We are excited to dig into today’s bridal fashion advice post and share with brides-to-be our tips and advice for what to wear for an elopement wedding or a courthouse wedding. During the pandemic, we saw a rise in elopement-style weddings, courthouse ceremony, or mini-weddings with just a few loved ones in attendance and we love this trend for exchanging vows. If you're having a smaller wedding or an elopement wedding it's a great time to play with your bridal fashion and make a bold choice in your wedding day attire.
There are lots of reasons that couples are choosing elopement-style weddings. Many couples are opting for a small wedding post-pandemic and prefer a more intimate affair. Also, many couples who are having a destination wedding or a larger wedding in another location, need to make it official at the courthouse to get their marriage license so they will have a smaller elopement prior to their big day. If you are a bride who is planning an elopement wedding or may be considering if an elopement wedding is right for you, you don’t want to miss our advice for choosing an elopement wedding bridal outfit.
Take The Fashion Risk
As we are still in a post-pandemic recovery period, we are still seeing many brides at Lovella who are planning an elopement wedding. Sometimes the elopement is the only type of wedding the couple has planned. Other times, we hear that brides are planning a private, intimate elopement wedding ceremony and will be having a bigger wedding reception party to celebrate with all their loved ones.
If you are in the latter group and plan on having a private elopement wedding ceremony followed by a big wedding reception, then we think that’s the perfect scenario to take the fashion risk you might be thinking about. Having multiple wedding events gives brides the chance to really play with their bridal fashion and choose wedding outfits that are more personalized to them.
Break The Rules
If you have been following our bridal fashion advice for some time, then you already know that when it comes to bridal style, we say there are no rules! Choose whatever outfit or style that is going to make you feel beautiful and special on your wedding day.
We don’t subscribe to the belief that if you are having a certain type of wedding, then you have to wear a certain style of wedding dress. If you want a beautiful, princess ball gown wedding dress with a lot of beading and embellishment for your intimate beach wedding, go for it! Just because you are having an intimate wedding on the beach does not mean that you need to be in a simple, flowy bridal dress. Choose the bridal gown that makes you feel confident and beautiful and like a bride.
Video: What to Wear For An Elopement Wedding
If you are a bride who is planning an elopement or mini-wedding, be sure to tune in to this week's advice video to help you figure out what to wear for a wedding elopement.
Wear What You Dream Of
We always want to encourage all brides to choose the wedding dress they’ve always dreamed of wearing. No matter the size of your wedding or the venue of your wedding celebration, choose the wedding dress you love and are excited to wear as a bride. We think this is especially true of elopement weddings or mini weddings. If an intimate wedding or even a courthouse wedding ceremony is the only wedding event you are having, then we think the bride should really go for it with their wedding outfit.
Elopement weddings or mini weddings are the perfect time to take a fashion risk, if that is your style. Whatever you dream of wearing for your wedding, go for it! Whether that be a ball gown or a bridal jumpsuit, choose the outfit that suits your style and taste. We encourage brides to treat their elopement as they would a traditional wedding celebration. Make the wedding dress or bridal outfit shopping trip special. Make that appointment at the bridal boutique and try on different styles of dresses, don’t skip out on that experience.
Explore Styles
Take the time to think about what style or type of bridal outfit you see yourself in for your wedding elopement, whether it be at the courthouse or on the beach or even at home. Try on different styles wedding dresses. Just because you are doing a mini wedding or elopement wedding doesn’t mean you have to wear a short white dress. There are certainly many options of short or mini wedding dresses. “Little White Dresses” have become a very popular wedding fashion trend as many brides are choosing to change into a short dress for their wedding reception. This could be a great option for you if you like the idea of something that still feels bridal but isn’t too traditional.
A bridal jumpsuit or romper is also very fun for elopement weddings. Even a two-piece bridal suit could be a good option if you like a bit more structure for your wedding outfit. So many bridal dress designers are now including other bridal styles in their collections instead of only traditional bridal dresses.
Accessories
Once you have chosen what to wear for your elopement wedding, don’t forget about bridal accessories! Be sure to complete your wedding day outfit. If you want to wear a veil, go for it! We love the idea of a veil with a mini wedding dress to give you more of a bridal feel.
Bridal shoes for an elopement are another great way to express yourself. If you are wearing a bridal jumpsuit or a short wedding dress for your elopement, don’t forget about a fabulous pair of shoes since you’ll be able to really show off your footwear.
Get yourself a bridal bouquet if you want one. Have your hair and makeup done professionally. Choose to do the traditional or non-traditional things that will make your wedding feel like yours, and you feel like a bride- whatever that means to you.
One final tip that we can’t recommend enough is to hire a photographer and maybe even a videographer. Even if you are only having an elopement wedding ceremony or a mini wedding, do yourself the favor of having a photographer so you will have the photos to capture those memories you are making with your partner. If you are doing an intimate wedding, you have a lot more time and flexibility than on a traditional big wedding day for portraits with your partner. You could do something really fun and unique, depending on where your wedding is taking place, but you certainly don’t want to miss out on documenting those special moments.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Advice
We hope you found our advice for choosing your wedding elopement bridal outfit helpful. Remember that the sky is the limit for what to wear for your elopement. For even more helpful advice when it comes to wedding day fashion, be sure to check out our past posts:
- How to Accessorize a Short Wedding Dress
- How To Accessorize & Style Your Wedding Dress
- Top 7 Wedding Dress Fashion Trends
- Top 9 Bridal Fashion Accessory Trends
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 podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
