Why brides are DIVORCING traditional wedding gowns: As David's Bridal files for bankruptcy, expert reveals how women have ditched gown shopping in favor of quirky colorful designs, vintage finds and funky DIY creations
- More brides are ditching convention and opting for more custom looks or gowns
- Stylist Anny Choi says clients are looking for more colorful and custom looks
- TikTok is also filled with brides hunting thrift stores for dresses to upcycle
Tradition dictates brides wear something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new.
But over the years, soon-to-be newlyweds have been ditching convention and opting for more custom looks or gowns that align more with their personal tastes, largely due to the internet and social media.
We've seen budget-conscious brides shop more frugally, like LA bride Kiara Brokenbrough who wore a $47 Shein dress for her special day and Tennessee newlywed Maranda Vandergriff who went viral for her $24 gown from Goodwill.
This growing trend also seems to have impacted on the traditional avenues of buying the perfect gown, with news emerging this week that America's largest wedding gown retailer David's Bridal had filed for bankruptcy.
![New York wedding stylist Anny Choi (pictured with a client) says she's seen more brides opting for more unconventional gowns for their special day](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/70011347-11991377-New_York_wedding_stylist_Anny_Choi_pictured_with_a_client_says_s-a-57_1682251083450.jpg)
New York wedding stylist Anny Choi (pictured with a client) says she's seen more brides opting for more unconventional gowns for their special day
The retailer's CEO James Marcum wrote in the Chapter 11 filing: 'An increasing number of brides are opting for less traditional wedding attire, including thrift wedding dresses.
'Thus, the demand for formal wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and related accessories has decreased substantially in the current environment.'
The bridal store market in the US is worth $2.1 billion in the United States, according to industry research firm IBISWorld, and it has declined 2.3 per cent per year on average since 2018.
The firm also noted that the market size of the industry shrunk faster than the economy overall.
New York stylist Anny Choi, 30, said she had seen brides taking more unconventional routes since she started bridal styling back in 2019.
'During the pandemic, a lot of brides had to come up with plan B, there was a rise of less traditional ceremonies and in some instances, wedding dresses were literally locked up inside a department store,' she told DailyMail.com.
'I think this really opened up the idea of what a wedding dress could be, whether it's a colorful RTW (ready-to-wear) piece, "something old" from eBay or even something borrowed from a family member or a rental company.'
However she noted there would always be a market for brides who wanted a made-to-order experience.
![During the pandemic, many brides had to come up with plan B for their wedding dresses and Anny believes this 'really opened up the idea of what a wedding dress could be'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/70011339-11991377-During_the_pandemic_many_brides_had_to_come_up_with_plan_B_for_t-a-53_1682251083386.jpg)
During the pandemic, many brides had to come up with plan B for their wedding dresses and Anny believes this 'really opened up the idea of what a wedding dress could be'
![This growing trend also seems to have impacted on the traditional avenues of buying the perfect gown, with news emerging this week that David's Bridal had filed for bankruptcy](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/70016855-11991377-This_growing_trend_also_seems_to_have_impacted_on_the_traditiona-a-56_1682251083441.jpg)
This growing trend also seems to have impacted on the traditional avenues of buying the perfect gown, with news emerging this week that David's Bridal had filed for bankruptcy
![Kiara Brokenbrough, from Los Angeles, wore this $47 Shein dress on her wedding day. Pictured with husband Joel](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/70011435-11991377-Kiara_Brokenbrough_from_Los_Angeles_wore_this_47_Shein_dress_on_-a-52_1682251083246.jpg)
Kiara Brokenbrough, from Los Angeles, wore this $47 Shein dress on her wedding day. Pictured with husband Joel
![In an effort to 'spend the least amount of money possible,' she bought her gown from Shein](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/56776717-11991377-In_an_effort_to_spend_the_least_amount_of_money_possible_she_bou-a-55_1682251083417.jpg)
![Kiara ended up wearing a dress from budget online retailer Shein](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/56775677-11991377-Kiara_ended_up_wearing_a_dress_from_budget_online_retailer_Shein-a-54_1682251083401.jpg)
After the couple got engaged in December last year, Kiara started shopping for wedding dresses, but in an effort to 'spend the least amount of money possible,' she bought her gown from Shein
'But with more and more contemporary RTW brands doing bridal capsules, designers sending down bridal worthy looks down the runway season after season, and the rise of vintage vendors sourcing bridal specific pieces, it has really opened up the ways brides are approaching their wedding wardrobes,' Anny said.
The stylist says brides are becoming 'very mindful of the storytelling aspect' of their special day and will often want to include sentimental pieces because of increasing 'wedding coverage' and social media.
'I've had clients who want to repurpose a wedding dress that their grandmother wore and every other woman in the family since, a pair of earrings that all of their friends wore at their weddings, to wanting to create something totally anti-bridal (but still fabulous nonetheless) with a ready-to-wear designer,' Anny said.
'When I was living in London I would go to the Portobello Market every weekend to look for pieces for my clients, Alfie's Antique market for one-of-a-kind jewelry, I'm constantly scouring on The Real Real and eBay, there is Manhattan Vintage and the Current Affair.'
Anny said brides wanted their wedding day to be more reflective of their own personal style.
'Weddings have been very one note for a very long time and I think modern brides are looking for ways to make their wedding feel more personal and true to them,' she told DailyMail.com.
![Maranda Vandergriff, 27, from Tennessee shared she got married in a vintage dress for just over $24](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/60587071-11991377-Maranda_Vandergriff_27_from_Tennessee_shared_she_got_married_in_-a-60_1682251083489.jpg)
![The bride took to TikTok to share that she thrifted the dress before she even got engaged](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/60587105-11991377-The_bride_took_to_TikTok_to_share_that_she_thrifted_the_dress_be-a-59_1682251083478.jpg)
Maranda Vandergriff, a 27-year-old from Tennessee, shared she got married in a vintage dress for just over $24
![Although Maranda loved the dress, she knew she had to alter it to have her 'dream' dress](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/60587075-11991377-Although_Maranda_loved_the_dress_she_knew_she_had_to_alter_it_to-a-62_1682251083536.jpg)
![She sought out help from her mom and grandma who taught her how to sew](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/60587081-11991377-She_sought_out_help_from_her_mom_and_grandma_who_taught_her_how_-a-58_1682251083477.jpg)
Although Maranda loved the dress, she knew she had to alter it to have her 'dream' dress, so she sought out help from her mom and grandma who taught her how to sew
![Maranda wanted to 'honor' her mom by adding the exact small beads that her mom used in her dress](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/60586367-11991377-Maranda_wanted_to_honor_her_mom_by_adding_the_exact_small_beads_-a-63_1682251083536.jpg)
![She used the beads from her mom's dress to stitch the open scalloped edge on the sleeves](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/60586395-11991377-She_used_the_beads_from_her_mom_s_dress_to_stitch_the_open_scall-a-61_1682251083514.jpg)
Maranda wanted to 'honor' her mom by adding the exact small beads that her mom used in her dress; she used the beads from her mom's dress to stitch the edges on the sleeves
![As for emerging trends, Anny said she had been seeing 'a lot of drop-waist silhouettes' channeling Audrey Hepburn's wedding dress in 1957 film Funny Face](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/23/12/70017001-11991377-As_for_emerging_trends_Anny_said_she_had_been_seeing_a_lot_of_dr-a-64_1682251083537.jpg)
As for emerging trends, Anny said she had been seeing 'a lot of drop-waist silhouettes' channeling Audrey Hepburn's wedding dress in 1957 film Funny Face
'They want to tell a story through the weekend, they want their personality and style to shine through so when they look back on this day five, 10 years from now it doesn't just look like a Pinterest-perfect wedding but a wedding that represents the couple and a wedding with a bit of soul.
'With social media and online wedding coverage there is a certain pressure too to do something more unique and source and wear one-of-a-kind pieces that you can't just buy off the rack.'
As for emerging trends, Anny said she had been seeing 'a lot of drop-waist silhouettes' channeling Audrey Hepburn's wedding dress in 1957 film Funny Face.
Brides were also getting more adventurous by opting to wear colors outside of the traditional white.
'A lot of brides [want] to incorporate color whether it's the actual wedding dress or even a pop of color with an accessory,' Anny said.
'I think versatility is also important like a removable cape and sleeves, maybe a layer of the skirt that can come off or a dress that's actually a top and a skirt, for example.
'This is an easy way to have a second look without doing the full outfit change.'
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