When wedding season rolls around, it can feel impossible to have enough outfits. When you’re pregnant and can’t choose from your regular wardrobe, it feels even harder. Is it frowned upon to re-wear? What’s in style this season? Are you going to accidentally match with anyone? These are all valid questions.
If you’re looking for maternity dress inspiration to add to your wedding outfit rotation, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve pulled together a list of some of the best long maternity dresses out there that’ll have you feeling gorgeous and confident at the next wedding on your calendar. So get ready to show off the baby bump, and read on for all the outfit inspo you need for your dress shopping journey.
1. Briar Dress
A briar dress is the perfect light and flowy long maternity dress for a summer wedding, but they can be worn well into the fall, too, depending on the color. The staple of a briar dress is the elastic bodice that sinches the dress. Aside from the bodice as the main feature, what’s above and below is unique to the dress. Some may be off-the-shoulder dresses; some are short sleeved, some have long flowy sleeves. Whatever the style, they’re the perfect long maternity dress because the elasticity of the sinch makes it a sure bet for comfort, no matter where it falls in regards to your baby bump. And perhaps the best part? Thanks to its loose form under the bodice, a briar dress will still be flattering postpartum.
2. Slip Dress
A slip dress could be a short dress that falls above the knees, or it could be a midi. Or a maxi. Or a long maternity dress. Whatever the slip dress’s length, it’s going to be flattering. That’s the magic of the slip dress. They fall just tightly enough over the body to still show hints of your shape, but loosely enough to leave something to the imagination. And you can find them in just about any color or pattern, but in my humble opinion, you can never go wrong with a sleek black. The result is a comfortable maternity dress that you can rock when you’re eight months pregnant or even just eat a really big meal in and still feel sexy.
3. Cap Sleeve Dress
A cap sleeve dress often falls somewhere in between T-shirt sleeves and sleeveless, making it slightly more formal than the former while still maintaining a hint of a sleeve. The length of the sleeves may vary, but one constant that puts a dress or shirt in the cap sleeve category is the way in which it tapers off to nearly nothing under the arm. Because of that tapering, the sleeves are like a little cap for your shoulders, hence the name, and those small caps successfully add a flattering vertical effect to your figure. Between the popularity of the style and the variations and colors available, a cap sleeve dress is the perfect long maternity dress to rock at your next wedding.
4. The Long Empire Dress
It’s almost as if the style of an empire waist dress was made for maternity. The empire waist is a waistline that’s raised higher than the typical waistline and sometimes as high as armpit level. Thanks to that staple extra high-waisted feature, an empire dress makes an excellent long maternity dress. The high waist, often barely recognizable as a “waist,” allows the dress to fall loosely down your body, typically making it flowy, loose, and comfortable. Empire dresses can work for any season, depending on the style. A flowy dress (like the one pictured below, but not in white of course) could do the trick for a spring or summer wedding, but a long-sleeve empire dress is a great winter option as well. If you’re looking for comfort with a big baby bump, check out this style for the perfect long maternity dress.
5. Bodycon Dress
Feeling proud of your pregnant body? We don’t blame you, and we want you to show it off. That’s what bodycon dresses are for, and they make them as long maternity dresses, too. You can find these dresses in nearly any color, any style, any cut; there are halter top bodycon dresses, long sleeve bodycon dresses, even bodycon dresses that are also sweater dresses, like a hybrid of the two. The most noticeable thing about a bodycon dress is that it’s tight, which may make it seem like an unlikely choice for a maternity dress. However, to achieve that figure-hugging tightness, bodycon dresses are also very stretchy, and it’s that elasticity that makes them the perfect long maternity, as comfortable as it is flattering. So if you’re in the mood to show off your baby bump and the body bearing it all, go for a bodycon dress. You can never go wrong with a simple, sexy, tight black dress.
Notes Before You Shop
Whichever style you choose, make sure you’re buying a maternity dress, not just a dress you think you can squeeze into. Maternity clothes, like these long maternity dresses, are designed specifically to suit a pregnant body; they stretch in the right places, and hug the right places, and they’re sure to be a comfortable fit. Choosing the wrong clothes when you’re pregnant can be uncomfortable at the very least, and at the very worst, can harm you or your baby, though such an extreme isn’t common.
Hopefully this guide shows you just how many options are out there for long maternity dresses that you can rock at your next wedding. And at the end of the day, remember that your baby bump is going to be the best accessory there is, so whatever you choose, wear your maternity dress with confidence.