There are so many colors when it comes to wedding planning, we understand! The colors of the flowers, the color of the color, the color of the bridesmaid dresses - so many colors! And when it comes to the colors of wedding dresses there are even more options for brides to consider from off-white, ivory, diamond white to every shade in between and beyond. If you're confused over wedding dress colors, we are talking about all things the color of wedding dresses today and our best tips for finding the best shade for your skin tone.
If you're a bride preparing for your wedding dress shopping appointment and don't know what color wedding dress to order, you are in the right spot. Along with the decision of what style of wedding dress to choose, you may also be wondering how you will decide what color wedding dress to order at your appointment. As wedding fashion experts, we are here to help and today, we're giving you everything brides need to know about wedding dress colors and picking the shade that looks the best for you.
No Set Formula
Many brides come to us and are confused about which wedding dress to pick. They want to know what color dress they should wear based on their individual skin tone. The good news is that there is no set formula for what color wedding dress to choose based on your skin tone and complexion.
Deciding which wedding dress to pick all comes down to personal preference and what shade you think looks best on you. Sounds simple, right?
Our best advice for trying to decide what color wedding dress looks best on you is to try on as many colors as youc an. Be sure to try on different fabric tones so that you can see what the different options look like with your skin tone.
Video: How To Decide What Color Wedding Dress To Order
If video is more your speed when it comes to wedding planning, tune in to this week's advice video from our Wedding Fashion Expert for all the tips on how to decide what color wedding dress to order at your bridal appointment.
About Sample Dresses
When you're trying to decide on wedding dress colors, the first thing we need to talk about is sample wedding dresses, as in the wedding dresses that you will be trying on in the bridal store.
When you go into a bridal store to try on wedding dresses you will most likely be trying on sample wedding dresses. What is a sample wedding dress? A sample wedding dress is a dress that stays in the store and brides who are shopping for their dream wedding dress can come in and try it on to see how it feels and fits to decide if this is "the one." The sample dresses stay in the store to be tried on over and over again and are not the physical dress that you'll wear on your wedding day. (Unless you're trying on a sample wedding dress at a sample sale, which is a whole other blog post for another day. For more watch this video with advice on what is a wedding dress sample sale, or this one on the difference between a trunk show and a wedding dress sample sale.)
Please keep in mind the condition of the sample wedding dresses that brides are trying on when they are trying to decide which color dress to order. What you see in the store and what you get brand new, made just for you, can be slight color variations of each other.
The sample wedding gowns are tried on many different times and get some wear and tear, the fabric may slightly discolor, beading can fall off from where the dresses are clamped for better fit, and sparkles may start to tarnish. Brides need to know that your brand new wedding dress will have a brighter, fresher look than a sample wedding dress.
We’ve had brides at Lovella who are somewhat disappointed when their new wedding dress that they have ordered comes into the store because it is much more sparkly than the sample wedding gown. Anything set with crystals will tarnish slightly over time, so keep in mind that the sample wedding gown may be a bit duller compared to your new wedding dress.
Don’t be afraid to ask your bridal stylist about the condition of the sample wedding dress. Ask the bridal stylist how true the new bridal dresses are to the sample wedding dresses in their store.
Order What You See in Store
At Lovella, we always recommend that brides order the same color wedding dress as the color sample wedding dress they tied on in the store. The best way to minimize any disappointment with your wedding dress order is to order your bridal dress in the fabric colors you actually saw and tried on your body.
For example, if you try on a sample wedding gown that has a nude lining with ivory lace on top, but you decide to order your wedding dress with an ivory lining and ivory lace on top. This is a mistake. Of course, you’ve taken photos during your shopping trip and have stared at these photos for months while waiting for your wedding dress to arrive. Your eye has gotten used to seeing the sample wedding dress colors, and some brides in this scenario have been disappointed when their wedding dress arrives in the store as it’s a different look than those original photos.
If you think you want to order your wedding dress in a different fabric color than the sample bridal gown, we highly recommend asking for a piece of fabric in the color you like so that you can place it under the lace and visualize what the final dress will look like. Take photos with the tonal differences so you can compare how the dress looks with different lining fabrics.
You’ll be better informed in your wedding decision-making if you are able to compare a tone-on-tone look with a darker lining side by side.
Try On The Same Dress In Different Colors
When you're trying to decide what color wedding dress to order, we always recommend that brides try on as many different color dresses as possible, especially dresses of the same style that you like but in different colors.
To see what looks best with your skin tone, we highly recommend trying on the same dress design with different fabric options. For example, if the first wedding dress you try on has a darker lining with ivory lace on top, ask if that bridal dress comes in an ivory lining version so that you can also see a tone-on-tone option. If the bridal store does not have the color combination sample wedding dress style that you want to try on, you can ask to try on a wedding dress that has a similar look and fabric options in a tone-on-tone design so you can compare the two with your skin tone.
Names Don’t Matter
Just like we recommend when you're trying to decide which shape and style wedding dress looks best on your body type, the name of the color of the wedding dress does not matter.
We suggest you ignore the title of colors designers name each wedding dress. Many brides, friends, and family have a tendency to get fixated on the name of the color. What you consider to look white could have many different names, such as ivory, off-white, diamond white, vanilla, cream, and so on.
In addition, the names of colors vary from wedding dress designer to designer. One dress designer might call a wedding dress a light ivory color while another might call it off-white.
Don't focus so much on the name they use for the dress, rather focus on if you like the color wedding dress on your skin tone or not.
Take Photos
We always encourage our Lovella brides who are wedding dress shopping to take photos and even video when they are in the store trying on wedding dresses. You want to be able to look back and compare between bridal gowns what looks best on you. You also want to see how the wedding dress will photograph.
You might think that you'll remember what you looked like and how you felt from wedding dress to wedding dress, and from bridal store to bridal store, but it is a lot of information to take in, so it's always best to take pictures of yourself in the dresses just in case.
Final Advice
Many wedding dress designers create wedding dresses with darker undertone fabrics underneath and ivory lace over the top because it helps the detailing of the lace stand out and photograph better. In addition, some wedding dress designers only offer bridal dresses in one color, for this reason. The designers want their dresses to look their best and they don't want brides disappointed when they get their wedding dresses in-store.
Our last piece of advice about deciding on the color of wedding dress is to remember that your new wedding dress is going to appear fresher and a little more vibrant than what you saw in person at your appointment. The sample wedding gowns in the bridal store get a lot of love!
If you follow our tips and advice on how to pick the right wedding dress color for you, you can't go wrong with your bridal style. Try on all the wedding dress color options, and choose what wedding dress looks best with your skin that you like, you will have no wedding day regrets!
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her bridal fashion podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
