The Rise of The Bridal Stylist

A Fresh Approach to Wedding Fashion

With the help of a bridal stylist, the era of the one-dress wedding may not be over, but it certainly has competition.
Wedding fashion has become one of the most exciting parts of the weekend, and brides are having far more fun with it.

The ceremony gown can still have its grand moment without dictating everything that comes before or after. Something sleek and decidedly un-bridal the night before? Perfect. Vintage for cocktails?

A Wardrobe With Range

One of the first things we would forget is the idea of finding a “bridal aesthetic” and applying it to everything you wear. A wedding wardrobe can be considered as a whole without looking coordinated. Start with the weekend itself: where you will be, how the events differ, and where the fashion can change with them. A bridal stylist may help map that out visually, pairing each setting with its own references and building from there. It’s just as useful to approach your choices this way if you are doing it yourself.

The direction might move from texture and playful accessories to a cleaner silhouette, then into a traditional ceremony gown and something far more embellished after dark. What ties it together isn’t a repeated color, designer, or detail. It is the person wearing it.

Curating your wardrobe does not mean collecting a new white dress for every line on the itinerary. More is not necessarily better. Make room for the pieces that feel worth wearing, whether that is something white, vintage, custom, already in your closet, or something you never would have thought to look for in the bridal section.

The Value of a Good Edit

The internet is very good at showing us things we suddenly believe we need. A good bridal stylist can help make sense of it all and identify what we actually love.

A stylist can look at the 47 references you have saved and recognize what keeps drawing you back. Maybe it isn’t the dress at all, but the proportion. Maybe you have saved the same neckline six times without realizing it. Or perhaps the designer you were convinced you wanted isn’t nearly as exciting on you as one you had never considered.

Bridal Styling: Ceren Jenna C. | @stylingbyjenna

That outside eye can be especially valuable when there are several events to dress for.

Instead of approaching each one independently, a bridal stylist can see what is missing, where there is room to take a risk, and when another purchase isn’t adding much. They can also think past the photograph to how something will actually be worn, from a complicated change on the wedding night to the shoes that need to make it through hours of dancing.

Sometimes good styling is finding the dress. Sometimes it is reminding you that you already have enough dresses.

He Gets a Wardrobe Too

The groom does not need to spend the entire weekend waiting patiently for his Saturday tuxedo.

We love seeing more attention paid to menswear across wedding weekends, and stylists are increasingly working with both people in the couple. There is plenty of room between “same suit, different shirt” and turning the two of you into a coordinated set.

You should look natural standing next to each other, without looking like you planned every detail together.

Great tailoring will always win, and the groom can have just as much fun changing the cut, fabric, and level of formality as the weekend goes on. And no, his pocket square does not need to match anything.

Sometimes the Best Option Doesn’t Exist Yet

Of course, a bridal stylist is not the only way to build an incredible wedding wardrobe. Some brides have a very clear sense of what they want and want to be deeply involved in creating it. That might mean working directly with a designer, finding something vintage and making it their own, or starting with an idea that doesn’t exist yet.

One of our own brides designed one of her wedding looks, which we love as an extension of this idea: if you know exactly what you want and can’t find it, why not make it?

Inspired by several Lihi Hod designs, our bride brought her favorite elements together to create a custom look of her own.

There is something special about a wedding wardrobe that cannot be traced back to a single bridal collection. The ceremony gown can be spectacular without every other outfit competing with it. The surrounding events give you room to show more range, wear designers you already love, and occasionally choose something you might never find under “bridal” at all.

Do You Actually Need a Bridal Stylist?

Not necessarily. But for the right bride, we think it can be a fantastic addition.

If fashion is one of the parts of the wedding you are most excited about, you have several events to dress for, or the process that started out fun has become overwhelming, a great stylist can bring both perspective and a very good eye.

And if you would rather do it yourself, much of the same thinking still applies. Be selective. Invest in great tailoring. Give the accessories as much thought as the dress. And don’t add another outfit just because everyone on your feed seems to be changing three times.

There will always be another new collection, another saved post, and another dress you could have worn. At some point, you have to close the tabs, zip the garment bags, and go get married!

Happy planning!