Nine brides who said yes to the very big dress

The giant, frothy confection that Toula claims makes her look like a “snow beast” in 2002 romcom My Big Fat Greek Wedding is not the most obvious choice of wedding dress for a bride to reference. And yet it was the one creative fashion producer Sylvia Farago had on her moodboard for her London wedding last summer. “I wanted the whole day to be fun and hilarious,” she says. “Plus everyone loves a big pouffy dress. It’s a bit of a spectacle, so why not just go for it?”

I had three requests: corset, dramatic skirt, big slit

Farago is one of a growing number of brides eschewing slinky slip dresses and figure-hugging gowns for supersized 1980s-style puff sleeves and whorls of tulle. In line with the hyper-feminine aesthetic that’s taken over fashion, brides are opting for girlier, more romantic styles that have a subversive appeal while still nodding to the ceremony of the occasion. “There’s definitely been a shift away from the minimal Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy-inspired wedding dresses towards bigger, voluminous silhouettes,” says New York- based bridal stylist Anny Choi. “Five years ago most brides wanted something classic. Now they want to have fun and let their personalities shine through.”

“I think the approach to marriage is much freer and so everything else is more relaxed,” says make-up artist Celia Burton, who wore a non-traditional Molly Goddard midi dress paired with heart-shaped-toe Alaïa pumps for her civil ceremony in 2022. “I mean, it’s your wedding day, so it’s got to be fun.”

Celia Burton

London-based make-up artist, wearing custom tulle Molly Goddard

I thought I wanted to do something unexpected by wearing a slinky sort of svelte thing, but when I tried on wedding dresses in the classic boudoir settings, I realised what I wanted was something I didn’t have to wear Spanx with, and where I could feel completely free. That’s what Molly’s dresses are to me. The design is quite playful and childlike in a way. It’s not particularly complicated as a dress – it doesn’t have any zips or buttons. It’s quite sheer, so I wore a blue slip underneath – my husband’s a big Man City fan. There’s a picture of me standing in this big dress with no shoes on, singing on a microphone to one of my best friends. I look like a six-year-old in a dress from her dressing-up box. There was nothing stuffy about any of it. It was just innocent and fun and free.

Tanisha Pina

New York-based writer and special-projects consultant, wearing a custom tulle and ivory silk dress by WED Studio

I knew I’d have a hard time finding a wedding dress off the rack that I loved and could feel good in as a size 14. I had a pretty strong vision before starting the custom process.

My wedding dress was inspired by my love of Victorian-era dresses, my mom’s very Catholic ’90s wedding dress and Vivienne Westwood’s 1993 Anglomania collection. For volume, we added a fully removable tulle-layered gathered skirt that I ended up taking off for the reception. I loved the volume, the textures, the slight silliness and the way the silhouette flattered the chest and waist, which were parts of my body I really wanted to accentuate. I felt held together and so beautiful the whole day.

Sylvia Farago

London-based producer and founder of Farago Projects, wearing an upcycled 1990s silk dress at her wedding last year

The dress is from a lady in Boston who I found on Stillwhite, a second-hand website. My reference was My Big Fat Greek Wedding/Diana, Princess of Wales, because I think it’s hilarious to wear a big, fat dress – that’s the kind of wedding you’ll always remember. I also wanted to make it my own, so I had sleeves added to make it a little bit more modern, which my friend tea-stained so that the colour matched the rest of the dress.

We also added more crinoline, and I got Simone Rocha to embellish the crown and make it more extreme. In my normal day-to-day life I wear a lot of black and I’m quite unassuming. But it’s your special day so why not go all out and make it really big?

Lily Standefer

Texas-born, Paris-based footwear-design consultant, wearing a custom silk-taffeta Glenn Martens dress

Glenn Martens, a close friend I worked with as a shoe designer, offered to create my wedding dress with his atelier at Y/Project. We wanted to do something kitsch but classic, and for the dress to have some humour. I looked at 1900s designs from the House of Worth, and Dior by Galliano as well as the Carmela Sutera dress worn by Stephanie Seymour in Guns N’ Roses’ 1992 November Rain music video.

I got married at Cibolo Creek Ranch in far west Texas in August, so I wanted to keep it airy with the shortened front. At the back I had a bustle that was basically a pillow. It was very Texan meets Marie Antoinette.

Melanie Xu

London-based artist, wearing a silk-taffeta dress by Molly Goddard

It had to be a Molly dress for me; I’ve been a huge fan since seeing her first collection. I had a really lovely bridal appointment at the studio and cheekily asked if it would be possible to pull out a certain dress from the archive that had been on my mind for years. It felt really special that the atelier recreated an archive dress in silk taffeta for our wedding. More practically, there was plenty of room for my baby bump and our reception dinner.

Ruby Redstone

New York-based fashion historian and writer, wearing a Cecilie Bahnsen matelassé floral dress

I sketched out what I was looking for in advance of my search, and I knew I wanted something short with big puff sleeves – a little bit 1960s, a little bit Victorian. I thought Cecilie Bahnsen would be perfect, so I went to Dover Street Market, tried on the dress in black and pre-ordered it in white. There’s so much ease to the volume of her dresses and the way she chooses to reveal skin. As much as I love clothes, I’m not a very dressy person, so I loved that I didn’t feel stiff or princessy. I felt like myself, just in a slightly nicer dress than usual – and I could dance all night without changing.

Shanna Tofegh Laustrup

Copenhagen-based project specialist for non-profit Novo Nordisk Foundation, wearing a silk-taffeta gown by Danielle Frankel

I had flown all over the world and tried 25 dresses until I went back to my original dream dress: the Lennon by Danielle Frankel. Our wedding was at our country house in Denmark, surrounded by wild reeds, so wearing a traditional white gown just felt off for me. I love the architectural silhouette and dramatic shape, but it still feels delicate and ethereal. It was so light and comfortable to wear too. My husband wore a Jacquemus linen suit and shoes that matched the dress.

Allyson Shiffman

Stockholm-based Vogue Scandinavia print editor, wearing custom Dilara Fındıkoğlu

I’d dreamt of wearing a custom Dilara gown even before I met my husband. I had only three requests: corset, dramatic skirt, big slit. When Dilara came back with the first sketch, it was absolutely perfect. It’s made from duchesse satin, with plenty of tulle to give it that great shape, but the raw hem and black bows give it a punk feel. I wear a lot of oversized and unstructured clothes in my everyday life. Wearing something with such a strong, feminine silhouette made me feel really beautiful and powerful, but still very me.

Rachel Bakewell

London-based stylist, wearing a brocade and tulle dress by Simone Rocha

I knew I didn’t want a traditional dress, I wanted something that was a bit more of a statement. Growing up, I was always inspired by ballet; my mum worked in a ballet school as a teacher and headmistress, and there was something about the shape [of this Simone Rocha dress] that felt quite ballerina-like. It was the first dress I tried on: I sent a photo to my mum who said, “It’s the perfect dress for you.” I got it straight away, which is so weird as a stylist. I don’t feel comfortable in tight things and would never wear a long, fitted dress, so the pouffiness felt nice. I wore a pearl headband, some pearl shoes from Jimmy Choo and some Sophie Bille Brahe earrings, so it was very pearly and romantic. And I wanted to feel a bit like a princess for the day because, being a stylist, it’s never about me. I’m normally behind the scenes, so I felt really special.