Wedding dresses can be classified by formality, with formal evening dresses being the most elaborate and informal dresses being shorter and more casual. Brides can expect to pay from $600 for a formal dress and may choose to wear a family member’s dress. With so many options available, any bride can find her dream dress.
A bride shopping for wedding dresses has a dizzying array of options before her. There are as many different types of wedding dresses available as there are women to wear them.
One way to classify wedding dresses into understandable categories is by their formality. The formality of the wedding will determine a lot about the style of the wedding dress. The time of day and even the season of the wedding will also influence the choice of the bride. Weddings are generally classified as formal or daytime evening, semi-formal, and informal. These categories are flexible, but they provide a good starting point.
Formal evening weddings are the most elaborate, and it follows that the wedding dresses chosen for such an event are also very formal. Heavy satins, peau de soie, and shantung often feature in these wedding dresses, and the embellishments and laces will be more elaborate. A bride may also choose a longer train for a formal evening wedding, and her veil will usually be longer as well.
At a formal daytime wedding, a bride typically chooses a formal dress, but perhaps one that is lighter, especially in hot weather. She can wear short sleeves with gloves. Lightweight shantung or taffeta are popular fabrics for formal daytime wedding dresses. The bride’s train will be shorter than for an evening wedding, perhaps chapel length. A chapel-length train extends approximately three to five feet (1 to 1 1/2 meters) from the hem of the dress. Her veil can be fingertip or floor veiling.
Semi-formal evening or daytime wedding dresses will generally be less elaborate than very formal dresses. They can be made from a less elaborate fabric, like chiffon, and won’t feature as much lace or beading. They can be long or short sleeved, and if they have a train, it will usually be a sweep or waltz train, extending one to two feet (about half a meter) from the hem. The bride’s veil will be from her shoulder to her fingertips, as a rule.
Informal wedding dresses are usually shorter dresses or suits. They are generally hemmed from the knee to mid-calf and look more like a cocktail or party dress. These wedding dresses may have some beading or lace trim, and can be made of any fine suiting fabric, satin, shantung, or beaded chiffon. Brides generally don’t wear veils with casual dresses, instead opting for flowers in their hair or perhaps a hat.
Wedding dresses may feature “ballgown” skirts with crinolines, or they may be fitted sheaths. Some sheaths have detachable trains, while others are draped with bolero jackets over a strapless top. Sleeveless, sleeveless, and strapless dresses are popular in the United States right now, but 20 years ago, high necks and leg or mutton sleeves were all the rage. Wedding dress fashions change, just like other women’s fashions. A bride can expect to pay from US$600 and up for a formal wedding dress, less for an informal dress. Most brides start shopping for wedding dresses up to a year before the wedding, so they can do all the alterations and preparations in plenty of time.
A perennially popular wedding dress option is for a bride to wear her mother’s, grandmother’s, or aunt’s dress. If the gown can be altered and cleaned without damaging the garment, this can be a beautiful way to remember a loved relative.
Considering the number of options available, any bride should be able to find the wedding dress of her dreams.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
