Nobody ever said that you needed a designer dress to look fabulous and feel special on your wedding day. While we do adore all the latest collections that designers put on show for us each year, those designer dresses serve a dual purpose. One is to have you brides looking for the most special designer dress you can find, ringing all your local stockists and bridal boutiques to see if they have the gown that you just need to be married in. The second is that these designer dresses serve as style inspiration and an aspiration of quality and trends for the high streets. Each season you will see many of your most loved high street stores and boutiques create wedding gowns that have drawn from many of the same elements and styling trends as the designers. Which is great news for the conscious bride who wants to look amazing but still have enough left over to spend on the remainder of the wedding. We have gone ahead and sourced some of our favourite wedding dresses straight from the high street that are a lot easier on the wedding budget than their designer counterparts would be. With these beauties, you will look amazing, and we’re sure that the husband-to-be will breathe a little sigh of relief too.
Draping gowns:
These wedding dresses have a classic, timeless drape along the neckline and clean cut shoulders. They are dripping in simplicity and have a created a delicately emphasised silhouette in the waist and the curve of the hips.
Dresses L-R: Adrianna Papell, €400 | Ghost, €225
Lace:
Who doesn't love the ever-favourite wedding fabric that is lace? Elegant and ladylike, a lace wedding dress will always have a ceremoniously flawless appearance. With these high street beauties, you will look like royalty on your wedding day.
Dresses L-R: Chi Chi London, €75 | Phase Eight, €650
Long sleeves:
Another style classic that will never fail in making the bride appear elegant and graceful are full length sleeves. A personal favourite here, full length sleeves add drama and emphasis to the gown, making the shape appear demure and sophisticated.
Dresses L-R: Topshop, €42 | Adrianna Papell, €350
Short and gathered:
For those brides who want something more light and dainty than an elegant, floor length gown but still want the sense of occasion, then we have the perfect short dresses right off the high street. With a classic drape and cinched waist, these dresses are perfect for a lavish wedding while still showing a little bit of leg.
Dresses L-R: House of Fraser, €75 | Ralph Lauren, €145
Embellished:
Just because you are sacrificing a designer label does not mean you have to sacrifice the glamour or lavishness that comes with the tag. If you still want a bit of sparkle and high shine on your day, you don’t have to compromise on price. These high street wedding dresses will give you as much glamour as your heart desires.
Dresses L-R: Adrianna Papell, €270 | Aidan Mattox, €370 | Adrianna Papell, €400 | Aidan Mattox, €370
Sheer:
A very modern take on the standard image of a bride and her dress is the introduction of sheer and transparent fabrics. A huge feature by a lot of the biggest names in bridal fashion around this year, including Vera Wang, sheer and cut-out wedding dresses are very on-trend. Follow the lead of the bridal powerhouses by picking out your very own translucent wedding gown, for just a fraction of the price.
Dresses L-R: Topshop, €40 | Reiss, €370
Blush:
Keeping true to that old saying of the blushing bride, we just can’t resist choosing a few of our very favourite dusty rose gowns. We love these rosy, colourful gowns as a wedding day choice, which are perfect for an injection of girly fun on the big day.
Dresses L-R: Adrianna Papell, €190 | Chi Chi London, €69.99 | Ghost, €495 | JS Collections, €120
Waist detail:
There’s nothing better than when a wedding dress has the perfect amount of little detail on it that makes it stand out even more. We love a delicately enhanced waist as much as any other girl, knowing that it gives brides the perfect amount of flatter and compliments the figure. Not too ornate or outlandish, these detailed waist gowns are just right in our opinion.
Dresses L-R: Coast, €250 | Coast, €185
Gold:
The ultimate show stopper when it comes to wedding gowns, this colour will make your wedding an affair worthy of the roaring 20s. With a very prominent art deco vibe, these glamorous gowns are covered in bursts of sequins and crystals that will make any bride look like a vision in gold.
Dresses L-R: Phase Eight, €262 | Adrianna Papell, €330
Embroidered:
Another style staple in the wedding world that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, embroidered patterned wedding gowns are one of our favourites. With an ongoing variety of patterns and fabrics to choose from, an embroidered gown will always lend a feel of occasion to the wedding. We have picked some truly unique and stylish patterned wedding dresses from these well-known high street stores.
Dresses L-R: Adrianna Papell, €320 | Phase Eight, €835
Off-shoulder:
Another classic that we love, a wedding gown with a little off-shoulder or drape detail atop the bodice is always a win. Delicate and dainty, when a bride has her shoulders peeking through such lovely fabric it creates an almost ethereal, Grecian appeal. Go ahead and choose a dress that will have you feeling like a Greek goddess on your big day right from the high street.
Dresses L-R: Ghost, €295 | Ghost, €395
Swing Ddess:
A more vibrant and youthful take on the short wedding dress, these full flowing short skirt dresses from the high street will provide just the right amount of frivolity and sophistication to your day. Paired with an eye catching bow waist detail or a classy high neck collar, these short dresses with A-line skirts have created a flawless combination of both fun and intricacy.
Dresses L-R: Phase eight, €251 | Chi Chi London, €57
Blue:
You can even choose to go down the traditional route of sticking to that old, long-standing tradition by making your wedding dress your something blue. A light powder blue dress is bold enough for you to feel like you are doing something new and important for you wedding day, but also charming enough to make you look stunning. Break away from the classic colour of white and get married in a gown that makes you feel brave and beautiful.
Dresses L-R: Ghost, €295 | Adrianna Papell, €310
- Roisin Curran
Image Credits: Wedding Party