Two-piece wedding sets and jumpsuits are growing in popularity for casual ceremonies and receptions.
There’s a bridal trend that has been building for several years: the anything-goes bride who chooses to bare a little midriff in a two-piece or rock her wedding in a jumpsuit or menswear-inspired tuxedo look done in bridal white.
“It’s definitely something in the air,” says Jane Keltner de Valle, Glamour’s fashion news director. “In general, when you’re getting married, you’re typically in the best shape of your life. You’re working out like crazy. A lot of brides feel like they want to show off those hard-earned abs.”
When it comes to bare midriffs, bridal trendsetter Vera Wang is on board for brides who know they’ll feel good wearing the style.
“I think anyone can wear it if she feels confident, but I do say that it’s very important to have it cut properly,” she said in a February interview during New York Fashion Week.
The same goes for jumpsuits, the flipside of showing off the abs, but also a trendy alternative to traditional bridal dressing.
Sara Cody Lanard, a 28-year-old from Boston, wore a flowy white jumpsuit from BHLDN last October for her vow-renewal ceremony and party a year after getting hitched in a short dress during a civil ceremony.
“I wanted to feel like a bride, but not so bridal,” she says. “We wanted it to be fun and lighthearted. A gown felt too over the top.”
With brides celebrating in more than one outfit — one for the ceremony, one for the reception, for example — those who might feel uneasy about trousers, jumpsuits or bare midriffs walking down the aisle have plenty of other opportunities to wear those looks.
“The two-piece trend is definitely something that is catching on, and it doesn’t have to be scandalous,” says Shelley Brown, associate fashion and beauty editor at The Knot. “Brides more and more want to feel that their weddings are personalized and reflect their style.”
Getting more use for the dollar is another consideration.
“A white ball gown is pretty much a one-use-only type of thing, whereas a white jumpsuit is something you could totally wear again and again,” Keltner de Valle says.
She suggested staying close to traditional tones. “You don’t want to push the envelope on everything all at once,” she says.