Wedding Gowns & Trends of the Decade (2010-2019)

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.

What 1939 Fashion Designers Thought We'd Wear in 2000

This was simply too good not to share! And actually, not all wrong... illusion bodices, women wearing pants, and funky heels were apparently in the forecast! They may have been about 20 years off for the wedding dress, but there's also a gown that I'm pretty sure is right up our alley for today. Make sure to stay tuned for how men will be equipped with "a telephone, a radio, and container for coins, keys, and candy for cuties."

Clothing of the Future. Wonderful film showing what the fashion designers of America predict women will be wearing in the year 2000 AD. These predictions were made in 1939 so some 61 years before the Millennium. Not sure they got it right really!

The Love in Martin Luther King Jr's Legacy

All weekend we had brides, friends, and consultants of nearly every color smiling, laughing, and celebrating along side each other. I couldn't imagine a more appropriate way to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and love.

Of course, we still have a ways to go. Women of color are clearly under-represented in most wedding publications. Even our Real Wedding Features pages clearly demonstrates this, which is a problem considering the number of women of color we serve every day. In fact, MunaLuchi Bridal Magazine is the only major wedding publication that featured one of our non-Caucasian couples due to their mission to help represent women of color and their beautiful weddings that are also a part of our wedding industry.

No matter the bride, we are thankful for you: black, white, hispanic, young, old, skinny, curvy, whatever -- please send us your wedding photos so we can help represent EVERY bride!
(NOTE: we are working on pages that feature all submitted weddings, not just ones featured in major bridal publications. In the meantime, you can see many of our lovely brides here)

Why You Have a Ring on It

CONGRATULATIONS to all new brides-to-be!! We can't wait to join your journey for your dream gown so you can have the perfect wedding. And what a fine day it is to be engaged, isn't it? Now that you have a stunning ring on your finger, have you thought about why it's there? Why has tradition chosen to put a ring on that particular finger in the first place? The answer is not quite as random as you may think. Trust me. You absolutely want to read this.

The Chinese Explanation

The Chinese have given a beautiful and very convincing theory as to why the wedding ring should go on the fourth finger. As the story goes :

Look at your left hand, the hand that your wedding ring goes on, and do you see your thumb? Well the thumb represents your parents. Now your index finger, or your first finger, represents your siblings. The third finger, loving called the middle finger by some, represents yourself. Where the fourth finger represents your life partner. And your pinkie is to represent the children you will some day have.

Now if you place both of your hands together and bend your middle fingers together, and leave the other fingers touching together (like shown in the picture).When your hands are in this position, do the following:

Step 1:
Pull your thumbs apart. (this represents the parents) Your thumbs will open because you and your parents are not destined to be together forever. At some point they will leave you in your life.

Step 2:
Now put your thumbs back together.

Step 3:
Repeat the same motion with your index fingers (this representing your siblings). Of course your index fingers will also separate because you are also not destined to be with your siblings for the rest of your life. They will move on and have families of their own.

Step 4:
Now put them back together.

Step 5:
Now separate your pinkies. (representing your future children) Of course these will also separate because your children will not be with you forever. They will grow up to have lives and families of their own as well.

Step 6:
Now put them back together.

Step 7:
Now for your "ring" finger. (representing your life partner) Try separating them as you did with the other. Can't do it can you? That is because your life partner is the one who is supposed to be with you for the rest of your life. They will be the one to be with you forever and through thick and thin.

Roman belief

According to the Roman belief, the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because of a vein that we have in our left "ring" finger. This vein is called the vena amoris, meaning "the vein of love." It was believed that this vein ran directly to the heart and that the "ring finger" was the only finger that contained it. As romantic as that may sound, we now know that this is not true.

Fun Idea: Print this, and give your guests something fun to read on your wedding programs to give your guests something fun to read during any waiting time. Make sure to warn your photographer so you can get some keepsake shots of your guests trying to do this!

(Original Source)