If you are out looking for Bay Area Wedding Dresses, Flares Bridal wants you to visit our boutique. We can provide you with award-winning, designer gowns that will be the ultimate statement at your wedding. Whatever you are looking for in terms of cut, cost, and style, we can provide it for you. All you have to do is set an appointment at our boutique for a fitting, or browse our selection online! There are many possibilities to choose from that we hope you are delighted by. We know that we are!

Before we get started, we want to talk to you about all of our options and tell you a little bit about our boutique. Flares Bridal runs out of Walnut Creek, CA, and has continually made an effort to ensure every bride who walks in walks out with her dream dress. We are here to make your fairytale dreams come true. If you have a specific dress in mind, we want to help you find it. In this article, you will find some descriptors and terms that designers use for their dresses so you know what to ask for.

Let’s take a look at some popular neckline styles, skirt styles, and designs.

Types of Necklines

A neckline is where the dress fits around your neck, chest, and shoulders. There are many shapes, more that are listed here, in fact. However, we want to walk you through some of the most popular ones so you know what to expect.

Sweetheart

The sweetheart style has a trademark heart-shape to it that enhances your natural curves. This is best used with either ballgown skirts or flare dresses to accentuate your form. Sweetheart necklines also work very well with lace, floral, and classic designs.

Plunge

A plunge drops deep down, usually past your sternum. This makes for a very daring, yet sophisticated, gown. Because of this, these are best styled with a flowy skirt or a fitting skirt. Lace, mesh, or tule look very good with a plunging neckline.

V-Neckline

This one is fairly self-explanatory. The v neckline is shaped like a v, and doesn’t fall low enough to be considered a plunge. This style can be applied with almost any skirt style or fabric. We see this as one of the more classic looks.

Bateau (or Boatneck)

A boatneck features a wide opening at the neck which is met with high straps or sleeves. It is called a boatneck more popularly than a bateau and does better with more structured dress designs and satin fabric.

Types of Skirts

The skirt is the bottom, or main body, of your gown. It can be huge and fluffy or understated and simple, the choice is yours. Furthermore, some fall straight, some hug your hips, some flare out like a queen’s gown. Let’s talk about the terms used to describe some of these.

Flare

This skirt hugs your hips but is lose at the bottom to give you an edge. It is somewhat similar to a mermaid skirt, though mermaid skirts tend to have seams where the “tail” is and this dress doesn’t. It is meant to flow in a more natural manner at the bottom. Flares look great with more relaxed materials and lace or floral designs.

Mermaid

A mermaid gown is very special because it fits the form of your legs and hips and suddenly flares out at the bottom, making it look like a mermaid tail. Looks great sleeveless.

Flowy

Gowns with this skirt are long and flowy but lack significant structure so that it lays against your body or blows in the wind. These dresses look great with plunge necklines, loose sleeves, and sheer material. If you want something that follows its own rules and blows in the wind, this is a great choice.

Ballgown

This is the trademark dress that is very large and flows out in all directions. It is almost always very long and is accompanied well with a train. If you want to look like a queen at her coronation, this will be the skirt style for you. These are the typical choice for women who would prefer to have a train.

Sleeve Styles

Sleeves are the part of the dress which holds your dress up around your arm. However, it can also be decorative instead of functional.

Sleeveless

This one speaks for itself. A dress without sleeves is sleeveless! These dresses usually have a fitting corset or something similar to keep it in place.

Spaghetti Strap

A spaghetti strap is a very thin sleeve which looks like the strap you’ll see on a tank top. Because of their delicate appearance, these pair very well with more loose dress designs.

Flowing

These are not fitted to your arm and can be long or short. They are usually sewn onto a spaghetti strap or similar sleeve. Because of this, these go great with straight-cut skirts and sheer fabrics as well.

Long Sleeve

Long sleeves are very versatile. These can be thick and go down to your wrists, or it can be made of sheer or decorative material. It is on-trend for women to wear dresses with sheer long sleeves that have floral or lace designs in them to give them a graceful silhouette. Because of this, we have many dress designs with long sleeves.

Contact Us

We are located in Walnut Creek, CA. Flares Bridal has been helping women find their dream dresses for years! You can contact Flares Bridal at (925) 939-3306. Alternatively, if you would like to make an appointment with us online, follow this link. That link will take you to a contact form which will allow you to give us your contact information and describe your needs in a short message. We can’t wait to hear from you for our Bay Area Wedding Dresses!

Facts About the Bay Area

• July and August are the foggiest months.
• There are more than 3,500 restaurants open in San Francisco.
• Famous hills such as Twin Peaks and Nob Hill are located here.
• To learn more about this great city, visit their website here.