2010 Wedding Gown Trends

It's that time again - bridal market in New York. This is where all of the top wedding gown designers showcase the styles that we will be seeing on brides getting married in the fall of 2010. Here is a sneak peek into some of the top trends for fall 2010 wedding gowns, hot off the runway.

For the unfamiliar, this is how bridal market works. The designers present their runway shows to the bridal shop owners, who in turn will order samples of their favorite gowns to carry in their stores. The gowns ordered from the collection that was just shown will not begin to arrive in the bridal salons until January (or later) of 2010. Given the 4-6 month lead time needed for a bride to order a designer gown, the wedding gowns ordered from the showroom samples will not be arriving until the summer of 2010. That is why the collection of bridal gowns on the runway in the fall of 2009 is referred to as the Fall 2010 collection: those are the first brides who will be wearing these fabulous frocks.

Each wedding gown designer has their own style, and yet there are inevitably trends across the industry as a whole. In the previous few seasons, trends like the one shoulder gown and the empire waisted Grecian goddess look ruled the runway. The Fall 2010 collection of bridal gowns went in a different direction. The one shoulder look, while still popular for bridesmaids, is beginning to fade for brides (as fresh as it looked when new, this was a trend with an obvious shelf life).

One of the biggest trends for the Fall 2010 bridal gowns is skirts with lots of texture and movement. Ruffles, tiers, vertical ruffles, appliqued flowers; all of this and more covered the skirts of the gowns. Plain is definitely out. Full skirts were in evidence, as were plenty of modified trumpet skirts. Many of the gowns had a good bit of drama in their silhouettes. Ethereal tulle skirts are also in style for the upcoming season.

As we saw for the Spring 2010 collection, fabric embellishments are very popular, more so than heavy beadwork or embroidery. Favorite accents include oversized bows, fabric flowers, and bits of lace. This type of tone on tone textural ornamentation pairs beautifully with crystal bridal jewelry sets, rather than heavy rhinestones. Bridal jewelry sets should have movement (such as swingy earrings), just like the gowns with which they will be paired.

Strapless gowns ruled the runway yet again. Although plenty of dropped waists were in evidence, there was a strong trend towards gowns with natural waistlines with full textural skirts. Many of the bodices on the wedding gowns also had some texture. Shirred or gathered bodices are very popular, even with all of the focus on ruffled and tiered skirts.

Short dresses remain a growing segment of the offerings for brides. Whether for City Hall chic ceremonies or second dresses for receptions, there are numerous shorter gowns from which the Fall 2010 bride will be able to choose. Overall, the Fall 2010 bridal gown collection appears to have a lot of beautiful dresses for brides with a variety of different styles.