Your wedding dress is sure to be the most extravagant dress you’ll ever wear, so make sure you know exactly what fabrics you want before you start your wedding dress search.
Silk is a natural fibre that has a natural shine, soft texture and comes in many forms – from smooth Thai to textured Dupion silk. Silk is ideal for structured bridal gowns, beading and embroidery.
Lace is romantic and feminine, it is also wonderfully flexible. Lace can be made from cotton, polyester or nylon and is great for embellishing your wedding gown, Chantilly lace is perfect when placed on top of a contrasting colour. Guipure lace is ideal for making delicate sleeves.
Georgette and chiffon are lightweight, sheer fabrics that are made from either silk or polyester. These fabrics are beautiful as overlays, wraps, sleeves and inserts.
Organza is also a sheer fabric but is stiffer. It’s texture makes this fabric perfect when paired with embroidery and beading. It is also great for layered panels as well as overlays and wraps.
Brocade has a patterned, embossed effect woven into it. It is a heavy material that has a vintage, romantic air.
Crepe is a soft fabric that has a wrinkled texture and is stunning when used for panelling, layering or even bodice detail.
Satin is a tightly woven silk and is a favourite because of it’s lustre. Beware though, it is an unforgiving fabric, so is best used over a structured bodice.
Tulle is a much stiffer fabric, but has a similar look to organza. It is often used under the skirt to give it body, but often you will see full skirts made from Tulle – giving a tutu like appearance.
Which white?
White is not simply white when it comes to Bridal Gown Fabrics. Below are the most popular shades of white for bridal gowns :
Stark white – original chalky white looks best on people with a dark complexion but should be avoided by anyone too fair.
Off-white – also described as ‘silk’, ‘diamond’ or ‘natural’ white, is a little bit softer than stark white and suited to anyone with a yellow undertone.
Ivory – can go by names like eggshell and candlelight and has a yellow undertone for all fair-skinned women.
Champagne – sometimes called ‘rum’, has hints of pink, which make medium coloured skin with pink undertones glow.