How to Fabulously Style Your Wedding Dress

Creating the wedding vision you want

When you’re planning your big day, it’s probably fair to assume that you’ve got a semi-solid vision in your head of what you want you and your day to look like. It might be that you know the kind of venue that you want, the kind of bouquets you’re looking for, or the music that you want to walk down the aisle to - regardless, you’ll have some kind of vision for your wedding.

Bringing that vision to life, however, might need more help and take more time and detailing than you might think. It may be to create your dream wedding look, you’ll need to buy specific dress-appropriate underwear, or that you’ll need to strategically place more flowers than you thought around the venue to keep your wedding theme alive. Or it may be that you need to bring 100 bobby pins to make sure everything’s secure.

Even when you find your dream wedding dress, it might not be ready for your elegant walk down the aisle. You’ve got to think about shoes, accessories, to veil or not to veil, make up, and the style of your floral arrangements and photo backdrops.

It can be a lot. That’s why we’re here to help you style your wedding dress so that you look fabulous and truly bring your dream wedding vision to life.

What areas can you use to style your dress?

There are quite a few ways in which you can style your wedding dress to bring some different textures and points of interest that are really going to make your look sing. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a good starting point.

Wedding Flowers

Flowers and floral arrangements are massively commonplace at weddings so it’s unlikely that you’re going to forget about them, but you may not consider them in conjunction with styling your beautiful wedding dress.

The first look that the majority of your wedding guests will have of you, as well as your new spouse, will be as you walk down the aisle. Fundamental to this look is your bouquet. Think about it - when you hold your bouquet it’s right in the center of your wedding dress, so it’s an integral part of your overall look.

So, when you’re picking your wedding flowers and your wedding dress, think about how they’re going to look altogether. Are you going for a smaller bouquet to show off more of your dress? Maybe you’re going with a cascading bouquet that mimics the flow of your dress. Perhaps you add in some coloured ribbons to tie your gorgeous bridal look into your surrounding colour scheme.

The thing to remember when styling your dress is that nothing to do with a wedding is done in a vacuum - everything should tie together holistically and give one cohesive look. Your floral arrangements are no different.

Wedding Accessories

When we think about how to style a wedding dress the first few things we tend to think of are hair, makeup and accessories. These are the most traditional ways to bring another level of style to your overall wedding look and shouldn’t be forgotten.

One thing to avoid is going over the top with accessories. If you’re a person who loves sparkles, chances are your wedding dress will have some kind of sequins or beading on it, so you don’t want to have too much going on that’ll detract from you on your big day.

Think simplicity with your necklaces, earrings and bracelets and take your cues from your dress and hair styling. If you’ve got a high neck dress and you’re having your hair up, get some nice earrings and ditch the necklace, if you’re opting for a sweetheart neckline, you can have a lower necklace than if you’re having a boat neck and so on.

Also consider things like veils, headpieces, tiaras as well as your choice of shoes. All of these things bring different vibes to your look and it’s well worth trying a few options out to see what works best for you, both practically and aesthetically.

Wedding Photo Backdrops

The thing with styling is it’s as much about working with your surroundings as it is working with the outfit itself. You’ve got to take into consideration the lighting, the weather, whether you’re indoors or outside, or if you have particularly brightly coloured walls around you.

Considering how much of your wedding day is staged, designed and photographed, you need to factor in the backdrops for the majority of your wedding photos, so that it all works together holistically.

Think back to your vision and the vibe you’re trying to create. Do you want your guests to think you’re an edgy bride or a traditionally romantic one? Do you want to leave a quirky impression? Factor this in so that when you look back on these photos you can see the style that you were really going for with your big day.

Tips for Styling Your Wedding Dress

There are some main things to consider. To finish off, here are some quick tips to think about when you’re trying to style your gorgeous wedding dress:

Make sure that whatever you do is going to last the entire day - you don’t want to be disappearing off mid-reception to get your hair sorted out because it was too precarious.

Ensure you’re at least semi-comfortable. Beauty may be a pain, but this is supposed to be a happy occasion so break those shoes in ahead of time and don’t cut off all your circulation with multiple pairs of Spanx.

Have fun with it and let your personality shine through. Your spouse is marrying you, and they love you, so there’s no need to dress up like someone you’re not because you think that’s what a bride should look like. It’s your day, own it and own your own personal style.

15 Fabulously Styled Wedding Dresses

Championing the creativity surging within the bridal industry – Denver’s a & bé bridal boutique has created a truly one of kind style book with fresh and modern looks featuring their range of wedding dresses, unique floral design, and jaw-dropping statement jewellery pieces.

Epic really is the best word to describe today’s fabulous fashion shoot!

Wedding Dresses (in order – links for Jewelry & accessories in credits):

1. Sarah Seven – earrings by Arcatus Jewelry, bracelet by Colby June
2. Blush by Hayley Paige – headpiece from Common Era, bracelets by Colby June & Rosena Sammi
3. Catherine Deane
4. Claire La Faye – necklace is stylist’s own
5. Leanne Marshall – necklace by Taylor Kenney, bracelet from Margaret Elizabeth
6. Houghton Bride – DIY headpiece
7. Rebecca Schoneveld – necklace from Danielle Welmond, earrings by Margaret Elizabeth
8. Katie May – necklace from Arcatus Jewelry, bracelet is stylist’s own, DIY headpiece
9. Rebecca Schoneveld – necklace by Margaret Elizabeth
10. Katie May – necklace by Sarah Gabriel, bracelet from Colby June
11. Separates by Rebecca Schoneveld – belt from Hushed Commotion, earrings by Danielle Welmond
12. Nicole Miller – necklace by Arcatus Jewelry, bracelet is stylists own
13. Elizabeth Dye – sash by Hushed Commotion, earrings by Taylor Kenney, bracelet by Sarah Gabriel
14. Sarah Seven – feather bolero from Houghton, earrings by Margaret Elizabeth
15. Claire La Faye – necklace from Arcatus Jewely

Credits: Photography: Our Love is Loud // Wedding Dresses: a & be bridal shop // Design & Styling: Hey! Party Collective // Floral Design: Lalé Floral Designs // Bridal Styling: Emily Smoot // Beauty: Matthew Morris Salon & Skincare and Base Coat Denver // Jewelry: Arcatus Jewelry, Colby June, Rosena Sammi, Margaret Elizabeth, Taylor Kenney, Danielle Welmond, Sara Gabriel // Accessories: Hushed Commotion & Houghton.