Brides shopping for wedding dresses in Los Angeles and Southern California often wonder: should your wedding dress match your wedding venue? At Lovella Bridal in Glendale, our wedding fashion experts share why the most important rule is choosing a gown that reflects your personal style and makes you feel confident, whether you’re celebrating in a ballroom, garden, or on the beach. Discover couture and romantic bridal gowns with expert styling advice from the top bridal shop in LA.
You might be wondering: Should my wedding dress match my wedding venue? This is one of the most common questions we get from brides shopping for wedding dresses in Los Angeles and Glendale with us at Lovella Bridal. So many factors go into planning your wedding day and your bridal gown is one of the most important pieces of clothing you will wear in your life, so it makes sense that brides would want to achieve a cohesive look. Whether you’re tying the knot in a grand ballroom, an intimate garden, or barefoot on the beach, many brides wonder if there are “rules” when it comes to pairing their wedding dress with their setting.
At Lovella Bridal, we believe the only rule is that you should wear what makes you feel beautiful and confident. Your wedding dress is not just an outfit. It’s the most significant garment you’ll ever wear. The moment you zip it up, it sets the tone for your entire day. Years from now, it’s what you’ll see in photos, what your loved ones will remember, and what future generations may even inherit. So why let the venue dictate what you wear?
Watch: Should Your Wedding Dress Match Your Wedding Venue?
If you are a bride to be who is shopping for their wedding dress and wondering what style is best for their wedding day, be sure to tune into our latest wedding dress shopping advice video all about if your wedding dress should match your wedding venue. We'll give you all the tips and considerations brides should know when shopping for their wedding fashion and coordinating with their wedding theme or venue.
Do Wedding Dresses Have to Match the Venue? | Bridal Shop in LA
We recently helped a bride shop for her wedding gown who was getting married in a garden and was torn between two styles she loved: a ball gown or a mermaid silhouette. Whether it’s a ball gown or mermaid silhouette, our couture collection at Lovella, the top bridal shop in LA with couture wedding gowns, gives brides endless options to explore.
Her question? “What kind of dress should I wear for a garden wedding?”
The answer? Whatever makes your heart skip a beat.
Sure, when you think “satin ball gown,” your mind might automatically place it in a traditional ballroom. And yes, a beaded mermaid gown might seem more “evening affair” than “outdoor celebration.” But let’s shift the perspective.
That satin ball gown with pearl and crystal details, a structured corset bodice, and a flattering Basque waistline? It could shimmer like ocean waves at a beach wedding. Its modern yet classic style could feel just as stunning walking down a garden aisle as it would gliding across a polished marble floor.
Why Your Wedding Dress Style Matters More Than the Venue
Think about your venue the way you’d style a space. Take a rustic barn and imagine a glamorous crystal chandelier hanging overhead. That striking contrast of rugged charm and sparkling elegance? Pure magic. Now, think of yourself as the chandelier. It doesn’t matter if you’re standing in a vineyard, on a mountaintop, or at city hall. You can bring the glamour, the sparkle, the romance, the drama. On wedding day, you and your wedding dress will be the centerpiece.
In other words, the dress doesn’t have to match the venue. The dress should match you and your personal style.
Real Brides in Southern California: What We Learned About Venue vs. Dress
During the COVID wedding boom, we saw many brides buy dresses to fit a “theme” or venue, only to have their plans change completely. Countless brides returned to Lovella and told us they bought a second dress because the original one never felt like them. They chose the first gown to match a venue, but not their personality.
What did they all have in common? Regret. And a new appreciation for choosing the dress they loved from the beginning, regardless of where they were getting married.
Romantic Wedding Dresses in Southern California: Build Your Wedding Around the Gown You Love
Instead of matching your gown to your venue, consider building the rest of your wedding story around the dress that makes you feel your most powerful, radiant self. Many of our brides searching for romantic wedding dresses in Southern California find that their gown inspires the entire wedding design, rather than the other way around. That could mean designing a garden wedding with elevated floral installations to match your formal look. Or letting your ethereal lace gown inspire an oceanfront ceremony at golden hour.
Remember, your dress doesn’t need to fit into a box or a Pinterest board. It just needs to feel like you and make you feel like the best version of yourself. As the top bridal shop in Southern California, Lovella helps brides style their gown and wedding day vision, no matter the venue. At the end of the day, it will be up to you if you want to match your wedding dress to your wedding venue. We believe there are no set rules when it comes to bridal fashion. You can always mix the vibes and traditions! Wear what makes you feel the most beautiful and confident and everything else will fall into place.
Wedding Dress Shopping Tips from Lovella Bridal Los Angeles
We hope you have found this advice helpful for knowing whether you should match your wedding dress to your wedding venue. For even more helpful advice when it comes to bridal styling and the wedding dress shopping experience, be sure to check out our past posts:
- How To Accessorize & Style Your Wedding Dress
- Do Wedding Dresses Have Matching Veils?
- How to Handle Feeling Nervous About The Wedding Dress Shopping Process
- Why Every Bride Needs a Bridal Stylist While Wedding Dress Shopping
Meet Lovella’s Wedding Fashion Expert in Los Angeles
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 podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
