How COVID-19 Has Influenced Bridal Fashion This Year—Plus, What to Expect Post-Pandemic
Just like any other area of fashion, bride fashion has always remained a constantly changing force of admiration. Certain traditions have remained the same and some trends have gone in and out of style, but much of the fashion you see in the bridal sphere is directly influenced by current events.
In the past year, COVID-19 has swiftly and all-encompassingly changed the wedding industry for an undetermined amount of time—and it’s safe to say that the pandemic has greatly altered the bridal fashion sector with it.
Buying a wedding dress has taken a total 180-degree shift and, for several months, appointments were not even allowed at most bridal salons due to mandatory shop closures. Though many bridal shops have since reopened, the highly desired “say yes to the dress” fashion moment has completely changed: Rules and restrictions are in place to keep staff and guests safe
Wedding Dress Trends Are Evolving Mid-Pandemic
Despite the change in structure when it comes to shopping for and purchasing a wedding gown, as well as the increase in micro-weddings and smaller affairs, bridal fashion experts are still seeing brides lean towards full-blown wedding gowns. However, trends are certainly shifting.
Chief artistic director also seen brides sticking to their original (dress) vision. “[With] so many other aspects of their wedding being damaged or drifted away from what they have originally imagined, we see many brides holding on to that one dream of them in their perfect wedding gown,” she says. “Whoever was set on a minimalist dress will still get a minimalist dress, but many brides are not giving up on their big ball gown or super glamourous dress. Feels like, while they have had to make compromises on the location, the number of guests [and] potentially the honeymoon, the gown is the only part not restrained by the new normality.”
New Traditions, New Styles
Not all brides opt for elaborate gowns—and with an increase in micro-weddings, civil ceremonies, and smaller affairs, the rise of non-traditional bridalwear has skyrocketed within the past year.
There are no more boundaries for brides, so many things have shifted for women and their weddings–they want to look beautiful.
What’s the Future of Bridal Fashion?
Bridal fashion has drastically changed in only one year. However, the question that remains is: What can we expect in a post-pandemic world? In short, bridal fashion experts expect the course of the pandemic to impact bridal fashion in years to come. Here, are a few universal bridal fashion trends they predict will stick in a post-pandemic world.
