Iconic Lace Wedding Dresses

We already gave you a primer on the many different types of bridal lace. Now we’re going to show you how you can wear lace on your wedding day to best suit your style.

Many brides picture this when thinking about a lace wedding dress:

But lace isn’t your grandmother’s fabric anymore.

Lace can be formal or informal, modern or classic, sexy or demure…it’s all in the way the lace is used. Modern bridal designers can make an all-over lace wedding gown (like the old-fashioned one above) seem up-to-date and even avant-garde. Here’s what Alexander McQueen did with an all-over lace dress with long sleeves back in 2006 (long before Sarah Burton designed a completely different version of a long sleeve all-over lace wedding gown for Kate Middleton):

Alexander McQueen’s Widows of Culloden dress

And speaking of the Duchess of Cambridge, some might think she’s responsible for the recent rise in lace’s popularity, but that’s not completely the case. Many designers tried to anticipate what wedding dress Kate Middleton would wear, however, and their hunch—a regal wedding gown with long lace sleeves—was right.

The Duchess of Cambridge in her Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen lace gown

If there had been a contest to decide which designer would most closely predict the Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, Romona Keveza would have won. You’d think that this number from her Legends collection was a knock-off if it hadn’t debuted before the future princess walked down the aisle:

Here are a few other dresses from the Spring 2012 bridal collections that showcase this new trend:

Floor-length looks: (left) Oscar de la Renta; (right) Monique Lhuillier

Short looks: (left) Modern Trousseau; (right) Elizabeth Fillmore

Like the look of sleeves on a wedding dress, but getting married in the summer? Or maybe long sleeves aren’t your thing. Here are a couple of gorgeous lace dresses with short sleeves:

(left) Vera Wang; (right) Carolina Herrera

Whether you’re looking for something echoing the  traditional:

(left) Reem Acra; (right) St. Pucchi

…a more modern wedding gown:

(left) Marchesa; (right) Allure Bridals

…or prefer something a little laidback:

Both dresses by Valentino

…there is a beautiful lace wedding dress out there that’s perfect for you.

But perhaps you’ve already fallen in love with a dress that doesn’t have a stitch of lace on it or you don’t like the look of a lace wedding dress. In that case, there are many other ways to incorporate lace into your wedding day attire.

A number of bridal designers are creating lace cover-ups that you wear over your wedding dress. This is a great way to change your look from ceremony to reception without having to do a complete costume change.

(left) Alma Novia; (middle) Aire Barcelona; (right) Alma Novia

Or you could consider adding lace to your attire through your accessories. Veils are always an easy (and obvious) way to add lace to your look, but you can also choose something a little more unique, like a fascinator or a lace hair wrap:

(left) Parant fascinator; (right) Vintage lace headpiece by whichgoose on Etsy

Pick a styplish pair of lace heels:

(left) Givenchy pink lace heels; (middle) Augusta Jones wedding shoes;
(right) Lace heels by Chinese Laundry

Grab a cute lace-covered clutch:

(left) Alexander McQueen Knuckle Duster Lace Clutch; (right) Christian Louboutin lace clutch

Or find a funky lace necklace or elegant earrings:

(left) Floral lace necklace by LittleWhiteDresser on Etsy;
(right) Delicate lace earrings by StitchFromTheHeart on Etsy

The choices are infinite, and the style can be all yours. If you’d like to wear lace on your wedding day, now you can follow tradition and be totally unique and modern at the same time.

Satya Picard