Non-Traditional Wedding Dresses + Gowns For Unique + One Of A Kind Brides — firefly+finch (2024)

Recently my Granny pulled out a scrapbook she’s been working on, and flipped to pictures of her parents around my age - when they met, got engaged, and got married. How young and sweet they were, and even though it was almost 100 years ago, they looked like any couple my age. I thought my grandmother was quite fashionable and my grandfather truly handsome. My Granny flipped on to a newspaper clipping of their engagement and then wedding announcements.

Did my great grandmother wear white? No! I’ll admit I was a bit surprised.

The newspaper description of her on their wedding day read:

“The petite bride wore a smart suit of pink and blue crepe which she later wore for traveling, made with a short box jacket of pink with blue stitching as the tailored trim. A large blue felt hat, blue linen pumps, and white gloves completed the bridal costume. She carried a bridal bouquet of pink roses and babies breath.”

What I wouldn’t give for a photo of that. . .

There are so many alternatives to the traditional white wedding dress!

And while I have zero objections to a beautiful white, ivory, cream, or nude gown(mine is hanging in my closet right now for our elopement this Fall!) — my main purpose in this post is to highlight any dresses that I think would make beautiful choices for a wedding or elopement. This post includes several white dresses that I love; they just don’t fall under a traditional “wedding dress” umbrella.

I give full marks and praise to brides who want their dress to be a more simple celebration dress; a more wildly colorful dress; or a gown that speaks to fairytale romance — there’s no wrong way to celebrate your wedding day — and in that vein, no wrong dress choice as long as you love it!

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To me a beautiful dress or gown is like a piece of artwork that you can wear. So here we’ll break down some beautiful finds, divided into categories — all that would make amazing pieces to wear on your wedding day.

• simple, chic, + a little bit boho

• free-spirited-femme (with a pinch of rock n’ roll)

• vintage styles

• fairytale-femme

I have a bit of a love affair for Spell & The Gypsy Collective — the Australian design brand that’s responsible for the truly magical dresses pictured directly above and below. Their pieces all have a beautiful bohemian vibe, and are like artwork in my opinion! I have put serious serious thought into buying the Fairytale Anglaise gown to wear for our courthouse/paperwork/logistical adulting day of our elopement. . . then again for our honeymoon - wherever that is!

(My actual dress is much more traditional and is by Olivia Bottega. I won’t tell you which one yet —I’ll be eloping with my fiancé this Summer/Fall— but you can see it sprinkled among other gowns in my other blog post here:)

>> Olivia Bottega: Wedding Designer Lookout <<

I also love Spell & The Gypsy Collective so much I wrote a separate post featuring my favorites (guess what, the Fairytale Anglaise gown is on there), more of their dreamy fashion, and more of the signature styles that put them on our radar.

Check it out here:

>> <<

The two dresses below are from Uli Herzner, which might ring a bell to you if you love Project Runway like I do!

Famous for her signature flowy, sexy, tropical + boho dresses (like the red one shown here on the bottom left) she’s been designing runway & ready to wear pieces for years and has an amazing shop full of beautiful prints and fabulous dresses and gowns that would be perfect for a more casual, bohemian vibe- or a tropical destination!

And then there’s Rue de Seine. . .

Rue de Seine gowns are like something out of a dream — and while they’re a little on the pricy side (average dress price is $3-4k) — if you can afford it — I feel like wearing and running around in one of those dresses would be a lifetime experience. So. . . worth it?

This page contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you use those links. For more info please see my Disclosure here.

The Kinga Gown, shown below by designer Leanne Marshall, is also making me drool. It is available in ivory, too, if you are still leaning towards a more traditional wedding dress. But I love it in this rust color — and I LOVE the detachable sleeves! It definitely has a unique bohemian element to it that I’m digging.

If you really want your wedding dress to stand alone, shopping vintage is a great way to find beautifully made one of a kind pieces. (Not to mention shopping vintage is an awesomely sustainable choice to make!)

And if it’s white? In my honest opinion, a white or ivory vintage dress is just as special and unique as any brightly colored gown that was made today. So your options are plenty.

Look at everything. Look at vintage wedding dresses; look at vintage non-wedding dresses. There are lots of ways to shop for vintage — Etsy is a great treasure trove and place to start, as are your local thrift stores. I can’t tell you how many amazing designer pieces I’ve found over the years that were so glorious I could’ve stood right there in the store and cried over them.

Criteria to help narrow your search:

• Specific Dress Style

• Specific Time Period/Decade

• Specific Fabric

• Specific Color

The gowns here are like something from a fairytale daydream. I could have posted images of fifty dresses just in this category alone!

If you want to keep your style formal and traditional but you want to explore some color options these pieces will give you some great inspiration of awesome wedding dresses that go way beyond traditional wedding dresses.

(Click Here to See All My Favorite Things)

and peep the list below to