The New White: Black Wedding Dresses

The New White: Black Wedding Dresses

Sep 21, 2023

Black wedding dresses are sweeping the bridal scene. At New York Fashion Bridal Week, all-black gowns made their glorious appearance in collections by Arava Park, Madeline, and Amsale. Other designers jumped on the rising trend by adding black tulle and boleros to their white gowns. 

 

For years, wearing white wedding gowns has been linked with the symbolism of innocence and virtue in Western cultures, but in other cultures and religions, they choose black. Black wedding dresses are chosen because black is the symbol of good fortune. The stigma that black equals sadness, darkness, or lewdness is simply inaccurate. As other cultures have shown, black wedding dresses are the picture of elegance, power, mystery, and individuality. As designer Riccardo Tisci said, “Black is the most complete color in the whole world, made of all the colors in the palette.” 


Selecting a black wedding dress is similar to selecting any other color, you need to find the right silhouette, size, and style that leaves you feeling fantastic.  However, when it comes to black wedding dresses there are FOUR CHARACTERISTICS that make them pop even more.

 

1.  BLACK LACEWhether it’s underlays or appliqués, black lace adds romance and elegance to black bridal gowns.

(Pictured from left to right: LIZLÚO Bridal E1019, Essence of Australia D3734, LIZLÚO Bridal E1018)  

 

 

2.  SEQUIN SPARKLE — Glittering sequins stand out beautifully on black fabric. Imagine shimmering every step down the aisle. That will be a sight no one will forget.

(Pictured from left to right: LIZLÚO Bridal 3002, Essence of Australia D3648, Martina Liana 1633)  

 

 

3.  SLEEK SOPHISTICATION — Black makes every line and curve look good. When you choose a modern black gown, minimal detailing works every time. (Pictured from left to right: Stella York 7755, LIZLÚO Bridal 3013, Martina Liana 1524) 

 

 

4.  MYSTIQUE — Black wedding dresses allow you to lean into the mystery and mystique of the style. For a fall wedding, you can tie in the Autumn vibes of moody nights and romantic jewel tones.

(Pictured from left to right: LIZLÚO Bridal 3001, LIZLÚO Bridal E1019, LIZLÚO Bridal 3009) 

 

 

More and more, designers are adding all-black dresses to their collections to emphasize one important truth—it’s not about the color, it’s about the bride. The bottom line is that your wedding dress should echo your personality. Interject your boldness, your sophistication, your mystique. Like Pierre-Auguste Renoir said, “I’ve been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black.” 


References: Wedded Wonderland, Morilee, Essense of Australia, LIZLÚO Bridal, Martina Liana, and Stella York