Hand-painted wedding dresses. Floral appliqué wedding dresses. Embroidered gowns. Soft blush tones. Painted flowers. Colourful veils.
What was once considered a little different has become one of the biggest movements in modern bridal.
The funny thing is… it doesn’t feel new to me at all.
It Started Back in 2012
When we first started stocking the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings collection back in 2012, while Alfred Angelo still held the licence, I realised something that has stayed with me ever since.
Not every bride fell in love with traditional ivory.
Some were instantly drawn to dresses with soft colour, floral appliqués, embroidered flowers and beautiful painted details.
It wasn’t because they wanted to shock people. It wasn’t because they wanted to follow a trend.
It was because those dresses simply felt more like them.
Every bride deserves choice.
Now before anyone thinks I’m about to tell you ivory wedding dresses are old news… absolutely not!
A classic ivory wedding dress is timeless for a reason. There is something incredibly elegant about a beautifully cut ivory gown and I honestly don’t think that will ever change.
But bridal has evolved. Brides have evolved. And thankfully, so has choice.
Colour Doesn’t Mean Bright Pink
One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that a colourful wedding dress has to be… well… colourful! It really doesn’t.
Sometimes it’s the gentlest blush embroidery running through the bodice.
Sometimes it’s soft sage green leaves hidden amongst floral lace.
Sometimes it’s delicate blue flowers, peach petals or hand-painted blooms that almost look like watercolours across the skirt.
Sometimes it’s simply enough colour to make people look twice and say,
“I’ve never seen anything quite like that.”
That’s what I love. Colour doesn’t replace bridal. It enhances it.
Why Choice Is So Important
This is probably the biggest piece of advice I’d give any bride looking for a floral wedding dress or a wedding dress with colour.
Don’t choose a boutique because you’ve seen one beautiful colourful gown on Instagram. Go somewhere that genuinely offers choice. Because colourful bridal isn’t one style. It’s dozens.
At Roberta’s Bridal we have around 30 colourful wedding dresses to try on.
Some feature breathtaking hand-painted floral designs. Some are covered in colourful embroidered flowers. Others use floral lace appliqués to create texture and movement. Some have just the softest hint of colour. Others fully embrace it. They’re all completely different. And that’s exactly how I want it.
I’ve lost count of the number of brides who’ve walked through our doors saying,
“I’m definitely having a colourful wedding dress.”
Only to fall in love with classic ivory.
And I’ve lost count of the brides who swore they only wanted ivory… until they tried on a floral gown and couldn’t stop smiling.
That’s why choice matters. You simply don’t know until you try.
Our Designers Have Really Embraced Colour
One of my favourite things about buying collections each season is seeing how bridal designers continue to reinvent colour.
Some create romantic embroidered flowers that seem to float across the gown. Others specialise in hand-painted wedding dresses that look like works of art. Some use floral appliqués to create depth and movement. Others introduce tiny touches of colour that catch the light without ever overpowering the dress.
That’s exactly why I love collections from designers like:
Each designer brings something completely different, which means our brides have genuine choice rather than lots of dresses that all feel the same.
You Don’t Have to Wear a Colourful Wedding Dress to Enjoy the Trend
Here’s my favourite part… You can embrace colour without changing your dress at all.
One of the biggest bridal trends we’re seeing is the rise of the floral wedding veil. Honestly, they’re stunning.
Imagine a timeless ivory wedding dress paired with a veil embroidered with delicate flowers in blush, soft blue, lavender or sage green. You still have that classic bridal look. But you’ve added personality.
We’ve also seen brides choose colourful embroidered veils, floral lace veils, detachable sleeves and statement bridal accessories to create something that feels completely unique.
Sometimes it’s the dress that steals the show. Sometimes it’s the accessories. And sometimes it’s the combination of both.
And Then There’s Black…
Yes… Black wedding dresses deserve a mention too. Not because every bride should wear one, but because they perfectly demonstrate how bridal has changed.
Twenty years ago they would have been almost unheard of. Today they’re another way brides are expressing their personality.
The same goes for colourful wedding dresses. The same goes for floral veils. The same goes for embroidered gowns.
It’s all about finding the version of bridal that feels authentic to you.
There Are No Rules Anymore
Classic Ivory
Wonderful.
Colourful Floral
Wonderful.
Traditional + Veil
Also wonderful.
Your wedding photographs shouldn’t look like somebody else’s Pinterest board. They should look like you.
After nearly twenty years helping brides find their dress, that’s the one thing I’ve become absolutely certain of. The dresses brides remember forever aren’t necessarily the most expensive. They aren’t always the ones everyone expected them to choose either. They’re the ones that made them feel something.
So if you’ve been searching for a colourful wedding dress, a floral wedding dress, an embroidered wedding dress, or simply wondering whether adding a floral wedding veil could be enough to make your dress feel more like you…
Come and try them. Bring an open mind. You might just surprise yourself.
And honestly? Those are usually my favourite appointments.
