While traditional wedding dresses are beautiful, they are also often very intricate and may be designed using stiff fabrics to create a certain shape and form.

For traditional, indoor weddings, an elegant, formal classic gown may be the perfect answer.

For those planning an outdoor, beach, destination, island, or other type of non-traditional wedding, a flowing, more informal dress will be much more suitable for the occasion.A flowy gown has a number of advantages for an outdoor or casual wedding.

A few reasons why you may want to consider a flowing rather than a form-fitting or highly structured gown include:Weather and Climate: A beach wedding or other outdoor ceremony or reception can encounter such conditions as wind, sand, saltwater spray, and other climactic or environmental conditions that make a stiff gown unreasonable.

Heat/Temperature: If your wedding will take place in an area with warm temperatures, a slightly looser or flowing dress will make the heat much more bearable - making the bride not only more comfortable, but allowing her to appear fresher and more beautiful as well. Conversely, a flowy gown will also look beautiful with a light wrap, shawl, or other layers as the temperatures cool down later in the day during the reception or for an evening wedding.

Aesthetic Appeal: One of the biggest aesthetic appeals of a beach wedding is the unstructured beauty of the natural environment. A stuffy formal dress may look out of place in this type of environment, whereas a more informal dress or casual beach wedding dress will fit in with more picturesque appeal for both onlookers and photographsExpense: A more informal gown can also be a much cheaper dress option; your gown can be purchased from a department store, as even a simple summer sundress is a viable choice.