It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices for wedding dresses in bridal shops. However, if you are well-tuned to your personal style and want to stick to it for your big day, the selection can become much more manageable.
Quite often, all you have to do is evaluate the best pieces in your wardrobe and quickly identify the silhouettes that flatter your body and the style details that reflect your personality. To help streamline this task even more for you, discussed below are seven common personal styles and the wedding dress designs that perfectly suit each one.
Boho-Chic
If you describe your style as boho-chic, most of your clothes are probably light, airy, and flowy. Nothing is too tight, although the silhouette is slim and feminine.
Some of the best boho-chic options for wedding gowns and evening dresses, bridal consultants say, are those dainty drop shoulder lace dresses with a high-low skirt. Another lovely option is an A-line dress with statement sleeves made of batiste fabric. Batiste is a breathable material, which is cool to wear for outdoor weddings.
Marchesa’s bridal collection is abundant with exquisite boho-chic dresses. Many of the pieces are quirky, a little hippie-ish, and romantic.
Minimalist
If your style is more straightforward and you don’t like a lot of fancy details to your outfits, then you are a minimalist. For your wedding gown, it would be best to focus on the texture of the piece. Consider a slightly heavy material with simple embroidery or monochromatic graphic shapes. As for the silhouette, it’s best to go with clean lines.
If you are looking for stunning minimalist wedding gowns in Dubai, check out Carolina Herrera’s collection. The Venezuelan fashion designer is known for her classy, elegant, but rather simple designs, such as what she made for Olivia Palermo, Emmy Rossum, and Christina Hendricks.
What’s particularly special about her wedding dresses is that she’s all about the subtle elements that have a wow impact. For Olivia’s dress, she added shorts. For Idina Menzel’s gown, the skinny black belt turned a classic gown into one with a bit of an edgy vibe. Carolina Herrera’s creations are never too busy — everything looks intentional and well-crafted.
Preppy
Preppy styles are all about the structure. Everything has to fit well, but must be functional, too. Therefore, a lot of brides with such a personal style typically gravitate toward modest wedding dresses, or ones with pockets, or even suits.
A perfect example of a rather preppy wedding gown is the Givenchy boat neck dress Meghan Markle wore for her wedding to Prince Harry. It’s simple and comfortable, and the neckline was indeed the highlight because it showed off her elegant neck and shoulder-line, but it was not revealing in any way.
Vintage
When it comes to brides with a vintage style, dresses in the cuts and silhouettes of the women’s dresses featured in the Amazon Prime hit series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” or the Broadway musical “Hairspray” are top picks. They not only highlight the feminine figure well but also present a lot of statement details that make for fetching bridal fashion.
For a lot of women, the perfect vintage wedding dress is always tea-length, meaning the hem falls just right under the knees and it’s flattering to the neck, chest, and shoulders. Therefore, many of these dresses have a sweetheart neck or a square neckline.
When it comes to statement details, you will often see a charming apron bow, big buttons, and asymmetrical collars. And when it comes to accessories, a vintage style wedding dress is rarely complete without gloves and a hat or headband.
Edgy
Edgy is the style of women who tend to have masculine preferences. They usually like big bikes, tattoos, leather, and dark colors. However, many of them enjoy romantic designs for wedding gowns. Thus, they often request conventional cuts and silhouettes, but they want to play around with the embellishments and accessories.
Popular edgy wedding gown choices are those with a dyed hemline, dark over lace, sexy cut-outs, and black sashes or belts. They are often custom-made.
But boho-chic wedding dresses are also in-demand for women with an edgy style. They just toughen up the romantic look by wearing a leather jacket, boots, hat and sunglasses, and going heavy with the silver jewelry.
Ladylike
If you have a ladylike style, you’re all about emphasizing your feminine qualities. When it comes to wedding dresses that are soft and feminine, Monique Lhuillier is considered one of the world’s experts. She works with traditional designs and glams them up with a carefully calculated combination of details.
Monique Lhullier gowns are always stunning, and you will find that every piece is meticulously crafted to celebrate the radiant bride. Therefore, no effort is spared for the gowns to let the bride shine. Embroidery, beading, feathers, and more — Monique uses all of these to create an ethereal moment for ladylike brides.
Trendy
Brides-to-be with trendy styles may just have the easiest time finding the perfect gown for the day they say “I do.” They are likely to gravitate toward the latest designs off the runway and ones that are featured in fashion magazines.
For 2020 and 2021, some of the top trends for wedding gowns are the following:
- Buff — Some like to call it nude, while others interchange buff with ginger. But basically, it’s a skin-tone color which has an ethereal effect.
- Frothy — This is a look for fabric that somehow makes brides look like they’re on a cloud. Marchesa, Monique Lhuillier, and Oscar de la Renta have jumped on this trend.
- Green — Green wedding gowns and green embellishments on dresses are in for this year and the next. Nature green, seafoam green, and mint green are the top bridal shades.
The style guide above should be useful, especially if your personal style is included in this list. But, do remember that you are free to have your own vision for your wedding gown. You can use the ideas shared here to make decision-making easier to do, or have a bespoke gown created for you.
For even more assistance, head to a reputable bridal shop in your area. A bridal consultant can answer whatever questions you may have and help you pick a dress that can show your unique style.
AUTHOR BIO
Kristie Romanos is the creative director of Esposacouture, a luxury bridal boutique offering every bride-to-be a one-stop-shop to find her perfect wedding look. Esposa Group includes Esposa Privé and Esposa boutiques in Lebanon and Dubai, offering a multi-brand selection showcasing the works of international designers. Kristie is also the designer behind EsposaCouture.