15 Non-Traditional Wedding Dresses For Fashion-Forward Brides

Cultural traditions have a funny way of becoming widely adopted, without actually being understood. The idea of wearing a white wedding gown, for example, has only been around for about 160 years, when Queen Victoria opted for a cream lace look for her 1840 wedding. Before that, brides wore dresses that spanned across the entire color spectrum, mostly choosing from whatever was already hanging in their closet, or abiding by cultural norms. And if you ask us, we prefer that whole "wear whatever you want" approach much more.

So, if you're not into the "princess wedding gown" bit, power to you. So many of today's brides are looking beyond the embroidered, tulle-filled dresses and are turning to indie labels, modern cuts, and other non-traditional takes on what to wear when they say "I do." So we’ve rounded up a few options, from silk slip dresses made for beach nuptials to an ivory suit perfect for a courthouse hitch, that break away from the traditional idea of the wedding dress. The pieces here are the furthest thing from being classically "bridal" — in the best way possible, of course.