4 lavish bridal gown design trends that will raise eyebrows on your wedding day
Brides can go for a beautiful clean silhouette, eye-catching bows, a voluminous look or be rebellious and try something different
For brides-to-be, finding a perfect wedding gown could be as challenging and fun as meeting Mr Right. From bold colours to voluminous skirts and an impressive bow, STYLE rounds up four key bridal trends of the season that ensure your trip down the aisle makes a happy statement.
The Meghan effect
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, everyone anticipated something traditional and princess-y for the royal wedding, but the Duchess wrong-footed them all with her striking, pared back elegant gown from Givenchy. The nearest in their predictions were Viktor & Rolf and Carolina Herrera who anticipated her influence by creating smooth, pure lines with only a hint of decoration in their summer 2019 collections. The new emphasis is on a beautiful clean silhouette with either a slender draped skirt, or super-full, with tulle underskirts, and completely unadorned – no lace, embroidery or ruffle. Stella McCartney, who designed Meghan’s bespoke wedding reception halter-neck gown, has just launched a 17-piece bridal collection continuing that ethos of sleek minimalism, and there are beautifully understated and sophisticated lines at Pronovias and Vera Wang.
Bows and blossoms
Vast bows and oversized florals create a strong focal point on a wedding dress – the trick is to let the rest of the dress form a smooth, clean silhouette. Big bows either centre-back (as seen at Marchesa Notte), or slightly pushed to the side are having a moment. In his debut bridal collection for Carolina Herrera, Wes Gordon added a bold yellow half-bow to the back of a simple white gown. Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia at Oscar de la Renta similarly finished the waist of a strapless gown with a sash and impressive half-bow. A big flat bow on an empire dress or bursts of 3D laser-cut flowers at Viktor & Rolf add something wonderful and extraordinary to their wedding dresses. Lush blooms are replacing the ditsy little floral laces that cover many a dress: Vera Wang’s are magnificently large corsages placed on the hip, while the yellow flowers and foliage from a bouquet are embroidered on the skirt of a Carolina Herrera dress. With bridal looks like these, skip the big veil and keep the bouquet to one colour to match the statement detail.
Voluminous joy
