Wedding dress fabric plays an important role when it comes to finding the perfect wedding dress style for brides to be. The fabric often determines the silhouette, how formal or not the style is, and even the cost of the wedding dress. For this reason, it is useful to start your wedding dress search by understanding your options of bridal fabrics.
Are silky and smooth fabrics attracting your attention? Or are you looking for 3D bridal fabrics? Do intricate laces reflect your style? We have created this bridal fabric guide to help you get a better idea of what you might like and so you can understand the terminology used to describe different fabrics.
Lace Fabrics for Wedding Dress
You probably know what the lace looks like among the most popular and well-known wedding dress fabrics, but did you know that there are actually dozens of lace types? Each type of lace, from guipure lace to rich French lace styles such as cordone lace, embroidery lace and Venetian lace can be used on any shape and style wedding dress.
From the princess to straight cut, vintage or boheme, lace adds a romantic element to all of these wedding dress designs and is perfect for the bride who wants a classic look.
Popular Choices for Lace Wedding Dress
French Laces
If the wedding dress will be predominantly lace, French lace is the most spectacular type of bridal fabric. French laces give a stunning and rich look to wedding gowns and comes in different styles such as embroidery lace, cordone lace and guipure lace. French lace is perfect for a statement yet classic look.
Embroidery Lace
This type of needle lace dates back to the 14th century in Europe. There are two main embroidered lace types, one is handcrafted mesh bases with a stitched V design and the other is machine made embroidered lace which can have many different types of mesh base design. Embroidery lace fabrics with a delicate structure can be used in different parts of the wedding dress such as sleeves, necklines, veils and décolleté.
Cordone Lace
Another popular type of fabric for lace wedding dress styles is cord lace. The cord is stitched on top of parts of or all of the lace design, adapted to suit the wedding dress style and can be used across the whole of the wedding dress or in separate sections. Delicate and gentle fabric with a silk content alongside this style of lace is perfect for the modern bride.
Guipure Lace Wedding Dress
Guipure lace also known as Venetian lace, consists of wide motifs woven together from silk thread or quality cotton thread with no background. Guipure is one of the finest quality French lace types, and is an ideal choice for vintage style wedding dresses. Guipure lace wedding dresses are often accentuated with embellishments to create a modern yet romantic design.
Typical Wedding Dress Fabrics
Organza Wedding Dress Fabrics
Organza is a sheer and plain weave fabric similar to tulle but is more rigid. Organza fabrics are traditionally made from woven silk and create a very soft, lightweight bridal fabric due to its sheer and thin nature. Bridal dresses can be designed with just a few layers of organza fabric, adding more layers of organza fabric will create volume and drama in the bridal style without adding too much weight. Organza fabric is versatile; it can be decorated with appliques or beads and can be used alongside lace, tulle, satin or shiny bridal fabrics.
Mikado Bridal Fabric
Silk Mikado also known as Silk Zibeline is a type of structured silk fabric and unlike other silk blends such as chiffon or satin, it is thicker. It is perfect for brides who want a bridal fabric that provides more structure without adding weight to the dress. This beautiful bridal fabric is a popular choice for many different types of bridal silhouettes as it is very versatile. Mikado fabric wedding gowns are ideal for modern and effortless wedding ceremonies because it has a light sheen giving a simple yet eye-catching look. As this fabric can often be a silk/wool blend it also makes it suitable for autumn/winter weddings.
Tulle Wedding Dress Fabric
Tulle is another popular fabric for a wedding dress; it comes in the form of a rigid, transparent mesh made of nylon, silk, polyester or cotton fiber blend. Tulle layers can be used to create a voluminous, fairytale-inspired look on wedding dresses. Tulle fabrics are generally not used alone and tulle fabric is sometimes used to give volume under a wedding dresses skirt style. It can also be used on the bridal veils and / or skirts decorated with lace, sequin and bead decorations.
Chiffon Wedding Dress Fabric
Chiffon is one of the lightest fabrics used on wedding dresses and is often used as a covering, in layers or as an accent detail due to its transparent and simple style. It can be made of silk or artificial silk and has a translucent, lightweight structure. Chiffon works well with different bridal fabrics, an A-cut wedding dress can be finished with a draped chiffon fabric detail or used to create a simple train for example.
Crepe Wedding Dress Fabric
Crepe is a medium-weight type of silk or polyester fabric that shapes and covers the body beautifully and is a great choice for brides who want to focus on their silhouette. It is mostly used in simple and fitted bridal styles. On a matte crepe fabric wedding dress, details such as embroidery and embellishment are much more prominent. Brides wanting a simple, minimalist look will find crepe a great choice in fabric to create a stunning and elegant wedding day look.
Wedding Dress Fabrics with a Sheen
Satin Wedding Dress Fabrics
Satin fabric, a popular material for wedding dresses, is saturated with silk and nylon threads, creating a slippery and smooth texture with a deep sheen. Silk satin is one of the more classic types of bridal fabric. Satin bridal fabrics come in many different varieties such as antique satin, Baronet satin, Italian satin and French satin which can all add a very different, soft touch to modern wedding dress designs.
Silk Wedding Dress Fabrics
Silk, one of the most traditional types of bridal fabric, is distinguished by its silent luster, it is not only timeless, but versatile. Silk fabrics are durable and come in many different textures and can be used in wedding dress styles suitable for all seasons. Since natural silk is a rare and very expensive fabric, a silk designed wedding dress can be costly. Therefore, artificial silk fabrics are often used in wedding dress designs.
Taffeta Wedding Dress Fabrics
Taffeta fabrics is a smooth but rigid fabric that has an iridescent glimmer and is made from silk or synthetic fibers. Silk taffeta is stiff and can crease badly so is often not ideal to use as a main fabric but instead as a detail or for a section of the dress.
3D Wedding Dress Fabrics
3D wedding dress fabrics, which are the most trendy types of bridal gowns in recent years, bring a separate dimension to bridal designs. 3D bridal fabrics created with special weaving techniques contribute to many bridal designs especially with styles enriched with additions such as flowers, beads, embroidered lace.
These special woven fabrics made of layers are ideal for brides looking for standout and unique wedding dresses. The 3D bridal fabric takes so many different forms that it can be difficult to decide where to start!
Brocade Wedding Fabric
Brocade, known as a soft and visual fabric, is woven from silk or synthetic yarns and is distinguished by jacquards (accentuated designs) woven in fabric. It is a slightly stiff fabric, but lighter than satin. Its soft silhouette makes it a perfect top layer in bridal gowns, making it a great choice for those considering autumn or winter wedding ceremonies.
Rayon Wedding Dress Fabrics
It is a smooth fabric that looks like silk, also called artificial silk. Rayon is preferred for affordable wedding dresses because it has stretch and provides a good alternative to silk in terms of cost. This semi-synthetic fabric is lightweight, breathable and perfect for summer weddings.