If you are a newly engaged bride-to-be who is ready to start shopping for your wedding dress, you won’t want to miss this week’s advice post about wedding dress colors. If you have begun browsing online for wedding dresses you like, we have some important tips and things to consider when you are shopping that you may not have thought about before. Many brides begin shopping for their wedding dress early on in the wedding planning process. It’s one of the more fun items on the wedding planning checklist, and can help set the tone and style for the wedding day.
You have likely begun looking online or in bridal magazines for wedding dress inspiration. It can be overwhelming to begin the process of shopping for a wedding dress. Bridal gowns are so different from your everyday street clothes that it can be hard to determine what style or silhouette wedding dress to choose. Another important factor to consider when wedding dress shopping is what color to choose when purchasing your wedding dress. Long gone are the days when brides were expected to wear a pure white dress. Wedding dresses today come in many different shades of white along with blush pinks, silvery blues and even dramatic black. We are here to help guide you with how to decide what color wedding dress to buy.
It’s All In A Name
When you are shopping for your wedding dress, we encourage you to not pay much attention to the fabric colors that are named on the dress tag. Wedding dress designers often come up with fun and playful names for their dress styles, and this includes interesting names for their fabric colors. At Lovella, you will see wedding dresses labeled with color names like vanilla, champagne, ivory, rum, off-white- the list can go on and on. Many dresses are labeled ivory or off-white but actually appear to be more champagne colored.
The designers create these names so that they can identify each of their fabrics and know which fabric they're making each dress out of. Traditionally, we all assume that bridal gowns are supposed to be white, and a very pure shade of white. At Lovella, you will not see a pure white gown, and this may be the case in other bridal salons you are choosing to shop in. All of our inventory is off-white or ivory or has a bit of color to it like a blush or champagne tint. Some of our designers do offer dresses in what we would identify as a pure white, but this fabric is oftentimes so stark white it can appear almost blue, and is not always the most flattering on everyone’s skin tone. A pure, bright white can be a bit harsh, so the majority of wedding dress designers are creating gowns in an ivory or off-white shade.
Take Photos
One of the most important tips we can offer brides who are trying to decide on what color wedding dress to buy, is to take photos of each dress you are trying on. Look at yourself in the mirror and also take photos of each dress. Compare the photos to what you are seeing in the mirror, while you are still in the dress. Be sure that you are happy with how the color looks on your skin tone both in person and in photos. If you are happy with how the dress looks in both ways, that is the color that you should go for.
Wedding dresses take on average six to eight months to arrive after you place your order. If you are looking back on the photos you took when you first tried on your wedding dress for that many months, you are going to get accustomed to that shade and that particular color dress. We see it happen all the time where brides order a different color fabric than what the sample dress they tried on was, and by the time their actual dress arrives in store, they have gotten so used to the photos they’ve been staring at, that they are disappointed and don’t love the dress in the other color they ordered. Save yourself regret and disappointment and order your gown in the color you tried on and have seen in store.
What You See Is What You Get
Another important consideration when thinking about wedding dress colors, is that not every designer offers their dresses in multiple colors. There are some designers that do not offer any options in colors of gowns, so the color you see is what you get. These designers are only offering their dresses in the color that they feel their design looks the best in.
If you find a wedding dress style that you love, but are thinking you may want to order this style in another color, be sure to ask your bridal consultant if they have that dress in the color you want to order. It’s possible that they will have another sample for you to try on that is the right color combination. At Lovella, we sometimes have the same style wedding dress but in a different size and different color. We would not recommend ordering a color that you have not seen in person and tried on.
Why So Much Color?
Many bridal stores, Lovella included, will buy the dresses for their inventory in the colors that the dress designer recommends, or that we feel is the most flattering color. As a bride shopping for your wedding dress, you might be asking yourself why there is so much champagne, light pinks and nudes in wedding dresses. We have found with photography and video that dresses have a tendency to photograph and look better when there is a darker color underneath because it provides more contrast. You are able to see more of the lace detailing or the beading and there's a little bit more depth and dimension to the dress with this contract in fabric overlays.
Everything also photographs and videos much lighter than what you see in person. So when you are trying on gowns in person, it may look a little bit darker but when you translate it on camera, it actually lightens quite a lot. This is another reason why we don’t offer dresses in the pure, stark white. That bright white gets completely washed out. Even the ivory and the off-white dresses will appear brighter, so dresses in these shades are going to look white in your photos and video.
Video: Wedding Dress Colors: How to Decide What Color to Buy
Be sure to tune in to this week's video so you can see for yourself the various color options when it comes to wedding dress fabric colors. You'll see first hand how color can change the look of the same wedding dress and will learn all the helpful tips you need when deciding what color wedding dress to buy.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope this advice has helped you decide what color wedding dress is right for you. For even more helpful advice when it comes to shopping for your dream wedding dress, be sure to check out our past posts:
- How To Determine What Style Wedding Dress You Want When Trying On Dresses For The First Time
- What Should I Expect When Wedding Dress Shopping For The First Time
- What Wedding Dress Style & Shape Should You Wear For Your Body Type
- How To Accessorize & Style Your Wedding Dress
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
