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Last updated 5 months ago.
The word royal fabulously describes wedding dress trends of 2024, as in dresses that take our favorite bridal classics and royally embellish them with designs that make a glamorous, fun, playful added statement.
Think colors, ruffles, big sleeves, floral embroidery, Louis XIV, elegant feathers, opulent lace in droves, high collars, long sleeves, disco-era silhouettes, It-girl fairy frocks, and more. Plus, a few sleek and polished minimalist numbers.
So, if you enjoyed the royal nuptials that ushered us into 2024 – and the gowns are worn by Princess Eugenie, Princess Deniz, and the Duchess of York, Meghan Markle, or Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie in her Scottish family’s Wardhill Castle — you have plenty to look forward to with the new additions and trends when choosing your dress.
Fashion royalty/influencer Chiara Ferragni has us off to a good start in 2024 at her Italian-castle wedding, featuring a ball-gown lace skirt with a short one underneath (so fun!) and long lacy sleeves. It was custom designed in the house of Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri and is a huge inspiration!
So, let’s look at our top favorite 2024 wedding dress trends. Keep reading for inspiration for your wedding day, then start trying your favorites!
Glamour at the Ballroom
Ballgowns with a twist flow freely down wedding aisles in 2024. Take a look at Chiara Ferragni’s dress to start.
The full skirt is reminiscent of balls gone by in castles of lore (or at Windsor, more recently on Kate Middleton). But the sheer front lace makes way for the elegant short mini underneath. The modern short-front twist is offset by the classic train, graceful long sleeves, and a higher neck.
Be inspired and have fun being the belle of the ball at your wedding, like a true royal, and then give it that posh, playful boost with unique trims, fabrics, sleeves, and mixed-level hems.
This voluminous-fabric look is gracing the red carpets this year. Think yards of lace and giant skirts, and you’re on your way.
Glamour at the Disco
Twenty-first Century royals oft can be found traipsing the club scene of London and Paris, a stomping ground for the young in their pre-wedded days. And now, those playful frocks, with a call-back to the authentic ’70s disco era, are dancing through wedding days from aisle to dance floor.
But don’t panic! This disco trend gets glamorized for your wedding day. Think gorgeous, elegant, minimalist cuts with metallic fabric or embellishments. Think baubles, fringe, and sequins. Think satin.
Then, there are the low-cut V necks, so sexy! And the skirts flow like disco lights on the dance floor when you move.
Just think how stunning that will be when your groom takes off your garter or when you move so gracefully to throw your bouquet.
Don’t forget the disco ball and awesome DJ!
Wedding Cake Tiers
Frivolous tiers and layers aren’t only found on wedding cakes in 2024. They’re all over some of our favorite wedding dresses of the year.
Think laced layers creating stunning skirts that go out in that ballroom bliss. Think pastels, especially pinks and blues.
The tiered look took awards and festival season red carpets by storm too. Look at Kacey Musgraves’ beautiful Oscar red carpet photos, as her dress is exactly what we’re talking about.
Musgraves’ look has the big ballgown skirt, but you can also go gamine narrow with your layers. Think satin or crepe, or other light, flowing fabric that starts out with wider tiers to show off your gorgeous curves and goes narrower down to your fabulous shoes. Because, of course, you’ll have fabulous shoes.
Wider to narrow, this look is ultra-flattering and a bit reminiscent of the ’20s too.
Stunning Romantic Necklines
We love the distinctive look of romantic dresses with plunging necklines that are on-trend year. They make everything sexy in a classy way.
The plunging V lengthens your body while accentuating your curves. The plunging neckline works with both the wide lace skirt and a more minimalist metropolitan look. Think Gatsby-era gorgeous!
Be sure to bring some fashion tape, so you feel free to move, dance, and kiss as you choose.
Blooming Bride
Florals are in for both weddings and wedding dresses alike. The more blooms, the merrier for the decoration of your venue. For your dress, keep flowers a bit more subtle but popping beautiful and scrumptious nonetheless.
Think bright-colored embroidery on the waist or along a top or bottom hemline.
Or go all-out bold with flower appliques covering your skirt. Yes, bold flowers take the stage on wedding aisles this year! Have fun! Be free! Show your blooming happy bridal side!
You can also wear flowers in your hair, woven in subtly or as a wreath. This can be gorgeously elegant with single-tone fabric and embroidery. Think beautiful low-cut back with flowers embroidered in off-white and lace. Think short wedding dresses with floral lace-embroidered cape outer shell. Think flirty A-line wedding dresses with fun ’50s-print flower pops.
Giant Bows
This Alice-In-Wonderland look is definitely for the fun at heart! We’re talking really big bows here that are a bump up from your traditional ’50s look.
Think satin in pastel colors. Think structured on a minimalist dress. Think playful as heck.
Bows look fabulous designed in a variety of spots. We’ve loved the bows we’ve seen on waistlines, plunging dress backs, and hems. They look gorgeous also on shoulders and veils as well.
Keep the dress on the classy side and go wildly ironic and big with the bow. But most of all, feel the joy of wearing a dress that makes you feel like the gift that you are.
Fabulous Feathers
Elegant feathers donning your frock are the It-Girl look of the year. Go with a simple satin ’70s gown then adorn with fluff on the ends of sleeves and necklines.
Go boho with lacy sheer sheath magic and flapper feathers embellishing the whole look. Wear a glamorous but simple feather boa. Add plumes to skirt tiers. Embellish tops or make tops entirely out of feathers.
This is the dress that’s your flight of fancy. So, glam. So, playful. So, you?
Just make sure to go big with the feathers and keep the rest minimal, so it’s not too theatrical. That’s what will keep you looking elegant and oh so on trend!
Short and Sassy
When we said fun for wedding dresses in 2024, we meant fun and sassy! Hence, the short wedding dresses making their charming appearance down aisles this year.
You can take this look a few ways. You can go mid-length and elegant with a straight line. Or you can flirt up a storm on the dance floor (and the aisle if you want!), with a mini dress up with classic heels and light, elegant adornments, like embroidery.
Another option is to have two dresses like some of our beloved royals have been known to do. Take Meghan Markle. She wore a classic Givenchy for the ceremony at St. George’s in Windsor Castle. She then changed into a more playful, silk sleeveless number by Stella McCartney for the reception and festivities afterward.
That is one idea if you want a more classic long gown for the aisle and a short flirty frock for the reception.
Standout Sleeve Sophistication
Back to the royals with the sleeves. Traditionally, brides adorned their arms with captivating coverage. Usually, this was simply relative to the ballgown skirts.
But in 2024, bridal sleeves make a statement. Like big bows, big sleeves are in. And the bigger or more dramatic, the better.
Think puffy and poofy. Think sheer or tiered. Think lace or feathers. Think nontraditional long-sleeved wonder.
Alternatively, think one bare arm and one-sleeved, leaning into the ’80s structured look. Or go sleek and minimalist modern with a single sleeve and a sheer on the other arm or bare.
All in all, if your sleeves are making a statement, you’re good to go. We’ve even seen dresses with detachable sleeves! How’s that for playful and fun?
Thin Straps
This year skinny straps are in this year, and we are leaning into the ’70s again and the whispy bohemian look we love.
Barely-there straps look good with all kinds of dresses. Try romantic full, feminine designs with thin straps, or go with a simple sheath adorned with feathers, embroidery, or other embellishments.
Captivating Capes
Yes, we’re talking superwoman here, as in a cape designed to make your wedding day look stellar and fun and like you’re flying across the aisle from sheer joy.
We know you have bridal superpowers, and your guests will too, when they see you strut the aisle with confidence, perhaps an inch off the ground, but still. They’ll know what you’re made of, and so will your groom.
Because these wedding dress capes are truly fun, bold, and beautiful. Choose from a simple but innovative sheer cocktail cape. Or go bold with tiers and ruffles that surround you like a poncho.
There are also floor-length capes and short coverlets that are only elbow-length.
We love some of the mixed-fabric and adornment options. Some are sheer with feathers at the neck and hemline. Some have baubles or designs embroidered in from neck to hemline vertically.
We’re excited about capes with sleeveless and thin-strapped gowns. Also, think about trading your veil for a cape for the reception as an option.
Something Blue
Bright pops of color are making their way around weddings in 2024. We’ve mentioned the bright flowers. Now we’re mentioning a more sophisticated take on color: blue.
The look we love here is a pale light blue to boost a classy bohemian gamine gown. We like blue tiers and tulle. We light wisps of blue ribbon and lace.
And if you’re feeling adventurous and bold, you can take your blue to the next level: periwinkle.
Also nice is a straight, thin-sleeved lace number with light blue flowers embroidered tastefully like vertical drops.
Cosmopolitan Minimalism
This simple look without lace or frills still stands out when designed with unique structural elements that make it fun and so on-trend.
Think of those one-sleeved numbers. Think offline tiered hemlines. Think cutouts. Think low backs with captivating cuts.
When done right, the metropolitan minimalist wedding gown should look like it belongs in a museum.
Pair it with a pop of color on your veil or a fun cape if you want to lighten it up. Or wear playful structured heels.
Swimsuit Bride
The beach bride is trending. Huh? What’s that, you ask? What does a swimsuit have to do with a wedding dress?
We’re talking about a bathing suit wedding dress for those adventurous beach showstopper weddings. Wait, this is your show! And there’s no stopping you from this look.
It’s a fancy, embellished bathing suit with a veil or cape (think beach cover-up in lace and sequins!).
This is a bridal look no one will forget. So fun!
The Perfect Wedding Dress Trends of 2024 for Your Wedding Day
We’re so in love with these wedding dress trends of 2024 and hope you’re inspired for your wedding day! Did any of these designs or styles pop out at you? That’s a great place to start.
Look at some of our gorgeous styles and gowns, then find a store near you to try on your favorites. We’re here to help you find the perfect dress that expresses your style and makes your special day royally beautiful and romantic, a wedding day to remember forever.
