Dresses for a Petite bride

OliviaG1107

I've began looking for the perfect dress and have been quite disappointed thus far. I'm very petitie, 5 feet tall. Just can't seem to find a dress that will flatter me. Any suggestions?

[Deleted User]

A knowledgeable bridal consultant should be able to help you. I am fairly short, 5'2'' and I wore a slim a-line gown. If you look at the pics in my bio, you can see my dress had a bow slightly below the bust. The bridal consultant told me that it helped to make me look taller as my figure was "divided." In other words, I made me appear taller. I hope that makes sense. And it would probably be best that you stay away from dresses with a lot of pick-ups and full ball skirts/Cinderella types as they will just make you appear shorter.

And to help with the height you can always get some 3 or 4 inch heels to wear for the ceremony and change for the reception.

MaritaG11

I am in the same situation that you are. I recently went to David's Bridal and in some of their dresses, you can order a petite size. I am sure that if they have that, then other dress shops will as well. You probably just have to ask because not every dress will be available in a petite size. A few bridal stores that I went to don't advertise that option but it is there if you ask. That is what I will have to do because the normal size is way too long for me. 

I normally just lurk around on the boards trying to get ideas but since I am only two inches over 5' I figured that I would be able to help a little. 

christinelyn0131

Ditto PP - stay away from Cinderella dresses. I think you could pull off a drop waist pretty well ( http://kleinfeldbridal.com/index.cfm?pid=52&item_id=11943&showpic=main&rowid=24&page=2 ) but don't quote me on that

vstu12

Ditto twix- I'm petite and 5'0. I just purchased a fit and flare gown, and it was by far the most flattering to my figure. Anything else made my torso shorter than it already is, and didn't do anything for my small waist.  The best thing you can do is go to a bridal salon and try on a bunch of different styles- you'll know right away what works and what doesn't.

shortee426

I'm 4'10 as well.  My biggest advice is to stay away from the big ball gown.  Even though one consultant told me that a dress like that will look good as long as it falls in all the right places, I felt like the skirt would swallow me.  I was initially leaning toward fit n flare, but I ended up with A-line.

As for making you look taller, as one PP mentioned hers did...do you WANT to look taller?  I personally love that I am so teeny and I can't stand when things make me look taller.  However, I don't want to look stumpy either.

Really, you just need to try different silhouettes on and see what you like best.

Cynthia1207

I'm 5'1 and ballgowns were the only style that looked good on me so to those that said nix the ballgowns....sorry but they do look good!  The gown I bought accents the waistline so it makes me look taller and it definitely defines my waist.  Dropped waist I would stay away from.  They would only shorten you as do mermaids.  Mermaids made me look like a skinny minny.  I never thought of a ballgown until I tried it on because I thought it would swallow me.  To my surprise, it didn't.  My suggestion would be to try on different silhouettes to see what looks good on YOU.  Yes you might be petite as I am but what looked good on me might differ from what you are looking for.  Keep an open mind while shopping and just try one dress from each style and work your way from there.

ninja500

David's Bridal, David's Bridal, David's Bridal. I can't say enough good things about them.  #1 reason I love them is they sell petite dresses.  I did go a  few other stores and everyone was so helpful, but they only had huge sizes for me to try on and sorry, I'm not going to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a dress that I can bareley tell will look great on - especially the proportions.

I feel your frustration.  Try being a barely A cup looking for a bra.