In sheer black and embossed green velvet with long billowing sleeves and a V-neckline, the “Jasmine” dress, made by clothing boutique Matrushka Construction in Los Angeles, can be worn as an unconventional wedding dress.If you go
› What: Bridal Affair 2017› When: 1-5 p.m. today› Where: The Chattanoogan Hotel, 1201 Broad St.› Admission: $8 online, $10 at the door› Tickets: www.bridalaffairchatt.com
When deciding what kind of dress they want their wedding this year, a few daring brides are shunning lace and veils, even long, corseted, traditional and white.
Unconventional wedding dresses, while still not as popular as their white, floor-sweeping counterparts, are catching on.
“We saw a noticeable spike in the number of untraditional dresses – shorter dresses, the use of color – a couple of years ago,” says Keija Minor, editor-in-chief of Brides magazine. “There’s a move for all couples to want to personalize their wedding and not be the cookie-cutter wedding their parents want. If your dream dress isn’t a flowy white gown, and you want a pop of color, then why not?”
According to the magazine’s 2016 American Wedding Study, an annual survey of engaged and newlywed women, 93 percent of brides still select white and off-white gowns. Yet 11 percent now want something “unique,” from cocktail-length and non-white dresses to slinky jumpsuits. The study also found that 73 percent of couples pay for or contribute to the cost of their own wedding.