to the mirror, it’s easy to focus on every detail. You may even start noticing small imperfections, like a slight crease or asymmetry that you’d rather not show. But remember, most of these small details are invisible to others. Instead of getting caught up in every minor flaw, step away from the mirror, take a step back, and view your dress from a distance. Take a photo to see how it looks, as it may help put things in perspective. It’s very likely that your guests are not even going to notice some tiny detail that you see up close in the mirror.
Just keep in mind that when you are trying wedding dresses on, if this is something that's really going to bother you, you need to pick dresses that are hitting you in the areas that are hiding the things that you don't want exposed, and you don't want to see in photos. Be mindful of the styles of dresses you are trying on if there are certain body parts you want covered or want to minimize. There are always solutions to help smooth the skin and avoid back creases or ways to alter a gown to add more coverage.
The Zip Up
It may seem like a simple task, but zipping up a wedding dress does take a bit of time and thought. Properly zipping up your wedding dress will not only make sure you are secure in your dress, but it can also help you look your best. At Lovella, we take you through how to correctly zip you your wedding dress during the alterations and fitting process. We’ll take a video so you can share with whoever will be helping you dress on wedding day so they can ensure a proper fit and avoid any zipper malfunctions.
As bridal stylists, we are already smoothing out your back as you try on wedding dresses, so you probably won’t ever see the “back fat” or back crease. Whoever will be helping you put on your wedding dress on wedding morning just needs to help you smooth your skin down and away after zipping you up. Keep in mind that your actual wedding dress will fit tighter than the dresses you tried on in store because it has been tailored to your body and sample dresses never fit 100%. So do not freak out on wedding morning if you put on your wedding dress and see a back crease - just take a breath and smooth it all out.
The Armpit Crease
Another common spot that brides often fixate on is the armpit crease. The bit of skin that may bunch together at the front of the armpit near the breast. Again, because your skin is being pushed up and together from the tight wedding dress, things can overflow a bit at the top of the fabric. This skin can again be smoothed down or minor alterations can be made. You could have your seamstress add a bit of lace there to cover up any bunched skin.
Many designers now are creating necklines with more architectural lines or just extending the fabric over that area near the armpit to provide a bit more coverage and drama to the neckline.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, it can be hard as a bride to not fixate on the little things when you want to look and feel your best on wedding day. If you know you will be self-conscious about these things, talk to your bridal stylist about it. They will help you find the perfect dress that minimizes those areas and lets you be carefree. Whether the dress has those elements already built in or your seamstress will need to make some adjustments, there is always a solution.
Remember that it’s not necessarily fat. It’s loose skin that has elasticity to help your body move and stretch, particularly as we age. Your skin is beautiful, and it’s totally normal for it to shift and move, especially in structured clothing like a wedding dress. Don’t let small imperfections take away from the joy of the moment.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found this advice helpful when it comes to having realistic expectations around any back skin issues. For even more helpful advice when it comes to shopping for your dream wedding dress and finding your bridal style, be sure to check out our past posts:
- How To Overcome The Most Common Bridal Insecurities
- What Style Wedding Dress Should You Wear If You're Insecure About Your Arms
- Corset Vs Zipper Wedding Dresses
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
