Mini wedding dresses are majorly big this season. Or so says Google.
According to recent data, online searches for mini wedding dresses have reached an unprecedented 10-year high. In fact, ‘mini wedding dress’ and ‘mini bridal dress’ searches soared 229% and 423%, respectively, in the past few weeks alone.
So, what’s the reason for the rising hemlines?
You can thank two back-to-back events that not only solidified the latest wedding dress trend but firmly established that we are definitely in the midst of a 1990s renaissance.
Sofia Richie Goes Mini
The first event to set off the mini wedding dress craze was Sofia Richie’s wedding. In late April, the social media influencer and model wore a 1993-inspired white Chanel minidress for her nuptials to music executive Elliot Grainge. The dress was one of three for the wedding weekend at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc from the luxury French fashion house.
The all-star celebrity guest list included Cameron Diaz and husband Benji Madden; Paris Hilton; Sofia’s sister Nicole Richie and husband Joel Madden, and the father of the bride Lionel Richie. And yes, he performed “Hello” and “Stuck on You” for his daughter, which is enough to make it the best wedding ever, let alone the dress selection.
While the bride’s rehearsal dinner and ceremony dress were long, the bride changed into a mini white dress after dinner.
“We re-created the Claudia Schiffer corset dress from the early ’90s,” Sofia Richie told Vogue, referencing the cinched white bridal gown the supermodel wore to Chanel’s fall/winter couture show in 1992. “Then I was ready to dance until the sun rose with my loved ones.”
Not only did Richie’s white minidress incite a search frenzy, but it also went viral on TikTok, with the hashtag #sofiarichiestyle garnering more than 250 million views.
The Little White Dress
The next celebrity/fashion supernova was the Met Gala. This year’s theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” was a tribute to the late German designer and style icon, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 85.
Lagerfeld, whose designs have long been a favorite of trending celebrities, would close each of his Chanel runway shows with a Haute Couture bridal gown. Because of that, the Met Gala’s red carpet looked more like a blast to weddings past than previous years, with Dua Lipa even donning the same Chanel 1992 tweed wedding gown that inspired Sofia Richie.
Gisele Bündchen also wore a vintage Chanel wedding dress and feathered cape, marking her first appearance at a Met Gala since divorcing Tom Brady. Penelope Cruz, a longtime muse of Chanel and one of the event’s co-chairs chose a vintage Chanel wedding dress to host the evening.
While most of the wedding-worthy dresses at the event were long, it was BLACKPINK singer Jennie Kim’s choice of outfit for her first Met Gala that moved the search needle.
Kim, who is a Chanel ambassador, wore a mini white satin 1992 dress by Lagerfeld, accessorized with black opera gloves, a black belt with the brand’s iconic white Camelia flower, and black tights.
From there, it didn’t take long for the dresses to go from the red carpet to brides’ Pinterest boards: The Met Gala was on Monday, May 1. By May 2, searches for ‘white minidress’ were soaring, increasing 564%, while ‘Chanel wedding dress’ skyrocketed 1,110%.
A Budget-Friendly Trend
The good news? While most red-carpet dresses cost more than the average wedding, these latest trends might actually help you save money. Mini wedding dresses, which can also be shopped using the term “mini white dress” so you don’t have to pay the notorious “wedding” markup, start at just under $100 on the fashion website Karen Millen. Other go-to brands known for mini wedding dresses include Amsale, BHLDN, and Reformation.
If a shorter wedding dress is not possible because you’re getting married in a religious venue or you simply don’t feel comfortable, you can still take part in the fun. Consider buying one for a pre-wedding event such as your bachelorette party, engagement party, or bridal shower.
That 90’s Wedding
Since the 90s are technically considered “vintage” now, stay on trend and pair your mini wedding dress with 90’s vintage wedding ring. Some of the decade’s more popular engagement ring styles included three-stone rings with simple bands, marquise diamond cuts, and the beginning of the white gold wedding band craze. Buying a vintage ring can also help you save, with older diamonds often costing 30% less than newer ones.
Looking to save even more yet still be in style? Skip the hardware and opt for a celebrity-loved wedding ring tattoo. Let’s just hope you have a better Hollywood ending than some other former 90s celebrity couples.
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