The 9 Best New Wedding Dress Designers For Soon-To-Be Brides

Shopping for a wedding dress is unlike shopping for anything else. Any old white dress won't do; it has to be The One, a silhouette and a precise shade of ivory fit for a deeply personal and special day. Consider the extra events—engagement parties, bachelorette trips, bridal showers—an actual union. You're not really shopping for a wedding dress. You're shopping for a whole wedding wardrobe.

Brides starting their search in 2023 have an advantage. The best new wedding dress designers right now create ready-to-wear and accessories women already love. In bridal, these brands are dressing up their design signatures for a walk down the aisle, a trip to City Hall, or an entire season of "I do"-adjacent events. Christopher John Rogers translates his love of colour into wedding day two-pieces with iridescent fabrics and dresses sunset-tone pailettes; Nensi Dojaka dials up her sensual, clingy dresses with delicate lace and sequins. For the bride inspired by vintage wedding gowns, collections from Mirror Palais and Rixo give off a nostalgic charm. The sum of these designers are a reflection of what modern brides-to-be want: wedding dresses that reflect their personal style more than a Pinterest board ideal.

At Staud, "Our customers have been wearing a lot of our dresses to wedding parties, so it was a natural evolution to develop a collection of dresses specifically for these occasions," designer Sarah Staudinger tells BAZAAR. "The development of the collection was a direct reaction to our customer’s desires—we listened to their needs for a stylish and affordable range of pieces that can carry them through the wedding season and expand the wardrobing of our brand." In practice, this looks like sleeveless tiered midis with sheer tulle overlays and white babydoll minis with corset bodices—all for well under $1,000.

In the past, brides poured time, thought, and budgeting into wedding dresses they'd likely wear once. Many of the brands unveiling wedding day collections this spring say they designed with an eye for post-nuptial wearability instead. "I think these pieces are special, romantic, and make you feel like a bride," HVN designer Harley Viera Newton says of her debut wedding capsule, "but I also think they will find a home in your everyday closet as well."

Ahead, get acquainted with nine new wedding dress expansions with the potential to complete your wedding wardrobe, and live in your closet for more than one day.

Related article: Wedding Dress Inspirations: Red Carpet Edition

Staud

You can't put the Staud bride in a box. "I know she’s simultaneously comfortable getting married at some far flung cliffside Italian riviera as she is in her backyard—and this collection can dress her for it," Staudinger tells BAZAAR.

Aesthetically, the collection begins with the Janet, a sleeveless maxi dress with a halter neckline that Staudinger wore for her own wedding before bringing it to the label. "We pulled elements that I loved about that dress into various silhouettes: the thin straps, the dropped waist, and the column bodice that you can see throughout," she says. You'll also see Staud signatures reworked into a classically bridal palette, from an organza trench dress to beaded bags for carrying from the ceremony to the honeymoon.

Staud Calluna Dress

Nensi Dojaka

After captivating fashion month with her alluring, body-hugging dresses and tops, coated in intricate straps and daring cut-outs, LVMH Prize-winning designer Nensi Dojaka released her first bridal capsule via Mytheresa this year. "The inspiration for this exclusive collection came spontaneously when I was working on a custom wedding dress for a friend last year," she said in a statement. "I wanted to give her a light and elegant dress that complemented the woman's figure, yet resembling the essence of our designs. So the bridal collection felt like a continuation of our core designs, re-imagined in a wedding scenario." Throughout the 24-piece collection, lace, sheer layers, and flashes of pink combine fully for the bride who prefers something more subversive than traditional. Nothing feels tired about a floor-length sequin gown with contrasting white cups on the bodice and a nearly waist-high slit—and that's the point.

Nensi Dojaka Bridal Cutout Gown

Loeffler Randall

Loeffler Randall's low heels topped with pleated bows are a long-time bridal favorite amongst those in the know (including this editor). While bridal is a huge part of the label's business, the design process never starts with thinking about a walk down the aisle alone. "We design what we want to wear ourselves and then we interpret it into bridal," creative director Jessie Randall says.

This year, Loeffler Randall has expanded its wedding suite with contemporary-yet-confectionary wedding dresses, resplendent with romantic smocking and poufy sleeves (left) or crafted in lace with a peek-a-boo sheer hem (below). Accessories have also broadened to include satin headbands topped with a veil and pleated bags to coordinate with the famous bow heels. They're all pieces fit for down-to-earth brides with a romantic streak. "For ready-to-wear, we think less about the actual wedding and more about the events surrounding the wedding—like a shower or a rehearsal or honeymoon trip," Randall elaborates. "Our muse is more of a city hall wedding type, I think."

Loeffler Randall Addison Cream Puff-Sleeve Dress

HVN

HVN designer Harley Viera-Newton can picture the bride who'll wear her label's first wedding capsule as clearly as the details of her own nuptials. "I envision the HVN bride as a vintage aficionado who appreciates a classic silhouette more than a trend," she tells BAZAAR. "I think they share their personality through their sartorial choices and have fun with fashion, and I would imagine their wedding is also very personal with winks and nods to everything they love."

Viera-Newton, for her part, made sure her label's bubbly spirit was preserved in its move to bridal with flourishes of sequins, crystal buttons, and bright prints. "The HVN DNA is really woven throughout the collection," the designer says. If you're a longtime fan, you'll notice how the mini Ashley dress has a new feather trim or how the "String of Hearts" print re-appears in a bridal-brunch-appropriate number. And if a wedding weekend piece is your first HVN purchase, you'll love these dresses' ease and wearability just as much.

HVN Emma Faux-Pearl Embellished Dress

Christopher John Rogers

Christopher John Rogers, one of New York fashion's brightest emerging talents, has quietly designed custom bridal looks for clients on the side of his ready-to-wear brand for a few seasons. This spring, he's spreading the wealth with an exclusive capsule on Net-a-Porter that leans into the (earned) drama of a bridal look. For a dress code that usually dictates a white or ivory gown, Rogers found ways to playfully inject flashes of colour for the adventurous bride. In one look, it's in the blue-purple shimmer of an iridescent crop top and ballroom skirt; in another, pink, orange, and clear pailettes glisten on top of a wool V-neck dress. If you'd rather your eleganza moment come from volume and proportion, Rogers also has an answer in the form of ballooning taffeta midi dresses and skirts, cinched by a corset top.

Christopher John Rogers Cropped Iridescent Textured Silk-Organza Top

Pipatchara

Special days call for special pieces, and the handmade nature of Pipatchara's designs are a natural fit for a one-of-a-kind wedding day. In addition to woven macramé footwear and bags that get their shimmer from recycled bottles and plastic, Pipatchara now designs handmade, eco-conscious bridal couture in a new made-to-order offering. The white gowns and separates pay homage to the main line with woven motifs and upcycled embellishments. With a shiny tactile effect like a trove of rare seashells, these pieces are so suited to a beachfront wedding.

Pipatchara Infinitude Dress Blue & White

Rixo

Rixo has a message for its potential brides: "We don't do bridal trends." Instead, its lineup for wedding ceremonies, bridal showers, and receptions features a fine-tuned edit of midi and mini dresses with 1930s and 1940s-inspired silhouettes. Empire waistlines, sumptuous silks, and blouson sleeves all give these dresses a regal, yet nostalgic quality. And if your collection of day dresses already includes Rixo tags, you'll recognize a few of its best-sellers updated in wedding whites and ivories.

Rixo Gio - Velvet Burnout Ivory Dress

Mirror Palais

Designer Marcelo Gaia once told BAZAAR, "The world of Mirror Palais is like a time machine capturing romantic moments." With a brand thesis statement like that, brides know a Mirror Palais gown will feel like a handwritten love letter.

The label's debut bridal collection, unveiled in March, builds on its reputation for sensually clinging dresses and luxurious fabrics. Cowl-neck gowns have plunging backs with puddles of creamy satin resting at the base of the wearer's spine; one standout strapless dress sees silk chiffon wrapped around a built-in corset before unspooling into a semi-sheer train. Cascading veils, chantilly lace lingerie, and a garter with a ribbon that drips to the floor round out the wedding day accoutrements. Mirror Palais bridal is dreamy but a little dangerous, for a bride who wants her wedding to feel like a modern fantasy.

Mirror Palais Cowl-Neck Satin Maxi Dress

You don't need a destination wedding in the South of France to enjoy Parisian label ba&sh's first bridal capsule. But if you're spending any part of your wedding weekend in a sunny locale with a bohemian dress code, this lineup of ethereal halter dresses, relaxed suiting, and gauzy cape-veils is for you. Pay close attention to the matching sets with lace detailing: They're the rare bridal gem you can wear beyond the wedding festivities.

ba&sh Inge Top

This article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US.