Wedding Dress Trends... But are there any exciting alternatives?
The wedding dress trends at London’s Bridal Week featured statement sleeves, bridal separates, trouser suits and jumpsuits. New York presented a prevalence of pale blue gowns, delicately coloured laces, large-scale decorative motifs, a focus on legs and sheer, shimmery fabrics.
So, traditions are being subtly challenged. Plenty in there for the forward-thinking bride to choose from, no?
Why won't wedding dress trends suit everyone's taste?
Not really, no. Forward-thinking brides don’t all bear the same personal style, nor body shape and in the same way that everyday fashion trends don’t appeal to everyone, neither will centrally agreed bridal trends.
To elaborate, what if the bride to be:
- Instinctively feels that traditionally pale bridal colours won’t suit her?
- Has a unique personal style, that is not represented in bridal boutiques?
- Is not body confident enough to consider wearing something on her most important day, that wasn’t designed with her in mind?
- Has a non-standard shape (as do we all, frankly!) and seldom finds something she likes in the shops, that actually fits?
- Shares a quirky personal back-story with her betrothed, that she wants referenced in her gown?
- Favours a completely non-standard theme for her wedding, so is unlikely to find a suitable dress in the shops?
- For once in her life, doesn’t want to settle for whatever is available instore on this of all occasions?
Alternative Brides, we serve you!
There are a growing number of magazines and wedding fairs that respond to the unique wedding market, like Rock n Roll Bride, Outrageous Bride and Most Curious Wedding Fair, which warms my heart. It means that women are being more assertive about what they want to wear and there is a growing bank of wedding suppliers, who are ready to serve them. Their web and Instagram sites are full of vibrancy and moxie! I love that inspiration comes from these quirky couples, rather than fed down the chain from designers.

As a bespoke bridalwear designer, I get clients with very specific requirements, for example, a ballgown that won’t swallow up their petite proportions, a dress made only from recycled bridal fabrics, or an amalgamation of details seen on many dresses, but not in one.
Black Celebration
Recently, I have been getting an increasing number of requests for black wedding dresses. Each client requesting this, has a different personal style and back story, resulting in a completely different and therefore 100% unique black wedding dress. Not all black dresses are gothic, vampy nor overtly rebellious and simply buying a black evening dress is not sufficient. Most evening dresses lack the innate sense of ceremony that is woven carefully into the fibre of an actual purpose-built wedding gown and this shows on the aisle, during the first dance and in the photos that live on for evermore.
A good reason to have your alternative dress created exclusively for you, is that you definitely want to avoid ending up with a bridal gown that looks either like a Hallowe’en or theatre costume. Your designer will steer you towards something a lot more sophisticated. Each black dress is carefully nuanced, so can’t be found in the mass market.
What are the Alternative Bridal Trends?
So, what are the alternative bridal trends in the UK? There can be no truly definitive list on this, as the term “alternative” encompasses any strong individual style that isn’t covered by mainstream fashion. That said, I’ve noticed that these gutsy brides do tend to take a leap towards the strong colour statements – white wedding dresses could be dip dyed, or bear visible petticoats in rainbow hues, boldly coloured embellishments or embroidery overlays. Alternatively, they could choose a complete full-thrust into an overall jewel-tone, all the way through to black.
Usually the overall effect is dramatic, show-stopping and deliciously breath-taking. If you’re gonna go… go big, right? These brides walk the aisle as the best versions of themselves and all their guests agree that no other dress would have suited the couple’s vibe so perfectly. Discover how I make this happen!
An Alternative Solution!
So, if the bridalwear trends don’t make your heart flutter with joy, then contact me and I’ll create exactly what you want, without all the overwhelm. I’ll talk you through every step of the process and answer any questions that arise and you can be sure that your bespoke wedding dress will have been designed to suit you, accentuate your best features, fit you perfectly and make you feel amazing.
Wedding Dress Trends... But are there any exciting alternatives?
The wedding dress trends at Bridal Weeks in London and New York featured statement sleeves, bridal separates, trouser suits and jumpsuits. There was also a prevalence of pale blue gowns, delicately coloured laces, large-scale decorative motifs, a focus on legs and sheer shimmery fabrics.
So, traditions are being subtly challenged. Plenty in there for the forward-thinking bride to choose from, no?
Why won't wedding dress trends suit everyone's taste?
Not really, no. Forward-thinking brides don’t all bear the same personal style, nor body shape and in the same way that everyday fashion trends don’t appeal to everyone, neither will centrally agreed bridal trends.
To elaborate, what if the bride to be:
- Instinctively feels that traditionally pale bridal colours won’t suit her?
- Has a unique personal style, that is not represented in bridal boutiques?
- Is not body confident enough to consider wearing something on her most important day, that wasn’t designed with her in mind?
- Has a non-standard shape (as do we all, frankly!) and seldom finds something she likes in the shops, that actually fits?
- Shares a quirky personal back-story with her betrothed, that she wants referenced in her gown?
- Favours a completely non-standard theme for her wedding, so is unlikely to find a suitable dress in the shops?
- For once in her life, doesn’t want to settle for whatever is available instore on this of all occasions?
Alternative brides, we serve you!
There are a growing number of magazines and wedding fairs that respond to the unique wedding market, like Rock n Roll Bride, Outrageous Bride and Most Curious Wedding Fair, which warms my heart. It means that women are being more assertive about what they want to wear and there is a growing bank of wedding suppliers, who are ready to serve them. Their web and Instagram sites are full of vibrancy and moxie! I love that inspiration comes from these quirky couples, rather than fed down the chain from designers.

As a bespoke bridalwear designer, I get clients with very specific requirements, for example, a ballgown that won’t swallow up their petite proportions, a dress made only from recycled bridal fabrics, or an amalgamation of details seen on many dresses, but not in one.
Black Celebration
Recently, I have been getting an increasing number of requests for black wedding dresses. Each client requesting this, has a different personal style and back story, resulting in a completely different and therefore 100% unique black wedding dress. Not all black dresses are gothic, vampy nor overtly rebellious and simply buying a black evening dress is not sufficient. Most evening dresses lack the innate sense of ceremony that is woven carefully into the fibre of an actual purpose-built wedding gown and this shows on the aisle, during the first dance and in the photos that live on for evermore.
A good reason to have your alternative dress created exclusively for you, is that you definitely want to avoid ending up with a bridal gown that looks either like a Hallowe’en or theatre costume. Your designer will steer you towards something a lot more sophisticated. Each black dress is carefully nuanced, so can’t be found in the mass market.
What are the Alternative Bridal Trends?
So, what are the alternative bridal trends in the UK? There can be no truly definitive list on this, as the term “alternative” encompasses any strong individual style that isn’t covered by mainstream fashion. That said, I’ve noticed that these gutsy brides do tend to take a leap towards the strong colour statements – white wedding dresses could be dip dyed, or bear visible petticoats in rainbow hues, boldly coloured embellishments or embroidery overlays. Alternatively, they could choose a complete full-thrust into an overall jewel-tone, all the way through to black.
Usually the overall effect is dramatic, show-stopping and deliciously breath-taking. If you’re gonna go… go big, right? These brides walk the aisle as the best versions of themselves and all their guests agree that no other dress would have suited the couple’s vibe so perfectly. Discover how I make this happen!
An Alternative Solution!
So, if the bridalwear trends don’t make your heart flutter with joy, then contact me and I’ll create exactly what you want, without all the overwhelm. I’ll talk you through every step of the process and answer any questions that arise and you can be sure that your bespoke wedding dress will have been designed to suit you, accentuate your best features, fit you perfectly and make you feel amazing.