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Exchanging wedding vows with the person you love is a moment when you should feel like the most beautiful version of yourself. After all, it’s a milestone where all eyes are on you as you and your partner become a family. Yet while there are thousands of white dresses and suits produced each year for couples who want to look their best as they tie the knot, the majority of those designs cater to brides and grooms who adhere to the gender binary.
Celebrants who prefer wearing far-from-feminine or not-so-masculine clothing in their daily lives are left in the lurch at the typical bridal salon. Many have created their own beautiful looks by getting creative with custom designs or curating ensembles with a mix of vintage and designer ready-to-wear pieces. “As a queer person and planner who celebrates the diversity of our clientele, I absolutely love when I see my couples stepping out of what’s traditionally expected,” shares wedding planner Jason Mitchell Kahn. “Weddings should be an authentic reflection of a couple, and there is no better way than wardrobe to express this. One of my grooms earlier this year wore a stunning tuxedo and then changed into a long gown right before the cake-cutting. I also had two grooms who wore long capes during the processional to add the type of drama that a train can bring to a dress. It’s queer love in the best way!”
While custom pieces help bring these visions to life, it’s rare to find accessible looks in mass-market bridal and menswear collections that truly feel gender-neutral. Thankfully, the last few years have seen a rise in more fluid wedding attire–particularly from queer designers that feel a responsibility to provide apparel for members of their own community.
“Part responsibility. More a gift,” explains Jackson Wiederhoeft of Wiederhoeft. “I’m thinking about transgender, non-binary, feminine, and masculine garments from the moment I wake up until my head hits the pillow—and often in my sleep. Gender is one of my favorite pencils in my kit, creating beautiful lines on a familiar page.” While they haven’t created any exclusively bridal-focused collections in the past few years, Wiederhoeft has incorporated wedding looks into their recent ready-to-wear shows. “I was nervous pursuing bridal at first, because it can have a passé connotation within the fashion industry. But, I quickly fell in love with the genre and realized that I could create a bridal line with design integrity, substance, and aesthetic,” they say. “Many of our core carryover silhouettes—corsets, skirts, dresses—exist for both the masculine and feminine bodies. It’s been really important to develop these core silhouettes to feel really synonymous [and] available to every body.”
Christian Siriano, who has been at the forefront of challenging the gender norms of couture, agrees. “I think the idea of what a bride is is very outdated and archaic,” he says. “I love clothes that have a sense of androgyny. I think that’s why a lot of queer and non-binary people ask me to make clothes for them. Whether it s for their wedding or for the red carpet, I want to support the community as much as possible so the rest of the world does the same.” Siriano also emphasizes that this effort should come from both within and outside of the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. “At the end of the day, our job as designers is to make people feel beautiful in their clothes—no matter what gender or size they are.”
Twice a year, buyers for bridal salons across the United States descend upon New York Bridal Fashion Week to write orders for the season ahead. Historically, that’s meant gowns, gowns, and more gowns. But recent collections from brands such as Viktor Rolf, Rime Arodaky, and Scorcesa have made an impact with formal jumpsuits for brides hoping to eschew the traditional floor-sweeping frock. “The inspiration for creating these styles stems from a deep desire to offer options that go beyond the confines of traditional gender roles,” notes Scorcesa designer Charles Dieujuste. “I do feel a strong responsibility and a genuine desire to create garments that can be worn by people getting married who wish to present their gender in more fluid ways. I believe that every individual should have the freedom to express themselves authentically on their wedding day, regardless of societal expectations.”
Previously, styles designed for male bodies were rarely found at Bridal Fashion Week. Milla Nova made waves, therefore, with its 2024 couture collection, previewed this fall. The Ukrainian brand offered an impressive range of unisex styles—capes adorned with pearls, baroque-inspired corsetry, fitted trousers, and floral organza jackets. “The LGBTQ+ community is a huge inspiration for us,” explains Milla Nova’s vice president of marketing Vladylav Klok, who notes that the collection isn’t exclusively for grooms. “Brides can also wear these beautiful silk shirts and corsets,” he notes, going on to say that the garments have been road-tested by people with all different types of bodies. “We have a huge team in Ukraine and all of our members try on these pieces.”
While there is still room for progress in the bridal fashion world, recent years have demonstrated that the industry is evolving to keep up with the growing presence of fluid gender presentation in the mainstream. Ready-to-wear tailored suits are available for female-bodied celebrants from brands like Suitshop and Nadine Merabi, while designers like Thom Browne, Alexander McQueen, and Simone Rocha are offering skirts for male bodies. As Siriano puts it: “It’s important for designers to be as open-minded as the times are now.”
