And the bride wore … anything but white: celebs EmRata and Chloë Sevigny bucked wedding trends to bring a little colour to their big day – and now others are following suit

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white. Or at least, almost always dressed in white – so deeply steeped in tradition is the hue for this one important day. And yet, until Britain’s Queen Victoria created a new trend with a white satin gown for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, brides mostly wore a variety of colours on their special day.

According to a 2018 survey in Brides magazine, around 83 per cent of brides choose to wear white – yet things may be shifting. Pinterest searches for “unique wedding dress” are up 240 per cent year on year, while blush pink wedding dress searches are up 60 per cent. It must also be noted that in countries such as India and China, red is the traditional choice.

In keeping with Pinterest, pale pink is indeed a popular choice for the bride who doesn’t want to wear white. It was worn by Beatrice Borromeo for her 2015 wedding to Pierre Casiraghi, currently eighth in the line of succession to the Monégasque throne; and Jessica Biel for her 2012 nuptials with Justin Timberlake – Valentino and Giambattista Valli, respectively. Meanwhile, Chloë Sevigny wore black for her 2020 wedding, and so did Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997. Another stand-out was actress Sophia Bush, who opted for a floral off-the-shoulder Monique Lhuillier dress for her big day in 2022.

Pink is something that Australian fashion designer Toni Matičevski explored for his most recent bridal collection. He says that while most of his brides still want to wear white, they want interesting textures and finishes.

“This collection explores a soft pink sequin fabrication, to again challenge the traditional notions of what a modern bride can be. Why not shine and sparkle on your special day?” he says.