Are you worried about how your arms will look in a wedding dress because you don't like how your arms look? Do you plan to lose weight before your wedding so that you'll feel better in your wedding dress? If your arms and the size of your body, particularly your belly, concern you when shopping for a wedding dress, you're in the right place. This week we are back with more expert wedding fashion advice for brides as we're talking about the two most common insecurities that we hear from brides.
We'll talk about the fears and anxieties that we hear often from our brides shopping for their wedding dress when it comes to their arms and their body, their stomach in particular. We'll share with you our advice on what to do about your insecurities when finding your dream wedding dress and how to overcome your wedding day fears and anxieties so that you can walk down the aisle as confident and beautiful as you are.
Most Common Insecurities
As bridal consultants, we see many different types of brides in a single day. We’ve seen it all and heard it all, especially when it comes to insecurities. You can be the most confident person in the world, but the stress of planning a wedding can bring out another side of you and bring out all the little insecurities and things you worry about.
There are two very common insecurities we hear about from our brides at Lovella. These are two things that we hear on an almost daily basis. And as most bridal consultants are women, we feel the same body insecurities at times and we understand why brides may feel this way. As a bride, you will be the center of attention on your wedding day with all eyes on you. We understand that this can make some brides nervous and bring out anxiety and fear. With our advice on how to overcome these common wedding insecurities, you can feel your most beautiful and confident on your wedding day.
The number one insecurity we hear about at Lovella Bridal is that a bride really doesn’t like her arms. The second most common insecurity we hear from brides is they really want to or plan to lose weight before the wedding, especially in the belly area. We know these are such personal topics to discuss and that’s why we want to help all brides to feel more confident and beautiful in their wedding dress.
Turn The Negative Into Positive
So many times our insecurities lie with a bad photograph we saw of ourselves or maybe something that someone said that we took to heart. It might just be something that you don’t like when you look in the mirror but is oftentimes not even seen by those around us. Perhaps you don’t like your smile or you think you have large feet. There are things you can do to change your perception of these insecurities. For example, you can practice different smiles in the mirror until you find one you like and are comfortable with. Buy styles of shoes that are dainty and make your feet appear smaller. So much of our insecurities and confidence issues are in our heads and just take time to work on.
You don’t want to necessarily ignore these insecure or uncomfortable feelings completely, but rather you want to work on these issues. Wear clothing and say things to yourself that build you up and that makes you feel good about it. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you love yourself, your smile, your arms - whatever it is that has you feeling insecure and filled with anxiety. Turn the negative talk into positive thoughts and over time, you will believe it.
Let's Talk Arms
If you are a bride that feels insecure with her arms and you're also shopping for a wedding dress, we have some advice for you. As a bride, you may think that you’ll be more comfortable covering your arms in your wedding dress with long sleeves or with a wrap or cover-up.
If you don't like your arms, you might want to look for wedding dresses with long sleeves. In our bridal styling experience, wedding dresses with long sleeves actually will draw more attention to your arms and give you the opposite effect. We encourage you to try on wedding dresses of many different styles, with a variety of necklines and shapes to figure out what style is going to make you feel the most secure about your arms.
When you find a wedding dress you love and feel confident in, there are additional things you can do to give your arms a smaller appearance. There are certain poses, angles, and ways of standing that will minimize your arms. Practice different poses before your wedding day. Fear over your arms is also a good topic of discussion for your wedding photographer. Wedding photographers are experts at making people, especially brides, look amazing in photographs. Get some posing tips from your wedding photographer before your wedding day, and you will be ready to knock your wedding day bridal portraits out of the park!
Tummy Time
Many brides are worried about the overall size of their body in a wedding dress, in particular they are unhappy with their stomach or belly in a wedding dress. The belly is a very common bridal insecurity that we hear at Lovella.
When it comes to the belly area, as women, there is only so much we can do. Bloating in the mid-section and core area is a completely normal thing for women. Depending where you are in your monthly cycle can affect how your tummy looks. What you eat or how much water you drink on any given day can affect bloating. Your belly is going to be something that changes and won’t be the same day to day. Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic solution for uncomfortable feelings with the size of your belly in a wedding dress.
We all know the feeling of our favorite pants that fit us amazingly. Well, the next time we go to wear them, they might be just a little tighter. Know that your body fluctuates and might not be exactly the same from your wedding dress shopping appointment to your wedding day. Try to shop for your wedding dress around the same time of the month that your wedding will be so you can estimate how you’ll feel in your wedding dress.
You want to focus on finding a wedding gown that makes you feel really beautiful with your belly, even when you're at your most bloated state. On your wedding day, whether you happen to be on your cycle or you’ve lost weight, whatever the case may be, we want you to feel beautiful and confident with your belly in your wedding dress.
We have heard from many brides that come to Lovella to shop for their wedding gown that they want a big ball gown, just to hide their belly. As bridal stylists, one part of our job is to make sure that our brides go home happy and with no regrets about having found their dream wedding dress. If you're shopping for a wedding dress, you may find that your bridal stylist is encouraging you to try on a wedding dress that is more fitted. We do this just to ensure you don’t miss out on a wedding dress style that you actually love. The only way to know for sure that you want a ball gown style wedding dress is to also try on a mermaid or fit and flare style wedding dress so that you can compare how you feel.
We want all brides to have peace of mind once they've bought their dress and left the bridal salon. Remember that a wedding dress is a final sale. You want to be able to go home and feel really good about that purchase. So don’t be afraid to try on everything!
See The Whole Picture
As bridal stylists, one of our best pieces of advice for how to feel confident and amazing in your wedding dress has to do with your mindset when you're trying on bridal gowns in the shop. We encourage you to see the whole picture of yourself in your wedding dress.
When you're trying on wedding dresses, don't immediately look at your “problem areas.” We want you to see the whole picture and take in the wedding gown in its entirety. If you are only focusing on your arms or your belly or other areas that you have anxiety or fear about, you might miss out on a wedding dress that you look gorgeous in, but you just can’t get past that one detail or one insecurity.
Don’t dissect your body and don’t dissect your body parts. Try your best to see your whole self in the whole wedding dress.
Take A Reset
We know that trying on wedding dresses can easily become overwhelming. This is a tip we often tell our brides at Lovella and is one you can take with you when you have your wedding dress shopping appointment. Sometimes we get so fixated on certain aspects of our body or our anxieties that we start to feel overwhelmed. In these overwhelming moments, we encourage our brides to close their eyes and take a deep breath to reset. Then, open your eyes and look in the mirror and look at your full vision in your wedding dress.
We know that no matter how many people on the external tell you you look great, you need to look, feel, and also believe it. So many of your fears and insecurities are in your brain. We know that it's a challenge to overcome confidence issues and insecurities, but we challenge all brides to turn their insecurities into securities. You will be so much happier and so much more confident within your own skin.
Remember these final tips wedding dress shopping tips: positive self-talk and don't fixate on your insecurities.
VIDEO: Most Common Insecurities Brides Have & How to Overcome Them
More Shopping Advice
If you have fears and worries over your wedding dress, don't worry, we have lots of help for you. For more helpful wedding dress shopping advice, be sure to check out these past blog posts:
- Tips for Wedding Dress Shopping When You're Losing Weight
- What Wedding Dress Style & Shape Should You Wear For Your Body Type
- How To Overcome Being Self-Conscious Of Arms & Stomach For Wedding Day
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.
