For 2015 Brides, Only Three Wedding Dresses Will Do

Solange’s trifecta of bridal looks from her fall 2014 wedding. Getty Images, instagram/@beyonce, Getty Images

For some brides it’s hard to find the one – not your soul mate but that perfect wedding gown. So why settle when you can wear two or even three different wedding dresses throughout the day? “There are so many fashion choices for brides right now, and they are torn between wanting to look like a princess on their wedding day and wanting to look sophisticated and a little sexy,” explains The White Dress by the Shore owner and stylist Beth Chapman.

According to theknot.com, one of the big trends for 2015 is multiple wedding dresses. Three to be exact.

“We are finding that brides are loving more of an elegant, fuller skirted gown for the ceremony, changing into a sleek, sophisticated look for the reception, often with a plunging back, and then taking it one step further and changing again into a short party dress for the after party,” adds Chapman.

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Celebrities have been changing looks from ceremony to reception for years, and in the last few we’ve started seeing A-list brides add a third designer look to their big-day wardrobe. This past fall, Solange Knowles changed from an ivory, floor-length gown with cape by Humberto Leon for Kenzo to a disco-style jumpsuit by Stéphane Rolland for a bike ride with her groom, and then into another, more revealing, one-piece for the party.

And in 2013, supermodel Chrissy Teigen chose three Vera Wang gowns for her wedding to John Legend. The cover girl wore an ivory tulle ball gown for the ceremony, swapped it for a fitted, mermaid dress for the reception dinner, and then into a crimson-colored, figure-hugging look for the after party.

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“Our brides are definitely influenced by the celebrities and socialites who are wearing three gowns on their wedding day,” says Mark Ingram, owner of the eponymous salon in Manhattan. “It is no longer seen as an extravagance, and is becoming a more acceptable way for the bride to express her personal style.”

Not everyone welcomes the wedding wardrobe change trends. “A wedding is about your relationship, not a fashion show,” says Todd Fiscus of Todd Events in Dallas. “Plus, to get into each dress takes 15 minutes to fluff and change. Why miss a half an hour of amazing time with friends and family and your new husband!”

Still, brides on a budget can have their cake and eat it too, so to speak, with high-end designers like Vera Wang and Zac Posen, offering wedding gowns at David’s Bridal for much less than their runway collections and stores including J. Crew, Ann Taylor, and BHLDN selling chic and cheap bridal frocks and accessories, it’s not so hard to stay within your budget and wear three completely different looks in one day.

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If buying a third wedding dress isn’t in the cards, Kleinfeld’s Fashion Director, Terry Hall, explains that you can get multiple looks out of just one dress, “A convertible dress with a detachable skirt is one way a bride can express her true personality and don something a bit more sexy, whimsical or glamorous for the reception, while still wearing something more traditional for the ceremony and formal portraits.”

Another plus to the three-dress trend Ingram mentioned: Keeping mom happy. “If the bride’s mother likes one gown, the bride likes another, and she still wants a short party dress for later, she can keep everyone happy by choosing all three.”