The Tamesis
Wearing white on your wedding day—whether ivory, eggshell or cream—has been a staunch tradition since it was first popularized by Queen Victoria in the 19th century. Today, however, more and more modern brides are choosing to pursue something more colorful. According to statistics, 15% of brides now choose non-white wedding dresses, a number that has steadily increased over the past decade. A-list stars have also been setting the trend, with Gwen Stefani, Anne Hathaway and Chloë Grace Moretz all wearing colorful wedding dresses, while social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest have inevitably provided brides-to-be with more inspiration than ever before.
However, the big white dress is the key symbol of the bride. When you wear other clothes, will you still feel that today is your wedding? The short answer is of course yes. For many brides, choosing to wear a non-white gown is about how they feel about their big day, and personal style says a lot about who we are today.
Designer Amy Anderson of Kindred of Ireland has seen an increase in the number of brides coming to her for custom-made colorful gowns. “It’s a natural reaction to the kind of brides we already attract,” she explains. “She is typically more relaxed, independent and less bound by bridal tradition. Color becomes part of the conversation because it makes the bride feel more personal, expressive and wearable. For many of our brides, especially those having smaller or more intimate weddings, there is less of a desire to dress for a bridal ideal and more of a beautiful dress that reflects their true style.”
One of Anderson’s recent brides was Jess Murray, who wore a bright pink dress in homage to her own mother, who got married in green in the ’70s. “When my mom wore green to get married, it was quite radical and obviously caused some backlash, so I liked that feeling of doing things my own way,” she explains. “It gave me the confidence to choose something that was true to me rather than following set expectations.”
The broader trend toward more personal, less prescriptive traditional weddings is another reason why many brides are eschewing big white dresses in favor of something simpler. “There was nothing traditional about our wedding because neither of us wanted a big wedding and we both hate being the center of attention, so we kept it very small,” says Charlotte McCown-Hawes. “This meant it was quite casual compared to a traditional dress, which would incorporate elements, such as a large white dress. I wore a light pink Simone Rocha dress with orange floral embroidery that I fell in love with at the sample sale – it was perfect for our day.”
