Understanding the Options for Bridal Gown Materials and Finishers

Before a bride even looks at a gown’s silhouette, bodice details, or skirt styles, her attention may be drawn to the sheen of the fabric or the sparkle of sequins and the details of appliqués. Although these details will catch the eye, knowing ahead of time the variety of dress details can help a bride talk to a consultant or narrow her online search

Selecting the Best Shade of White

• Fair skin – Look for yellow ivories and warmer natural colors like eggshell and candlelight.
• Medium skin with pink undertones – Wear creamy whites.
• Medium skin with yellow undertones - Natural fibers like silk, cotton, and linen offer natural whites. Also look for champagne.
• Dark skin with a yellow or olive undertone – Look for stark white and champagne off-whites with pink undertones.
• Dark skin – Go with blue white or stark white as opposed to anything with a yellow undertone.

Consider adding trimmings, like bows or ribbons, in colors that coordinate with your color scheme. Or, skip the white dress altogether in favor of a dramatic color that expresses more of the bride’s personal style.

Wedding Gown Fabrics

• Charmeuse – This lightweight satin follows the wearer’s curves. It is less shiny than regular satin
• Chiffon – This semitransparent fabric moves and drapes well. Look for it in layers, sleeves, and veils
• Organza – Stiffer than chiffon, this fabric still flows with the bride
• Satin – Satin is a heavy fabric that is shiny on one side, dull on the other. Duchesse satin combines silk and rayon for a lighter and less expensive option.
• Shantung – Thick and thin yarns create a nubby texture similar to raw silk.
• Silk – This fiber is luxurious, resilient, and expensive.
• Taffeta­ – Shiny or matte, this fabric has a crisp, papery feel.

Embellishments and Finishers

• Appliqués – These usually raised details are stitched onto the gown.
• Beading – Glass, crystal, gem, pearl, or other types of beads are sewn onto the dress. Glass or plastic bugle beads, small cylindrical shapes, can also be glued or sewn onto the gown.
• Border trims – These edgings can be braids, ribbons, ruffles, or scalloped pieces.Bows – Bows can be made from a variety of materials and found in many lengths and sizes as a single element or part of a grouping.
• Edging – Edgings made from lace, cord, embroidered bands, and silk satin outline sections of fabric.
• Embroidery – Fancy needlework patterns can be stitched by hand or machine in the same color as the gown or in a contrasting color.
• Fringe – Loose strands of beading or threads fastened to a band.
• Jewels – Crystals attached to a gown will catch the light.
• Laser cut – A laser cuts intricate patterns into the fabric.
• Quilting – Batting is sandwiched between layers of fabric that is stitched in a pattern.
• Ribbons – Ribbons could be used as closures on a corseted gown or could decorate a floor-length gown with streamers.
• Seed pearls – These small irregularly shaped pearl can be added to the dress, headpiece or shoes.
• Sequins – Shiny plastic disks sewn flat to the gown add sparkle. Paillettes are larger sequins with a hole at one side so they can move with the bride and catch the light.
• Silk Flowers­ – Matching or contrasting color flowers can decorate the neckline, waist, or all over.

Elements like color and sheen from the fabric and sparkle from the finishers create the base for a wedding gown. These dress basics can greatly affect the cost of a dress, so a bride should look at these elements when shopping within her budget

Resources for this article include Marcy Blum and Laura Fisher Kaiser’s Wedding Planning for Dummies, 2nd ed. (Wiley Publishing, 2005) and Carley Roney’s The Knot Book of Wedding Lists (Clarkson/Potter Publishers, 2005). Susan Caplan