Modest wedding dresses look great on all brides. There are styles that never go out of style and so it is with modest wedding dresses. A bride does not need to be revealing at all to be perceived as beautiful, and in fact, any bride who looks elegant and classy will be admired by both her fiancé and her guests.

Modesty in a bride is especially admired because traditionally wearing white was an indication of a lady’s virginity. Those days seem to be long gone, as many brides are already living with their partner before the wedding day, and it’s not up to others to speculate on what goes on behind closed doors anyway! However, the bride who chooses modest wedding dresses is giving her future husband a certain amount of respect for her choice, because her ‘modesty’ means to him that she is not trying to attract to other men. That she has chosen him and him alone. This is a very subtle indication for him and one that will certainly be recognized and respected internally, if not declared externally.

Here are 5 top tips to make sure yours is, in fact, a modest wedding dress:

1. Stay away from strapless or spaghetti straps. Long sleeves, short sleeves, three-quarter sleeves, and even cap sleeves will be fine.

2. Plunging necklines are definitely out of the question, but if the dress you love so much has a very low neckline, it can easily be remedied by adding a bit of ruffled tulle or lace along the hem. If done right, it can actually enhance the look of the dress immensely, as there’s really no need to show off that much cleavage in the first place.

3. Naturally, the hemline should not be short like in a mini, but if you don’t like a floor-length hemline, you may want to opt for a tea-length wedding dress.

4. Open back dresses are still considered modest, however, use your own judgment or ask a good friend’s opinion.

5. It may or may not seem obvious to you, but the color of modest wedding dresses you select should also fall within modesty guidelines. Nothing too dark, definitely not hot pink, Ferrari red, or black! However, it is not essential that you wear white and ivory, and cream are lovely colours, too. Depending on personal and family tradition, you can also get away with wearing modest wedding dresses in a wider range of colors.