When it comes to wedding gowns, one of the most important parts for aesthetic reasons is the neckline. The neckline can make a dress sexy; it can make it classy. It can give a dress the sense of regality or royalty as well as a sense of danger. As much as anything else, the neckline highlights the face of the bride, which then leads into the rest of the wedding dress on a bride’s special day.

As with other areas of a wedding dress, there are multiple looks and styles that pertain to the neckline alone. Not every neckline goes well with every dress or shape of the bride, but there are no hard rules for which neckline must go with which dress style. Below is a list of styles for each bride to consider for her gown:

Scoop – this neckline is the most popular of all wedding dresses. That’s because, at the same time, it gives the impression of innocence and sexiness. The scooped dress comes down from both shoulders, and curves just at the point of cleavage, showing a little bit but not too much. Sometimes this same pattern will follow along the back of the dress. Every body type will be flattered with this style.

Off-the-shoulder – this neckline highlights the bride’s neck and shoulders, with fabric along the shoulders to help with the silhouette. Depending on the comfort of the bride, it can be cut low or high, but is usually featured with the higher cut. Women with fuller arms usually won’t wear this style of dress, yet it will look fantastic on women with hourglass figures.

Sabrina/Bateua – this neckline is sometimes seen as different necklines. In general, it’s cut straight across the shoulders, a very modest neckline, but it can also be cut just a little lower. It is known as the Sabrina because it was named after a dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the movie of the same name. This dress works best with smaller breasted women.

Strapless – a classic, regal looking wedding gown neckline, it’s usually combined with a boned bodice for great support. It helps to feature women with great shoulders and collarbones, and of course looks stunning on women with fuller breasts. The back of the dress is usually cut just a bit lower than the front, but not too low, otherwise the dress won’t stay on.

Spaghetti straps – this dress can look like any other dress, but is mostly associated with the strapless dress style. Obviously, the differences in the two dresses are the straps themselves, but what the straps allow is for a dress to have a plunging backside and still allow the bride to keep the dress on. Very daring, yet it works wonders for slim brides with hourglass figures.

Halter – this neckline wraps around the neck, creating deep armholes, yet allowing for a nice diversity of styles that range from a deep, plunging neckline and back to a more conservative front that highlights the shoulders and long, slender arms.

Jewel/T-shirt – this is a more modern neckline, where the part around the neck reminds one of a t-shirt, but is covered with jewels that help bring sparkle to the wedding dress. This one works wonders for a woman who wants to feature her neck as one of her best attributes.

V-neck – this neckline makes for the sexiest of all wedding gowns, as its intention is to highlight a woman’s cleavage while de-emphasizing the bust line. A V-neck can be cut very low, which makes a wedding dress almost scandalous, or it can be cut higher, just below the bottom of where the breasts will sit. It’s a great dress for women with moderate bust sizes.

The proper neckline on a wedding dress goes a long way towards making the bride’s face memorable in her guests’ minds way after the wedding day.