Weddingbee Blog

One phrase that I’ve been hearing over and over, in different incarnations, is that something can be “not bridal enough.”

For example, when I thought that maybe my David’s Bridal prom dress would look better shortened, some friends told me that if I shortened it, I wouldn’t look like a bride. Or even if I don’t shorten the prom dress, it’s not bridal enough because it’s not a wedding gown. Or if I wear my hair down or skip the veil I won’t look enough like a bride.

I see it in the wedding forums, too. “Is this dress bridal enough?”

To which I respond “You’re the bride. You’ll be wearing it. Thus, it is bridal.”

Webster’s defines “bride” as a woman just married or about to be married. That’s it. Are you getting married? Do you have a female gender identity? You’re a bride. You’re a bride if you wear a poufy white dress, a short ivory dress, a black pantsuit, or your pajamas. You’re a bride if you wear a cathedral-length veil or if you rock bright green liberty spikes on your scalp.

And I’m not knocking those women who are all for the traditional. Some women dream their entire lives of being the bridiest bride who ever brided! But it doesn’t make the offbeat, indie, and rock-and-roll brides any less bridey for forgoing tradition.

Did you ever worry that your wedding-day look wasn’t bridal enough?