Modern vs Traditional Weddings: The Evolution of the Wedding Dress

Not that long ago, weddings and wedding dresses in Ireland were very similar. The day itself followed the traditional format of a church ceremony followed by a celebration dinner and dance afterwards. And because it was a church wedding, wedding fashion conformed to certain expectations.

But times have changed. While the traditional church-based wedding day is still common, in the last decade or so, we have also seen the rise of less traditional wedding days. And wedding fashion has loosened up to accommodate more free-spirited brides and alternative wedding celebrations.

So, let’s look at three types of bride and what kinds of dresses will suit their wedding day.

The traditional wedding day and traditional bridal fashion

For many brides, the church is still the keystone of their wedding day. It’s where the pivotal moments of their life happen: baptism, First Communion and their wedding. Of course, it may also play a role at the very end of their life, but let’s keep it light here.

A church wedding ceremony has a very defined structure, laid down by the church. Individual officiating clergy do bring their personality to the occasion when they address the couple and congregation, but the wriggle room is very limited.

Equally, a church wedding places restrictions on the wedding fashion worn by the bride. Not explicitly, but implicitly. There are unspoken rules. This is not the place for a miniskirt and crop top wedding outfit. It’s also perhaps not the place for a wedding dress with plunging neckline, or a low or bare back, or a high slit in the skirt.

What we notice is that brides who are getting married in a church choose a more formal wedding dress, often a classic design. That isn’t the same as saying ‘old-fashioned’ or ‘boring’, by the way. Formal and classic wedding fashion is every bit as gorgeous and attractive as the newest ‘modern’ designs. Instead, they are often more appropriate to the church setting of the wedding ceremony.

These dresses are often made using traditional materials, satin and taffeta in particular, often accompanied by a veil

What’s also characteristic of a bride who is getting married in a church is how engaged they are with the significance of the day. This isn’t to say they are solemn. Far from it. It usually means they are excited about the life that lies ahead, beyond the marriage ceremony itself. They are relaxed and confident in themselves. For them, their wedding day is about the act of marriage. It’s a celebratory, yet formal, start to the next phase of their life, built on a long-term commitment.

Just to be clear, in case you get the wrong impression, that isn’t to say brides who marry outside of a church aren’t serious about their marriage. Of course they are. Rather, it’s to say that brides who have a church wedding often emphasise the weight of the occasion in their preparations, whereas brides who marry outside a church are able to apply a freer, lighter touch to their day. And we see that reflected in the kind of dress brides choose to wear.

The non-traditional wedding day and bridal fashion

Now that the rules have been relaxed about where you can have your wedding ceremony in Ireland, more and more couples are choosing to host their day at a single venue, where they can both have their ceremony and their celebration afterwards.

Previously, the only non-church option was the registry office. Now, you have enormous freedom, giving more free-spirited brides room to express themselves.

Popular choices for the ceremony include beaches, woods, yurts and converted barns on country estates. The rise of the latter has been particularly noticeable in recent years. Before, you might host your wedding breakfast at a country estate after the church ceremony. Now the whole day can take place in one central location, often allowing the bride and the closest guests to stay onsite as well.

This gives couples far more freedom to put their own stamp on the day. Yet, in many ways, they share all the characteristics of a bride who is getting married in a church: equally confident in themselves and equally aware of the significance of the marriage ceremony and what it represents. The difference is that they are playing a more active role in the experience of their marriage ceremony.

It also means they have more freedom in their bridal fashion, allowing them to consider dresses that simply wouldn’t suit a church affair.

From experience, we know that these brides will often go for something contemporary from one of our collections, Jesus Peiro especially. They may also choose something from the more muted Eva Lendel designs.

A sub-category of brides in this group are brides who choose to have a small, minimalist wedding day. An intimate celebration with close friends followed by dinner at a restaurant perhaps. These brides are often less focussed on the dress and delight in something off-the-rail that they know they will wear many times after their wedding day as well. Their wedding day is all about fun first, fashion second.

The exquisite wedding day and bridal fashion

Then there are brides whose wedding day is a gorgeously orchestrated event. They are a mix of the other two types of wedding day. They can include a church ceremony, but equally might revolve around a wedding ceremony elsewhere. Where they differ is in the emphasis couples put on the extravagance of the experience of the day.

The main characteristic is an element of visual spectacle. These are weddings of fashion-forward brides with their pulse on contemporary social and visual trends. These brides are drawn towards the exquisite and daring designs by studios like Eva Lendel. They choose dresses that are above all visually striking and fit the fashion of the moment.

Not only is the occasion memorable for its significance, it is memorable for the almost cinematic feel to it, most notably seen in the wedding photographs both in the wedding album but especially in the bride’s social media feeds during the event itself. These are brides that radiate outwards, and choose dresses that grab your eyeballs.

Your character is at the heart of your dress

These three groups aren’t hard and fast, of course. Everyone is a little bit of all three. What is important is that you are true to yourself when it comes to choosing your wedding gown, be that traditional, contemporary or ever so slightly outrageous.