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A lot has changedsince the day Princess Diana wore her iconic wedding dress in 1981, which hadbrides swooning over ivory silk, antique lace, cathedral-length veils, and thetraditional sizeable ballgown silhouette fit for a princess. These days, brides aremaking bold choices that defy tradition and surpass common trends.
After all, yourwedding day is a time to express your individuality and to leave a lastingimpression on your family and loved ones. It can mean wearing one-of-a-kindheirloom jewelry, choosing an unexpected venue, or walking down the aisle in astatement wedding dress.
Among the many trendsin wedding dresses, the dark, gothic style is as daring as it gets. If you areconsidering this for your wedding day, read on!
Saying Yesto a Black Wedding Dress: Pros and Cons
A black dress is extremely dramatic and verynon-conventional, breaking all traditions associated with the bride on herwedding day. Here are the pros and cons of this trend:
BlackWedding Dress Pros
- Black is flattering: Black is a color that is generally flattering on any complexion, figure or age. You probably already have a corner in your closet for that little black dress to wear on a special date, or some trusty casual black outfits that are easy to grab and go. If you already know that this color suits you, you will find it easy to fall in love with a black wedding dress too.
- Making a memorable statement: You’ll probably be the only woman in your circle of friends to make such a daring choice and you will definitely stand out.
- Self-expression: Take advantage of the day you have everyone’s attention. Let your unique taste and personality shine!
BlackWedding Dress Cons
- Temptation to Conform: The fact is that many aspects of weddings are heavily enveloped in tradition, and wearing white is one of them. At some point growing up, you probably imagined yourself wearing white on your wedding day just because you were so used to seeing it in movies and among family events. It takes guts to challenge the norm.
- Judgement and Peer Pressure: Black is sometimes seen as an eerie or odd choice for a wedding and can raise a few eyebrows among your friends and relatives who may try to sway your decision. You’ll find yourself constantly explaining your decision to concerned peers. In the Western world, black is often associated with funerals and death but interestingly in many Asian countries, white has the same associations!
- Added Effort in Looking for “The Dress”: When you do decide to look at bridal stores, you will commonly find only white or light-coloured dress options. You’ll need a little creativity and determination in finding one accessible to you.
BlackWedding Dress Style Inspiration
If you think you’re ready to walk overto the dark side, here are some black wedding looks (and some gutsy brides whowore them) to inspire you!
1- Contemporary Chic
A tulle skirt is thesecret to adding volume and texture to your dress, especially with a cinched-inbodice. A contrasting underlay of nude or white will amp up the texture whilekeeping the overall look chic. TV reality show 90210 actress Shenae Grimes worea black Vera Wang creation that perfectly captured this grungy, contemporarylook in her 2013 London wedding to model and musician Josh Beech. Her choice towear black on her wedding day seemed like a no-brainer as it
perfectly matched her black diamond ring, too. Très chic!
Shenae Grimes in her ombre wedding dress
Via Pinterest
Get the look with this similar stunning black wedding dress.
2- Dreamy in Lace
Lace is a stapledetail in most weddings, as it exudes a delicate elegance that every girldeserves on her special day. In black, the effect is much more pronounced,especially against pale complexion. If you’ve always wanted a dreamy gothiclook, consider lace cut-outs on the back of the dress, or on the sleeves. Thepatterns will not only highlight your features, but will make you look like anelegant piece of art.
Singer Avril Lavigneis definitely not shy about her love of black, as seen in her music videos andred carpet looks. She took this love a step further when she wore a customblack wedding dress by Monique Lhuillier with a laced bodice and matching laceveil. She went for smokey eye makeup and left the rest of her face almost bare.
Stylish black wedding dress with lace.
3- The Minimalist
In contrast to long flowy trains and bold patterns, a clean silhouette in a solid black color may just hit the sweet spot for some minimalist brides. Imagine a figure-hugging black dress with a low-cut back, long sleeves, and a classic train length. A design like this allows brides to play up the look with bold hair and makeup or keep it clean and sophisticated with a simple updo and red lip. Regardless, all eyes will definitely be on YOU! This minimal look has seen many a red carpet, but is surely befitting a modern day bride.
Stylish minimalist black wedding dress.
4- Modern Princess
A classic ballgownsilhouette in taffeta is reminiscent of Princess Diana’s traditional weddinggown and exudes a romantic appeal. Wear it in black, and it transforms thetraditional style into something straight off a modern-day princess storybook.
Sex and the Cityactress Sarah Jessica Parker famously wore a white Vivienne Westwood dress in asimilar style in the movie’s wedding scene to her on-screen love, Mr. Big. Inreal-life, however, she wore a black Morgane Le Faydresswhen she wed actor Matthew Broderick in 1997. They planned the wedding as asurprise to their unassuming friends, thinking they were only attending a partyin New York. At that time, Sarah Jessica Parker chose to wear black so that shewouldn’t attract attention. If word got out about her purchasing a white dress,it could ultimately ruin the surprise. They successfully wed in this iconicfashion choice which perfectly marries the black trend with tradition.
Princess style black wedding dress.
5- Classic Cool
A classic black skirtsuit is not just a power-dressing staple in the office, it could be the perfectchoice for a subtle civil ceremony. With the right accessories and attitude toboot, you can wear an otherwise common work outfit down the aisle!
Take a cue from a lady known for being anything but subtle, and was dubbed the sexiest woman in the world, Marilyn Monroe! When she wed baseball legend Joe DiMaggio in 1954, she wore a dark brown skirt suit with a white fur collar. The ceremony held in the City Hall of San Francisco was supposed to be low key, but quickly made headlines! Marilyn wore this simple ensemble with charm and confidence. It was the perfect understated look for the coolest couple in town.
1940s black suit similar to the one worn by Marylin Monroe’s at her wedding.
Other Waysto Embrace the Black Trend
1- Turn Heads with a Dramatic Head piece
If wearing a black dress to your wedding isn’t enough of a statement, you can take it a step further with an eye-catching head piece or a dark, textured veil to elevate your style. Wear a red lippie for a pop of color or a dramatic smokey eye to complete the bold look.
2- Bridesmaids in Black
Black dresses forbridesmaids are an elegant choice and perfectly complements a bride in white.It saves you the worry of trying to pick a color that pleases everyone andgives you a wide range of options for the styles that will work well together.
A slinky silk slipdress would be perfect for a garden wedding, or a long flouncy tulle dress fora long walk down a cathedral. If a night-time roof top affair is more yourstyle, try adding a glamorous twist by having your girls don beaded or sequineddresses. Whatever look you decide, your girls will be able to enjoy wearingtheir versatile dress again on other occasions.
Black bridesmaids’ dresses add contrast to a white dressed bride.
3- Black Wedding Cake
Wearable trends are great, but this one is particularly sweet! How would you like to walk into your reception to a customized cake design incorporating the black theme? Add a unique topper for a statement that’s hard to miss. It’s the little things that make the difference after all.
If these ideasinspired you, feel free to share your finished looks and personalized toucheson your celebration. The black wedding trend is here to stay, as long as thereare daring and confident girls like you!
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