There is so much thought that needs to be put into finding the wedding dress for you. You need to think about what cut looks best on your body type (A-line, mermaid, sheath, tea length...), what sort of embellishments that look great and emphasize your assets (lace, beading, wrapped), accessories that will add to, not distract from, your overall look (a big bold necklace, simple pearl earrings), and color. Yes color. Shouldn't that be the easy part? Egh....
The color white is a fickle mistress.
Often when women try on their first wedding dresses, they choose a beautiful pure white dress that is the correct size and style—in fact, it could be the dress—but once they put it on, they look...weird. Instead of glowing, they look sick and washed out. The problem, my dear, is the color of the dress and looking at your skin tone will lead you to the answer you seek.
Study the colors in your skin. You can probably nail down the top shade of your skin—white, olive, black, or somewhere in between—but look at the undertones. What other color do you see? It is usually blue, red, or yellow. We are quite colorful, are we not? All of the colors that you find will help you decide what color dress you will look best in. And, no worries. I have a little guide that will help you out. There are always exceptions to the guide, so allow some wiggle room :)
Those of us who have dark skin or are really tan with red or blue undertones can pull of just about any shade of white. Lucky ducks. The darkness is a beautiful contrast against the white.
Lovely, no?
Keep in mind though that if you have an olive tone with your dark skin, try to steer clear of the white dresses with gold tones, because you will probably match the gold in the dress.
Just like women with dark skin and yellow undertones, olive or yellow skin tones want to stay away from white dresses with golden tones in them. Instead, try a pinky white or “cool white”. It will mellow your yellow and compliment you too!
If you happen to be of the palest of pale, like yours truly, and nicknamed Caspar as a child, a pure white dress is not the best choice. The pure white dress will emphasize the undertones of your skin pop out, making you look overly pink, blue, or yellow, depending on you. Go for an ivory dress or a dress with golder tones to it. Your skin will positively glow!
Above all, don't get miffed if you can't pull off that pure white dress you were dreaming of. You will be the only one in a white (ish) dress. Since no one will be standing next to you in a pure white dress, people will likely not even notice. Instead, focus on looking your best in the best shade of white for you. Happy dress hunting!
Images courtesy of David's Bridal
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