This year, I’ve been seeing an old wedding tradition come back alive in modern style as a new trend: the mid-wedding costume change.
Maybe it stems from some long-held traditions? In Asian cultures, seeing the bride’s dress choice at the reception (often different, and red!) from what she wore to the ceremony is a highlight of the wedding day for guests. And back in the day, American brides often changed into a white traveling suit for the grand exit from the reception at the end of the day.
Today, with our melting pot American culture, lots of brides are fusing old tradition with new by wearing a traditional white wedding dress to the ceremony but then opting for a look for the party that expresses their ancestry.
What I’ve seen this year is something even a little more modern and fashionista-like…
Seiko’s dress was handmade by her mother’s friend back in Japan. It featured a cathedral-length, detachable train with waterfall gathering details that fastened with a matching cumberbund. After the ceremony and formal portraits, Seiko hid away for the cocktail hour while her costume was changed and her hair was loosened into a half-up/half-down arrangement (courtesy of her talented sister-in-law).
With the train removed, the dress revealed a smooth, A-line skirt that was perfect for dancing. Seiko accented it with a sash that matched her husband’s dress blues. Both looks played up the fun asymmetrically-pin-tucked bustier bodice, and were perfectly suited to the part of each particular part of her wedding day. Plus, Seiko got to wear two gorgeous looks for her wedding!
It was great fun to see how Katie, who similarly wore her gorgeous Amsale wedding dress in two different ways, completed her transformation in the opposite order I’d seen of Seiko. Katie wore her hair down in loose, sexy waves for the ceremony, accented with a traditional veil.
During the cocktail hour, while Katie’s train was bustled, the veil was removed and Katie’s hair was pinned up by the professional, waiting on hand, and secured with a lovely rhinestone clip.
Perhaps because she works at a dress shop, Katy seized the moment of her wedding by wearing two dresses. She chose a pink-peach silky dress with empire waist for her ceremony.
During the cocktail hour, Katy slipped back into her dressing room and changed into a similarly cut navy blue dress, leaving her hair and makeup untouched and donning a little white chiffon jacket for both looks.
The How
In all of these scenarios, the bride either chose to do formal pictures ahead of her ceremony so she could allot the time traditionally reserved to photographers for her costume change; or she arranged for a prolonged cocktail hour and a simplified picture list.
In every instance I’ve seen, the second look was a complete surprise to her husband and guests, increasing the excitement and wow-factor of the day.
Do It Subtle
If you don’t have a lot of time in your day to devote to a second getting-ready period or don’t want to miss your cocktail hour, you could do a streamlined version of the costume change up.
Remove the veil to reveal a cute hairpiece. Put on or take off a special overlay, jacket or wrap. Let down an updo, or simply change your shoes! Heels are often hard to wear after a while, so you could choose designer flats or something else pretty (and comfy) for the party! And tell your seamstress about it when she’s fitting you for the bustle. She might be able to hike the bustle up a tad higher to reveal the special touch.
No matter what, a wedding should be fun. And a bride should have the most fun with her wedding day look!
Hillary Harvey is a freelance photographer specializing in wedding photojournalism. Though born in Brooklyn to a long line of Brooklynites, she is a tried-and-true valley girl, having lived most of her life in the Hudson Valley. She also lives online, so catch up with her there!
