High-end and designer luxury bridal fashion lovers unite as I share the top wedding fashion trends that I spotted coming down the runway at this season’s designer shows in New York City. The spring season brings warm sunshine and blooming gardens, and I always get excited for the change of seasons as I look forward to another trip to New York City for the best high-fashion bridal event to kick off spring. The Spring Bridal Fashion Week is the unofficial kickoff to spring wedding season for bridal dress designers and bridal stores alike.
I was lucky to be able to take a quick break from photographing weddings to attend the runway shows of some of the best bridal designers on the market right now. As an official fashion photographer for these high-fashion wedding dress designers, I was able to witness all the behind the scenes action as well as the top new bridal fashion trends for the upcoming seasons that brides will soon see popping up in bridal stores all across the country.
Across the many designer runway shows I attended, there were six main trends that I saw repeated in bridal fashion and bridal accessories. I can’t wait to see how brides-to-be will take these emerging trends and make them their own as they walk down the aisles at their weddings.
Top Bridal Trends Revealed
The top six wedding fashion trends I am most excited about are wedding dresses with bold prints and colors, dropped waist wedding dresses, wedding dresses with belts, unique and fun textures, floral wedding veils, and romantic design elements.
For a more detailed look into the emerging bridal fashion trends, Destination I Do shares their top wedding dress designs. I was honored that Destination I Do shared my images in their profile on this year’s spring bridal market.
Designer BTS
No trip to the bridal market as a photographer is complete without sharing those truly special, behind-the-scenes moments that happen before the dresses make their way down the aisle…I mean runway! Backstage watching and experiencing the hustle and bustles is one of my favorite times for photographing any designer runway fashion show. In these chaotic moments as last-minute prep is being done on the dresses and the models and being prepped – this is when you really get to see the dresses and experience the details of the designs up close and personal.
As a photographer, I’m honored to be able to share these intimate behind-the-scenes moments with you. Before we dive into all the amazing new bridal fashion trends, I want to share a few of my favorite behind-the-scenes and rare backstage runway moments from Spring 2024 Bridal Fashion Week in NYC that I was able to photograph:
Textural wedding dresses Anne Barge.
3D floral lace appliques wedding dress by Elie Saab.
Floral lace wedding dresses by Galia Lahav.
Bold lace wedding dress by Galia Lahav.
Off the shoulders wedding dress with embellished tights by Idan.
Metallic mermaid wedding dress by Ines Di Santo.
Architectural neckline wedding dress by Justin Alexander.
Floral lace wedding dress by Mira Zwillinger.
Last minute model touch-ups at Sareh Nouri.
Textural wedding dresses by Sareh Nouri.
Backless wedding dress by Savannah Miller.
New Bridal Fashion Trend #1: Bold Prints & Colors
One of the most exciting new bridal fashion trends to hit the top designer runways is bold prints and colors on luxury wedding gowns. The top bridal designers are using fun florals and pops of colors in new and exciting ways on their high end wedding dress designs that are a perfect fit for brides looking for a wedding dress that is a bit non-traditional. From watercolor-inspired florals to embroidery details to bolder uses of color and statement lace patterns, unconventional wedding dress designs with a wow-factor are only growing in popularity.
Here are a few of my favorite wedding dresses with bold prints and colors from this year’s runway:
Statement lace patterned wedding dress by Ines Di Santo.
Something blue wedding dress by Ines Di Santo.
Metallic embroidered dress by Ines Di Santo.
Pastel colored ball gown bridal dresses by Ines Di Santo.
Black and white graffiti inspired wedding dress by Justin Alexander.
Red roses painted wedding dress by Justin Alexander.
Watercolor floral wedding dress by Lara Knight.
Bold floral lace wedding dress by Lara Knight.
Bold floral patterned wedding dress by Mira Zwillinger.
Colorful garden-inspired bridal dress by Nardos.
Blue floral appliques wedding dress by Nardos.
Wedding dress with statement lace pattern by Nardos.
New Bridal Fashion Trend #2: Dropped Waist
Taking inspiration from historical fashion, dropped waist wedding dresses were seen at multiple runway shows across NYC this season. A basque waist, or dropped waistline, dips down lower than a traditional wedding dress’ waistline and accentuates the length of the torso, allowing for more volume at the hips. It’s a feminine design touch that traditional brides will love.
Here are a few basque waistline wedding dresses from this year’s runways:
Floral lace basque waist wedding dress by Galia Lahav.
Basque waist lace wedding dress by Lihi Hod.
Minimalist wedding dress with basque waistline by Lihi Hod.
Minimalist basque waist wedding dress by Sareh Nouri.
Little white dress with basque waistline by Savannah Miller.
New Bridal Fashion Trend #3: Belts
What might seem like a small design element for wedding dresses, belts were making a statement across the New York City runways this year. Cinching the waist or adding a decorative bow, wedding dresses with belts are making a chic, feminine statement with many of the top bridal designers.
Belts are a simple yet stylish way to create definition at the waist of a wedding dress, and I, for one, can’t wait to see this chic bridal detail come down the wedding ceremony aisles!
Here are a few wedding dresses with high-fashion belts from this year’s runways:
Bow belt wedding dress by Anne Barge.
Double bow belted wedding dress by Markarian.
Floral appliques belted bridal dress by Elie Saab.
Belted ball gown wedding dress by Elie Saab.
Minimalist wedding dress with bow on belt by Anne Barge.
New Bridal Fashion Trend #4: Rich Textures
Possibly my favorite new bridal fashion trend seen on the runways this year was the unique use of rich textures. I saw beaded wedding dresses, rich textural lace dresses, bridal dresses with layers of ruffled tulle, three-dimensional appliques, and even pearl-studded bridal dresses. Texture on a wedding dress provides a great deal of interest and intricate detail so much so that these designer dresses make a statement from every angle – truly a photographer’s dream!
Here are a handful of my favorite textural wedding dresses coming down the runways:
Floral embroidery wedding dress by Anne Barge.
Floral appliques wedding dress by Elie Saab.
Beaded wedding dress by Elie Saab.
Appliques and beaded wedding dress by Elie Saab.
3D floral wedding dress by Galia Lahav.
Wedding dress with ruffled tulle skirt by Idan.
Textural lace wedding dress by Lihi Hod.
Quilted wedding dress with a matching cape by Markarian.
Pearl studded wedding dress by Nardos.
New Bridal Fashion Trend #5: Floral Veils
Trending designer fashion doesn’t apply just to the dresses! Bridal designers were showing off their latest bridal accessories too! Floral wedding veils were popular styles across many of the top luxury bridal designers. A floral detailed wedding veil adds the perfect feminine and whimsical touch to any bridal style. I saw delicate embroidered floral lace edged veils to veils with cascading floral appliques. A floral bridal veil can match the wedding dress with it’s detail and design, or compliment it – either way, I’m here for it!
A few of my favorite floral wedding veil looks from Bridal Fashion Week:
Floral lace veil by Idan.
Embroidered wedding veil by Sareh Nouri.
Wedding veil with floral appliques by Sareh Nouri.
Floral embroidery wedding veil by Rime Arodaky.
Floral lace wedding veil by Mira Zwillinger.
Floral lace edge wedding veil by Lihi Hod.
Wedding veil with appliques by Lihi Hod.
New Bridal Fashion Trend #6: Romantic & Drama
Last but not least, bridal fashion week brought the romance and the drama! Many bridal designers were upping the romance in their latest collection with delicate floral accents and lace detailing. Bridal capes added a fun romantic twist to traditional silhouettes and I couldn’t get enough of the texture and detail on the new designer bridal dresses. The bridal designers brought it this season with show-stopping designs and ethereal details that will create unforgettable moments ton this year’s wedding aisles.
Here are a few of my favorite romantic wedding dress and dramatic bridal details coming down the runway:
Lace wedding dress with matching cape by Galia Lahav.
Romantic chic caped wedding dress by Savannah Miller.
Embroidery sleeves wedding dress by Rime Arodaky.
Long sleeves, high neckline lace wedding dress by Lihi Hod.
Romantic lace ball gown bridal dress by Lihi Hod.
Romantic floral embroidered wedding dress by Ines Di Santo.
Pearl studded bridal cape by Ines Di Santo.
Romantic removable sleeves wedding dress by Idan.
That wraps up some of my favorite trending bridal fashion styles from the latest runway shows. It is hard to pick just one as a favorite! I can’t wait to see how some of my brides will incorporate these new trends into their wedding day fashion in the next year or two.
As you’re shopping for your dream wedding dress and booking your bridal appointments, be sure to look out for these new high-fashion bridal trends in your local bridal boutique.
All photographs in this post are credited to Sarah Bradshaw Photography.
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