Trends from Spring Bridal Fashion Week 2023

While many bridal store owners are flying back from Barcelona right now, we’re still reeling from the fashion at NY Bridal Market.

If you don’t know what that is, it is a week (in April and October) where many bridal designers that are based in NYC and the surrounding areas show their newest collections to their retailers. Store owners/buyers fly in from around the country to order the samples that they will have available in store for brides to try on. There are other markets similar to this in Chicago, Los Angeles, and as I’ve already mentioned, Barcelona. These events range from a room with racks of dresses all the way to a glamorous fashion show similar to fashion week.

Every season we like to track the most common trends to see how real brides wear the trends in the next year. This year there were a few very distinct details that we have to tell you about!

Color
We saw so many colors this season! Black wedding dresses are in the top of google searches as always, but this season many designers played with pastels and water colors (Ines Di Santo was one of my favs!)

2. Short dresses

A big conversation right now is second dresses, particularly short dresses. Many designers are coming out with entirely new collections of short dresses for the party look, but many others have included a shorty or 2 into their standard collections (hello, elopement people!). My favorite way to see this done is with a closed overskirt so you truly get 2 looks in 1! This is typically the most cost effective way to get a second dress as well, but short dresses are also popular for other wedding events like the engagement party, rehearsal dinner/welcome party, or day after brunch

3. Drop waist

In the same way jeans are dropping low in street style again, so are the waistlines of bridal gowns! You’ll see this in two different ways, a basque waist which is a v shape (think “Bridgerton”), or a standard straight drop waist. We are seeing these in every variety from just slightly lower than the natural waist to so low you’re concerned about what could be seen A La Lady Gaga at the Academy Awards this year

4. Sheer

Many brides have become more and more concerned with the weight of their wedding dresses. Personally, I blame Covid because we wore athleisure for over a year and now many of us still work from home at least a few days a week in casual clothes. The heaviest part of a dress can typically be the lining. Removing the lining not only takes physical weight away from the dress, but also visual weight. Being able to see slightly through the dress gives an airy look like the dream scenes from a movie

Which of these trends would you consider including in your wedding look? Or DM me on Instagram and I’d love to discuss!

PS- Have you seen the sketches I did of Berta’s new collection this season? They’ve been featured in the online magazine Wedding Day Match! Click here to check it out