How brides have quit gown shopping in favor of vintage finds, DIY designs 

Tradition dictates that brides wear something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new.

But over the years, newlyweds-to-be have left convention behind and opted for more tailored looks or dresses more in line with their personal tastes, thanks in large part to the internet and social media.

We’ve seen budget-conscious brides shop more frugally, like LA bride Kiara Brokenbrough who wore a $47 Shein dress for her special day and Tennessee newlywed Maranda Vandergriff who went viral for her $24 dress from Goodwill.

This growing trend also appears to have impacted traditional ways of buying the perfect dress, with the news that this week America’s largest wedding dress retailer, David’s Bridal, had filed for bankruptcy.

That writes the CEO of the retailer, James Marcum Chapter 11 filing: ‘More and more brides are opting for less traditional wedding attire, including frugal wedding dresses.

“For example, the demand for formal wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and related accessories has decreased significantly in the current environment.”

According to an industry research firm, the bridal retail market in the United States is worth $2.1 billion IBIS Worldand it has declined an average of 2.3 percent per year since 2018.

The company also noted that the industry’s market size was shrinking faster than the economy in general.

New York stylist Annie Choi30, said she’s seen brides take more unconventional routes since she started bridal styling in 2019.

“During the pandemic, many brides had to come up with plan B, there was an emergence of less traditional ceremonies, and in some cases, wedding dresses were literally locked in a department store,” she told DailyMail.com.

“I think this really opened up the idea of ​​what a wedding dress could be, whether it’s a colorful RTW (ready-to-wear) piece, ‘something old’ from eBay, or even something borrowed from a family member or a rental company.” ‘

However, she noted that there would always be a market for brides who wanted a made-to-order experience.

During the pandemic, many brides had to come up with a plan B for their wedding dresses and Anny believes this ‘really opened up the idea of ​​what a wedding dress could be’

This growing trend also appears to have impacted traditional ways of buying the perfect dress, with news this week that David’s Bridal had filed for bankruptcy

Kiara Brokenbrough, from Los Angeles, wore this $47 Shein dress on her wedding day. Pictured with husband Joel

After the couple got engaged in December last year, Kiara started shopping for wedding dresses, but in an effort to “spend as little money as possible,” she bought her dress from Shein.

“But with more and more contemporary RTW brands making bridal capsules, designers sending bridal-worthy looks to the runway season after season, and the rise of vintage sellers buying bridal-specific pieces, it’s really opened up the ways brides approach their wedding wardrobe. ,’ said Anne.

The stylist says brides are becoming “very aware of the narrative aspect” of their special day and often want to include sentimental pieces because of the increasing “wedding coverage” and social media.

“I’ve had clients want to repurpose a wedding dress their grandmother wore and every other woman in the family ever since, a pair of earrings that all their friends wore to their weddings, to create something totally anti-bridal (yet fabulous) with a ready-to-wear designer,’ said Anny.

‘When I lived in London I used to go to Portobello Market every weekend to find pieces for my clients, Alfie’s Antique Market for one-of-a-kind jewellery. is Manhattan Vintage and the Current Affair.’

Anny said brides wanted their wedding day to be more reflective of their own personal style.

“Weddings have been a thing for a long time and I think modern brides are looking for ways to make their wedding more personal and wedding,” she told DailyMail.com.

Maranda Vandergriff, a 27-year-old from Tennessee, shared that she got married in a vintage dress for just over $24

Although Maranda loved the dress, she knew she had to modify it to get her “dream” dress, so she sought help from her mother and grandmother who taught her how to sew.

Maranda wanted to ‘honour’ her mother by adding the exact same beads her mother used in her dress; she used the beads from her mother’s dress to sew the edges of the sleeves

As for the emerging trends, Anny said she’d seen “a lot of low-waisted silhouettes” channeling Audrey Hepburn’s wedding dress in the 1957 movie Funny Face.

“They want to tell a story all weekend, they want their personality and style to come through, so when they look back on this day, five, 10 years from now, it doesn’t just look like a Pinterest-perfect wedding, but a wedding that represents the couple and a wedding with a little soul.

“With social media and online coverage of weddings, there’s also a certain pressure to do something more unique and find and wear unique pieces that you can’t just buy off the rack.”

As for emerging trends, Anny said she had seen “a lot of low-waisted silhouettes” that made up Audrey Hepburn’s wedding dress in the 1957 movie Funny Face.

Brides also became more adventurous by choosing colors beyond the traditional white.

“Many brides [want] to add color, whether it’s the actual wedding dress or even a pop of color with an accessory,” said Anny.

“I think versatility is also important, like a detachable cape and sleeves, maybe a layer of the skirt that can come off or a dress that’s actually a top and a skirt.

“This is an easy way to take another look without changing the whole outfit.”