Bride Chic: The Blonde Bride And The Perfect Shade Of Wedding Dress White

About Bride Chic

Platinum blonde, honey blonde, champagne blonde, golden blonde, strawberry blonde… there are about as many shades of blonde as there are shades of white. That’s right. And if you’ve been out looking for THE wedding dress, you know by now that white can be pretty multi-faceted. Below is a brief sampling of the basic shades of white available for your wedding dress and how they look on a blonde skin tone. Keep in mind though there’s nothing like actually stepping into the dress.

OPTICAL WHITE: This is amped up to look like snow white. Usually optical white is made out of man-made fibers like polyester but pure silk can be bleached. Some designers bleach silks white to produce a certain effect. This neon version looks stunning on darker skin tones and brunettes but if you have one of those deep salon suntans and tan well, snow white may just work for you.

SILK WHITE: These dresses are in that chalky, natural sort of silk white that only natural fibers can produce. Salons and retailers refer to this as Diamond, Natural or Silky White. Typically it is a couple degrees off Optical. So who can wear silk white? Almost everyone except light-skinned blondes (great if your undertones are blue) and redheads whom it tends to wash out. Again, the lighter whites look best on darker hair and/or warmer skin tones.

IVORY: This is that warmed-up white most bridal gowns come in. Some designers and manufacturers call this candlelight or cream, especially if it has that yellowy butter cream tint to it. Tea-dyed silks and cottons have pink tones underneath. Ivory is great for blondes and redheads.

ECRU: Almost tan, similar to beige, more and more designers are using this hue. Lovely in heavier fabrics like brocade and peau.

Here’s my opinion on shades of white for a blonde bride: Ivory and candlelight whites are your best bets. If you’re ruddy complected–that is–your coloring is more on the red-headed spectrum, go for yellow or peach-toned whites.

When looking for your dream wedding dress, are you taking into account the color of your hair and skin? What white hues have you been told would look best with your complexion? We want to hear from you!

Photo: Optical White, aka Snow White: best for dark skin, dark hair brides

Photo: Silk White wedding dresses: flattering on all except light-skinned blonde brides

Photo: Ivory wedding dresses: perfect for blondes and red heads!

Photo: Ecru wedding dress: perfect hue with heavier dress fabrics

Photo: Ecru wedding dress: perfect hue with heavier dress fabrics