Brides demonstrate a new trend — there are more wedding dresses

There was a time when a wedding dress was supposed to speak for itself. One dress, one walk down the aisle, one defining look. After all, the brides chose exactly the dress that they needed.

But increasingly, for some brides, it is not so much one specific outfit that is important, but many different looks, writes xrust. One of the reasons is the transformation of wedding events into multi-day, cinematic events. There are welcome parties, post-wedding parties, and farewell brunches.

Pnina Tornai, lead designer at Kleinfeld Bridal and a contestant on TLC's «Say Yes To The Dress,» said the trend isn't just about changing dresses. This is a kind of storytelling. Without this, weddings go by very quickly. And brides want to stretch out the moment and express all facets of their personality.”

A similar philosophy was on display during Venus Williams and Andrea Preti's five-day wedding celebration in Palm Beach, Florida, in December. For the rehearsal dinner, Ms. Jacobs' team at Anne Barge designed a custom ballgown, one of several outfits Ms. Williams wore throughout the celebration. The bride also wore dresses from at least nine other designers, including wedding dresses from Ms. Tornai, Georges Hobeika, Nadia Manjarres, Jacqueline White, Natalie and Meital, Vona Concept, Kim Cassas, Julie Vino and Morilee New York (twice).

On her Stockton Street podcast, Ms Williams explained her logic: «I didn't want to pick one dress — so I added more events.» This strategy, while out of reach for many couples, has become a form of creative expression for those with the necessary resources.

Mrs. Tornay designed a fitted crepe dress for Miss Williams, which she wore before the wedding rehearsal dinner. “Brides used to wear robes when they got ready for their wedding,” Mrs. Tornai said. “But the rehearsal dress is really something new!”

For some brides, changing multiple outfits is not a fantastic fad or fashion trend, but a tradition. Ruchika Devalapalli, a 31-year-old film studio executive in Los Angeles, wore nine outfit changes during her four-day Hindu wedding in Phuket, Thailand, in November. “It was part of the culture for us,” she said. “Indian weddings include many events, and each of them has its own energy.”

Ms. Devalapalli chose to combine Indian craftsmanship with Western silhouettes. Except for the ceremony and sangeet (pre-wedding celebration), most of her looks were Indo-Western or all-Western in style, chosen to suit the luxurious ambiance of the resort. Many of her outfits were created by Indian designers such as Bhavna Rao, Mishra, Anamika Khanna, Gaurav Gupta and Rahul Mishra, a cultural nod to the couple on their big day, as well as non-Indian designers such as Thierry Mugler, Staud and Jacquemus.

The influence of social networks

Showcasing outfits on social media has reinforced this shift. “If you wear the same dress all night, it gets boring. People are just scrolling through profiles,” Ms. Tornai said. «If you change dresses, people say, 'Wow, that's a new dress, how many dresses has she already worn?' It's like being on the red carpet. This is a whole event.»

She added that restraint is still important. “The third option is usually the best one. A wedding dress is sacred. The second image is still important. The third is when you can relax.”

Social networks also expand the choice when making purchases. Today's brides are navigating a world shaped by Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok, where inspiration is endless and sometimes overwhelming. “You could try on 10 dresses in a store, walk away, open your phone and see 150 different dresses that look nothing like the ones you tried on,” Ms. Terranova said. «And here we are.»

Kristen Victoria Anderson, a 32-year-old content creator from Toronto with 1.4 million YouTube subscribers, felt four outfit changes were necessary to convey her personality at her wedding ceremony at a castle outside Barcelona in October. “One outfit couldn’t contain all my versions,” she said. “I didn’t just change clothes. I changed chapters.» She also posted content on her channels, including an hour-long video.

She said her day unfolded like a storyline: a classic wedding dress by Eva Lendel, then a bespoke diamond gown by Fjolla Haxhismajli for a dramatic reception entrance, then a playful corseted minidress by Babyboo for the after-party, and finally, A romantic lace dance dress from Aston Bridal.

“Because my wedding was in a castle, I was completely immersed in a fantasy world,” Ms. Anderson said. “The outfits changed just like on the wedding day.”

Her husband, Reef Anderson, a 33-year-old content creator and business owner, picked up on her energy with three different looks, proving that outfit changes aren't just a wedding thing anymore. “We both understood the challenge.”

Wedding stylists are in great demand

Behind these multi-faceted events is the growing role of the wedding stylist. Professionals like Lindsay Terranova and Jackie Avrumson help brides approach their wedding celebrations as strategically as fashion editors approach the red carpet.

«Brides don't want to feel locked into one look,» said Ms. Avrumson, who owns a bridal salon in New York. “They want to move, breathe, dance and still feel like the best dressed person in the room.”

Ms. Avrumson attributes the shift to the post-Covid era, when micro-weddings and postponed celebrations have made re-dressing more common. Brides who got married in minidresses in their backyard often wore them again later, at larger events, paired with another wedding look, helping the trend spread, she said.

Ms. Terranova, founder of Boston Bridal Stylist, said that bridal stylists handle logistics, transporting dresses, accessories, shoes and helping with dressing.

Changing each outfit can take from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on accessories, makeup and hairstyle. Ms. Anderson rehearsed the outfit changes as choreography with her bridesmaid and hairdresser. Miss Devalapalli worked with her bridal stylist Shifa Firoz, drawing on a detailed catalog of looks she had spent a year working on, detailing every hairstyle, makeup adjustment and accessory change. On the day of the ceremony, she changed clothes three times.

Output

At the beginning of the topic, the phrase slipped through: if you have a resource. We think this is the main thing in the scope of a wedding event. If there is no money, you will have to express yourself in other ways.

Xrust Brides demonstrate a new trend — there are more wedding dresses