Wedding Style

Sarah Rockley and Lisa Holland of Conscious Closet look at sustainable wedding style for 2021 and beyond...

Many weddings were cancelled or postponed in 2020 for obvious reasons, but a lot went ahead in smaller venues with seriously reduced numbers and a more relaxed attitude. Hopefully the Covid-19 vaccine programme will pave the way for weddings to finally go ahead from mid-2021 onwards.

At Conscious Closet we have seen how couples postponing their weddings now have time to re-think their event and the trend for more sustainable weddings is without doubt moving forward. From the actual ceremony, the party, the food and decorations and the numbers who will attend. There is a definite feel for more intimate and meaningful celebrations.

Gone are wasteful and extravagant purchases as more brides are opting to choose transformative outfit styles that can be worn in different ways from day to evening or continue to be worn at other events. This includes simple slip dresses that can be dressed up in different ways, suits or two pieces that can be worn separately in the future. We have been styling our clients using a lot of layering so the bride can have multiple looks, throwing on a leather jacket for cooler climates or introducing capes, overskirts and embellished tops.

The pandemic has had a huge impact on how brides are planning their outfits for the big day with financial constraints in mind. We have noticed recent brides in ivory trouser suits reminiscent of Bianca Jagger in her iconic YSL tuxedo. One of our favourite style queens, Laura Whitmore recently tied the knot in a sharp white tailored suit and pearl headband in keeping with her own “re-wear” sustainable values. At Conscious Closet we are happy to provide a solution to this by renting your wedding or bridesmaid outfits for the big day.

From our newfound love of nature during lockdown comes a more natural aesthetic to the wedding day-in keeping with the garden party receptions. Brides are opting for oyster rather than crisp white, embellished with crystals and diamante to add a modern uplifting touch.

Ariana Lace Wedding Co-ord, by Whistles, imagery courtesy of Whistles.com

It’s all about the sleeves this year too, be it capped, puff or big and billowing - following on from the trend of romantic statement dresses from the spring 2021 virtual catwalks. Many are opting for the backless trend worn with a cape or veil and then revealing all later. Some brides are also feeling bolder stepping out of the ivory traditional bridal colours and going for more fashion colours to reflect their personalities. On trend soft blues for example or pops of colour in the shoes they choose. The gorgeous Skylight Claudia dress by Ghost is one of our favourites.

Imagery courtesy of Ghost. www.ghost.co.uk

What about the bridesmaids? We are seeing the love of the same dress in different colours as seen here in this gorgeous picture of two bridesmaids wearing the Ghost satin Salma dresses.

Imagery courtesy of Ghost. www.ghost.co.uk

Alternatively, bridesmaids are looking eclectic in an assortment of on trend pastel shades of lilac, pale yellow, peony pink and green, this instead of the usual one dress same colour fits all theme.

Image courtesy of Alan Zepeda.

The trend for more sustainable weddings is most definitely moving forward, no surprise after so much of a typical wedding is for single use only items from the dress to the shoes, the flowers and décor. According to Lyst [a fashion search platform] online searches for wedding dresses including the words secondhand, to hire, preowned and vintage were up 38% year on year, averaging 20,000 searches a month.

There is therefore no denying the wedding look is all about adaptability, versatility and sustainability. These trends are certainly echoing our changing lifestyles and at Conscious Closet HQ we cannot wait to get our customers dressed up again and renting their future outfits. We are currently taking bookings for wedding styling upto 2022.

Follow us for style advice, wardrobe edits, and rental/fashion sale events: www.conscious-closet.co.uk  @consciouscloset.uk