As you get ready for your big day, do you want to plan it meticulously as per your childhood dream with a fairytale Disney wedding dress and a princess carriage? Or, are you super excited to check out the latest wedding trends and see what works for you? Alternatively, you may have no clue what you are doing! Whatever your wedding planning situation, we have lots of inside scoop on 2023 trends.
Wedding Dresses/Outfits
As wedding shoes designers, we spend hours researching the hottest wedding gown trends from bridal fashion week. Where do wedding gown designers get their inspiration? Well, they aren't going to give away their secrets, but for sure they will pay significant attention to big fashion houses such as Dior, Chanel & Louis Vuitton, and will be eagerly anticipating what will hit the runways in London, Paris, Milan and NY. They may even be looking into 2025 and beyond by scouring the trendy streets of Rio De Janeiro, Manchester and LA to see what the most fashionable trendsetters are wearing. One thing is for sure - nothing is new. If you check out the kids at the top schools for fashion, like Parsons or Central Saint Martins, you can be sure they are raiding their mothers’ or even grandmothers’ wardrobes.
Wedding Gowns
We see many bridal designers offering the most gorgeous and elaborate gowns (hop over to our gown trends here) but we are noticing many more short dresses, jumpsuits and more unique gowns, which are perfect for multi-day events or if you just want to be a little different.
Wedding Suits for Women
Suits have taken center stage in women’s fashion recently and are destined to be even more trendy in 2023. From the catwalk to the aisle, a suit can give you all the power you need, to accomplish anything, and look stylish doing it. We always love taking inspiration from the fashion world and bringing it alive in bridal. Take Actress Katie Holmes with her flawless white power suit and her hot pink shoes. She brought class and fire to the party. Why not try accessorizing a bridal white suit with our Blush Mariee Heels to add an extra pop of color on your special day. If you want a more subtle look, try a bridal suit embroidered with romantic flowers and lace. Our lovely bride, paired our Rita Ivory heels with a Kaviar Gauche bridal suit, which just exudes elegance with dramatic feminine touches and bold 3D flowers.
Reception Dresses and Short Dresses
On your big day, you need to be the center of attention. Your wedding gown should be exactly as you envisioned, whether that be lots of frills and flounces, a dramatic long train or a figure-hugging silky creation. But sometimes these glorious gowns are not quite practical when you want to party at your reception. What's more, sometimes it is simply fun to create one look for your ceremony and another, perhaps unexpected, look for the evening.
This fabulous frilly tulle dress is sure to cause a sensation, but won't give your new father-in-law a heart attack. Our stunning bride chose to compliment her Karen Sabag reception dress with our crystal embellished Emma heels.
Bows Dresses
Bows, bows, bows. Bows are more prominent than ever! Bows took over the bridal runways with the likes of Viktor & Rolf designing incredible wedding dresses and suits covered in small bows. We predict brides will be following this trend. Bows are getting bigger and are appearing everywhere. We have already seen dramatic bows on the back of dresses and brides fabulously walking down the aisle in bow covered veils. How will you wear bows on your special day? A bow can turn any simple look into a sophisticated outfit. If you are going with a clean modern look, add some glam with our pearl infused bow shoes named Kayla or glitzy Morgan crystal brooch pumps.
Wedding Shoes
Wedding planning can be exhausting with trying to perfect every little detail from choosing the font on your invitation to the ribbons on your shoes. We spend every day totally immersed in weddings and special occasions, so when it comes to wedding shoes, we can understand how overwhelming everything can be. There are so many different bridal shoe trends, but we would like to share with you four of our favorites.
Pearl Detailing
Okay, let's start with what we think is probably the biggest but not the newest trend and that is pearls. This trend is like a rollercoaster which doesn't have an end. There seems to be an insatiable desire for anything pearl, perhaps because they exude class, elegance and catch the light without being overpowering. Pearls can adorn your gown, shoes, flowers, veil and can be a consistent theme throughout your wedding. Pearls may be rare, but from sophisticated Faye to classic Audrey, we have plenty of pearl wedding shoes to fill all your desires.
The rarity of pearls make them a luxury fit for a queen. If you are feeling regal, our Lucia kitten heel is the shoe for you. The T-strap brings you support and style with its embellished shimmering gold rings and pearls. Our pearl T-strap shoes also come in 4”, 2.5” and flats as well black or red for an evening event. What's more Lucia features another huge trend, with its oversized silk bows.
Bows
As I mentioned previously, bows are stronger than ever in 2023. We have seen bows all over major fashion weeks and you too, can incorporate bows into your wardrobe. Bows feature in many of our shoes in our new 2023 collection. Meet Eloise, our jaw-dropping bridal heels. Eloise doesn’t have a simple strap, but an extraordinary tulle oversize bow that will have everyone in awe. Can you imagine these shoes with a beautiful voluminous dress like Milla London’s Emmi Tulle Ruffle Gown with two bows on the back? Are you ready to wrap your outfit with a bow?
Ruffles
We have seen so many brides bring a Victorian twist to their 21st-century weddings. In 2023, you will be seeing brides still paying homage to Bridgerton. Ruffles and quilted shoes are becoming more trendy. Ruffles can be vintage and modern. This element is perfect to create textured structure and flow to shoes. Just look at our stunning Double Ankle Strap Ruffle High Heel Shoes, named Blaire. The pleated organza ruffles add volume and elegance to elevate any bridal look.
Feathers
We have talked about the ruffle trend but, are you ready to ruffle some feathers with our feather shoes? Feathers have flown into 2023. They are such a fun and unique way to add volume to a bridal shoe. Feathered shoes are brilliant for reception or after-party looks where you can show off your shoes in your mini-dress. If you want to stay trendy, try out our Double Ankle Strap Feather Bridal Shoe. Quinn is truly a full-blown party at the front of these shoes. Fluffy and fabulous feathers, with a solitary glimmering pearl on each shoe, create a dazzling look that will steal the show.
Mismatched bridesmaid dresses
Lately, there has been a movement towards ‘being you’, accepting your individuality and recognizing we are all different. One growing 2023 trend reflects this with bridesmaids dressed in different (but usually coordinating dresses). After all, you choose your favorite people to be bridesmaids because of their personalities’, not because they all have the same taste in dresses! Mismatched dresses not only allow bridesmaids to choose dresses that can be often reworn after the big day. See our blog on how to rewear your wedding shoes too.
Bridal Party
We love to break the rules and it looks like you do too! Statistics don't lie and there has been an undeniably huge increase (actually 23%) in male bridesmaids aka ‘Mates of Honor’ or ‘Groomsmaids’. Let's face it we are moving away from gender norms and lots of us have friends who are male or LGBTQ, but also isn't it just fun to switch things up a bit?
This trend has also spilled over into hen nights with more of us organizing a STEN DO (stag and hen mixed). It could be fun to party together and certainly should prevent any awkward conversations, or even canceled weddings, when a stag or hen night has gotten a bit too wild! We have all seen the videos of where grooms have turned up at their weddings drunk from the night before - yuk!
Surprise Weddings
TikTok has dominated inspiration from photography trends to elopement ideas. There is a move to more intimate weddings with elopements on the rise.. Couples have been asking their close family and friends to attend a small gathering, and all the guests are totally shocked when the couple announces that it is actually a surprise wedding! Could you keep that big secret? We actually have the perfect shoe for this scenario. Versatile Olivia has 4 alternatives so you can quickly change from a plain strap to a glittering crystal strap or even a luxurious silk bow, giving your wedding heels a different look as you appear in your surprise wedding dress!
Candid Photos
There is beauty in raw images because life is candid, there are no filters, edits or crops in real life. In the past we had polaroids, now we have BeReal (a social media app where you have to take a photo in real-time with no filters to share with your friends). We also can take advantage of Huji and VSCO, apps that turn your digital photo into an effortlessly classic shot. There is something so simple and elegant about raw polaroids. We are seeing a trend all over TikTok of couples giving their wedding guests their own disposable camera for the day to catch all those special candid moments. Furthermore, we will see professional wedding photographers being asked to catch more raw and candid photos in 2023. After all, it's lovely to get casual snaps but hiring a quality photographer will give you photos to last a lifetime.
Wedding Venues
Unique venues are becoming increasingly popular. The Euro, British pound and the Dollar are almost equivalent at present, offering the world as your oyster. It has become much more viable to pick a country you love for you to have a destination wedding. How about a fairytale Scottish castle, magical Mykonos, luxurious Lake Como or a lavender field in Provence? (I can't resist mentioning our lavender butterfly shoe Eve, for photos in those gorgeous lilac flowers).
We were so restricted during covid and now couples are desperate to spread their wings once again. A destination wedding is perfect for a multi-day wedding and 2023 is sure to see a rise in welcome parties too. How about a subdued perfume-making day in France, wine tasting in Italy, an open bus tour around the famous landmarks of London or snorkeling in Barbados?
Honeymoons
Newly married couples are certainly splurging out on unique honeymoons, which have unbelievably risen by 3,900%. These amazing trips could be multi-destination, safaris or bucket list experiences. They are not necessarily straight after the wedding (after all we sometimes need to recover from such emotional events!). With so many couples living together before their weddings or already owning everything they need, it is becoming common to opt for honeymoon funds instead of a traditional registry. So, if you have always wanted to climb Mount Everest, ride a tuk-tuk in Thailand, sleep in a treehouse or see wild animals in South Africa, now is the time to start planning.
Unusual Wedding Entertainment
I know some of our sweet tooth lovers won’t be satisfied with just a cake, so why not bring sweets to the entertainment of the party? You don’t want guests feeling like they have a ‘hole’ in their stomachs. Fill that hole with doughnut dunking games or other quirky games. More and more couples are creating unusual entertainment for guests, especially when guests have traveled far for your wedding and will spend a couple of days there. In 2023 we may see more outdoor movie nights, ultimate frisbee games, bike tours along with other outdoor events. After all, friends who slay together stay together.
Wedding Cakes
A party without cake is just a meeting! Cakes are becoming very grand, often with six or more tiers. Flamboyant toppers are also so popular. We have seen non-traditional cakes rise in popularity along with the growth in destination weddings. If you are getting married in a tropical paradise like Bali, why not try a tropical fruit cake? Or if Paris is more your gig try a cake of cheeses to reflect French culture.
Wedding Flowers
Just when you think flowers can't get any grander, they do! Statement ceremony décor is definitely becoming more well… of a statement! With floral aisles, floral arches and backdrops, chandeliers made of flowers, the list goes on and on. Arrangements are also becoming more unexpected with the use of exotic flowers. Conversely, there is also a move to cut down the carbon footprint by using living arrangements such as local cottage-type flowers and even potted plants.
Wedding Menu
A drive towards sustainability will undoubtedly result in more local menus. It creates great conversation to include local produce with little descriptions of where food comes from, especially if that area has special meaning to the couple. Sustainability will also spill into the choice of food with many more plant-based menus being offered.
With mixed-race, nationality and culture weddings on the increase, couples are fusing their different backgrounds to offer fusion menus. Our generation also tends to have friends and family from all around the world so it makes sense to embrace this. One popular idea on the rise has been sharing plates - Spanish tapas style. Then guests can not only select the food they prefer but interact more as they pass the dishes around.
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