Some brides choose to either make their own wedding dress themselves or have a special one off wedding dress created by a dressmaker. Whatever your decision the question arises on how to find the perfect bridal fabric?
When choosing bridal fabrics for your wedding dress, you need to ensure that the fabric is selected to suit your needs and requirements as well as the dress design. You wouldn’t use say chiffon if you wanted a striking and constructed look because this is more suited for a soft, flirty look.
Bridal Fabrics cannot imagine walking into a fabric shop not knowing much about the types of fabrics and therefore we have come up with some of the most popular fabric choices and offered our advice on what they are most suitably used for in regards to a wedding dress.
How to find bridal fabric?
Brocade is one of the bridal fabrics which Bridal Fabrics specialise in because we are one of few weavers of brocade within the UK. The brocade is woven in our very own factory and in choosing brocade as a fabric you will get richer weaves with raised designs and these can be in the same or contrasting colours for a striking appeal. They should be used for heavier dresses which require full skirts and trains or for use on boned bodices.
Tulle or embroidered tulle is a popular choice and it is a fine mesh netting which is extremely light and is worn in combination with other fabrics. Layers of this can create a full skirt and it can complement a number of other fabrics for a stunning look. Bridal Fabrics have a number of tulles which feature embroidery and also embellishments including diamantes and glitter and these are available in varying weights. Tulle is normally used for the skirt of a wedding gown or for the veil of a bride.
Velvet is an extremely plush material which features a plain underside and comes in a range of colours. Classed as a luxury fabric because of its historical background and it requiring more thread to manufacture than other fabrics, velvet is used for wedding dresses which are historically themed and suggest a very royal feeling. It is a warm but heavy fabric and thus is used on wedding dresses which will be worn in winter.
Chiffon is a very delicate fabric which is chosen because it drapes really well. It is really light in weight and is normally used for layering. In regards to wedding dresses it is normally used on the sleeves and in some cases it has been known to be used on wedding veils too. Bridal Fabrics have seen it used to complement satins and used to create sheer wraps and scarves for brides and bridesmaids.
Satin backed crêpe is used within a wedding dress to create a soft look. It is a flowing fabric which has a crinkled texture and is very popular for both the brides dress and bridesmaid’s dresses. We recommend it to be used on dresses which are slim in appearance and thus the bride’s silhouette is shown off and flattered. What is fantastic about this particular fabric is that on one side it is satin but then you can turn it over because it is reversible and the satin can be complemented by the matt crêpe side within the same dress so you could use the matt side for cuffs, borders, panels or within the neckline.
Organza is very similar to chiffon only it is stiffer and thus can hold shape better. This is an extremely fine and lightweight fabric which is sheer. It is ideal for both the bride’s dress and for use on bridesmaid’s dresses. For brides who want a fuller skirt then this is the fabric to use; it falls to the floor so gracefully creating some really nice lines. Bridal Fabrics see many brides choose this fabric because of its sheen and the way in which it falls and hangs.
Duchesse satin is probably the first fabric which will pop into a person’s head when the term “wedding dress material” or “wedding dress fabric” is spoken. This offers the bride a feeling of luxurious because it is a rich material which features a glossy satin front and then a matt back. In most cases this fabric is chosen for wedding gowns where the bride would like a lot of embellishments using beading, jewels, crystals and diamantes because it is extremely strong.
Taffeta is one of the classics for use on bridal gowns and bridesmaids gowns. It is quite stiff and is usually made from silk or though in some cases it may be created using synthetics such as polyester. If the bride is looking for a ball gown style wedding dress then taffeta is ideal for this.
If you need help in selecting what bridal fabric to use for your wedding dress then why not bring your wedding dress design to Bridal Fabrics and we will help and advise you every step of the way.
