While the thought of a full ball gown might be the princess ideal of a wedding dress, the reality is that a mermaid dress can be the perfect gown for any bride. 

Mermaid wedding dresses start with a tightly-fitting bodice and maintain their curve-hugging features down to the bride’s knees, where it dramatically flares out. Mermaid gowns can have long sleeves adorned with lace or beading and can cover a bride’s chest. Many think of this gown as one of the sexiest gowns for any bride. Despite this common misconception, mermaid gowns don’t need to reveal much skin at all. 

The mermaid gown provides ample opportunities for the bride who wants to show off her best assets to, whether through a plunging neckline or an emphasized waist. 

Thinking about a mermaid dress for your big day, or just curious how the style could look on a body like yours? Keep reading to see some of our suggestions on how to incorporate this style. 

The Mermaid Misconception

While it’s true that the mermaid-style dress shows off more of the bride’s figure, it doesn’t mean that the gown is too revealing or immodest. Many worry that a mermaid dress is simply too much for their big day, but a mermaid-style dress done right only serves to show off your figure in the most flattering way. 

Some also seem to think that the mermaid dress needs to be strapless and feature a plunging neckline, which can worry brides who want to cover a bit more skin in front of their families. There are many types to choose from with options for the more modest bride, though. And of course, for brides who want to show off their curves and a little more skin, there’s a mermaid-style dress for you, too. 

Now that we have the misconceptions out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the features of the mermaid dress and get some ideas for your big day.

4 Mermaid Wedding Dress Ideas

Idea 1: Plunging Neckline

Even though not all mermaid dresses need a plunging or revealing neckline, a mermaid dress is one of the perfect styles to accentuate a bride’s bust. What better way to do so than with a plunging neckline? 

The mermaid dress brings attention to the bride’s hips, making the bride’s silhouette appear more hourglass than it may be naturally. A plunging neckline helps the bride show off more of their bust and emphasize it while diminishing the waist’s size. 

For a great example of a plunging neckline done tastefully, take a look at our Ari Villoso gowns.

Idea 2: Pair With A Skirt

A mermaid gown doesn’t mean you need to forego the luxurious feel of a full skirt. Yes, we mean it! 

While it might sound impossible, mermaid-style gowns can be paired with an overlay skirt, giving you fullness for your ceremony and photos and practicality for the party. Many skirts are removable, which lets you change your look throughout your wedding while still giving you that feeling of being a princess. 

Gowns like this also help to narrow the bride’s waist and bring more fullness to her hips. For styles like this, check out one of our Adore gowns by Justin Alexander. 

Idea 3: Dainty Straps

Wearing a strapless gown can be worrisome for brides nervous about a slip-up. Many wedding gown skirts’ fullness means dainty and thin straps often appear unbalanced, meaning fuller dresses often demand no sleeves or more exaggerated ones. 

The mermaid gown, though, is the perfect skirt style to pair with thin and dainty straps. The gown’s focus is brought lower to the bride’s hips, and as such, the thin straps aren’t as unbalanced as they can appear on other dresses. When paired with elegant and ethereal appliques, your guests won’t notice the thin straps at all. 

For an example of a dress matching this exact style, take a look at these pieces by Ari Villoso. 

Idea 4: Fuller Sleeves

As we briefly mentioned, the mermaid gown doesn’t mean you have to expose your arms fully. For the bride more self-conscious about her arms, dresses with fuller and more covering sleeves are available as well. Some may have beading and overlays, while others, such as our Eva Lendel gown, feature solid fabrics. 

Regardless of which style of sleeve you as a bride prefer, there is a mermaid gown that fits the bill. 

Want to Show That Body Off?

Who says being sexy on your wedding day is a bad thing? So many wedding tips encourage you to emphasize modesty, but it’s your wedding day. If you want to show off your hips and cleavage, then that’s your decision to make — don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. 

One way to emphasize the sex appeal of the mermaid-style gown is to pair it with a boned bodice. The boned bodice gives a corset or lingerie appearance, which tells your guests you want attention drawn to the chest. 

This also helps provide a bit more shape to your top half, helping to cinch in the waist and emphasize the bust, just as a historical corset does. A great example is this sleek and sultry Ari Villoso gown.

Let Us Help You Find the Perfect Dress

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Let’s Find Your Dream Dress.

At Sposa Mia Bridal, our hand-curated collection of Bridal Gowns will steal your heart, with a mixture of price point and styles we provide a unique selection of gowns and accessories that is elegant, timeless and romantic.

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