I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to post this article, which I’ve been waiting a full TEN YEARS to write!! It’s been such a joy to watch bridal gown trends grow and evolve over the past few decades, and I truly, truly mean it when I say that the past decade has really been the best time ever to be shopping for a wedding dress.
You know when you read one of those fashion magazine “trend alert” articles, and wonder where they are getting these-so called trends from and if anyone actually wears anything like that? This isn’t that kind of article. Not only did we take a look back in the vault to
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2010: Mikaella 1406
TREND OF THE YEAR 2010: Rusching
It was no surprise why rushing became so popular: it is so, so flattering on everyone. Want to make your wait look tinier? Done. Want to give the illusion you actually have hips? Done. Want to hide that food baby in your belly? Done. Who wouldn’t love a gown that accentuates the curves you love and hides the ones you don’t? And of all the gowns that followed this trend, Mikaella 1406 certainly did it best.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2011:
San Patrick “EDIMBURGO” & Mikaella 1508
TREND OF THE YEAR 2011: Ruffles
Ruffles came in every way, shape, and form and we were here for it. Not gonna lie, I wasn’t a fan of ruffles before this year, but 2011 showed be all the ways you can make ruffles work in a variety of ways.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2012: Allure Romance 2455
TREND OF THE YEAR 2012: Capped sleeves & Keyhole backs
Strapless gowns had been a trend for the entire decade prior, and there were only so many ways you could design a strapless gown. After Kate Middleton’s stunning appearance in her elegant, long-sleeved Alexander McQueen gown in 2011, the strapless gown trend finally broke the following year and made way for new designs such as the keyhole back.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2013: Justin Alexander 8557
TREND OF THE YEAR 2013: Floral Lace
Lace has been queen for forever and a half, but nothing was more exciting than when designers started to really stretch their imaginations with what they could do with lace. It’s been a game-changer.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2014:
Allure Romance 2716 & Mikaella 1911
TREND OF THE YEAR 2014: It’s all about the back
If we thought keyhole backs were were interesting, we had a whole new treat coming for us. We had already noticed trains getting shorter over the years, and now the back of the wedding gown was finding any and every way to continue to make a statement. From interesting designs and ultra-low backs, bridal designers continue to find new and innovative designs to make the back of the wedding gown something to talk to about.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2015: Mikaella 2016
TREND OF THE YEAR 2015: Plunging necklines
When we first got this gown, we were shocked at how low this plunge was on the hanger. We knew there was someone out there that wouldn’t mind the plunge, but it wasn’t until we started actually seeing it on brides that we realized that the plunge was not nearly as scandalous as we initially thought. We were even more shocked when mothers and grandmothers even agreed that this plunge was both tastefully sexy and still modest enough for family approval. Needless to say, we weren’t shocked for very long and the plunging neckline has become one of our very favorite trends.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2016: THEIA “DEVON”
trend of the year 2016: the elegance of crepe
Satin, lace, and silk had really been the main fabrics to take over the bridal world for the previous couple decades. Sure, there was the occasional appearance of tulle (too stiff and net-like), organza (way better than tulle, but never replaced our traditional fabrics), or charmeuse and chiffon (both too thin for most gowns). I even had high hopes for mikado to take over, but that turned out to be too stiff compares to satin and silk. And then came crepe. We had made it to peak lace (scroll up and note how lace dominated since 2011) and now crepe was here to give us everything we didn’t know we needed. The weight of satin, with a touch of chiffon softness, and a matte look we were missing from the sheen of satin and silk. This is fabric is now a bridal mainstay and brought on the reminder that sometimes less is more.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2017: Atelier Pronovias “VICENTA”
TREND OF THE YEAR 2017: Illusion bodices / “Tattoo” lace
At this point, I’d say the overall trend of the decade is finally finding that balance between modesty and sexiness. The reason strapless gowns were seemingly the only wedding dress option for so long was because anytime brides’ tried to cover up their chests and shoulders, they suddenly felt “matronly.” So many times I heard brides comment on how decades and multiple children later, they wanted to look back at their wedding photos and remember how young and sexy they looked on their wedding day. And so, VICENTA was born along were all her sisters and cousins.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2018: Justin Alexander 8936
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2018: Long sleeves
Long sleeved bridal gowns certainly weren’t anything new in 2018, but there was definitely new embrace of the elegance and grace long-sleeves styles provide. Swoon.
STYLE OF THE YEAR 2019:
Essense of Australia D2761 & Madi Lane “Elora”
TREND OF THE YEAR 2019: Off-the-shoulder straps & the return of fuller skirts
Romantic. That’s all I can think when I see loosely-draped off-the-shoulder straps that are oh-so-dreamy. This look is also super easy to custom-add to styles originally designed to be strapless gowns, making it easier-than-ever to create the gown of your dreams.
2020… TBD…
Do you have any guesses?
I hope you enjoyed taking this decades-long journey. making this post was a super fun blast from the past, but also so so hard to narrow down these trends and styles. Really, there were sooo many phenomenal trends that came out of the past decade. bridal designers are continuing to bring on their a-game, so i cannot wait to see how the next decade of bridal fashion will evolve. the modern bride has so many more options to choose from than brides of the ‘90s. we’ve gone from solely celebrating with tradition, to embracing individuality and finding more and more novel ways to twist tradition with with uniqueness. as i have said time and time again, there has truly never been a better time to be a bride.
