Wedding Reception Dresses for the Bride

Top Five Reasons for a Bride to Have a Reception Dress

If you’ve been to many recent weddings, you’ll see that the two-wedding dress trend is here to stay. Reception dresses have become more and more popular as celebrations after the ceremony have grown more elaborate, so it’s common for brides to do a quick change from their wedding gowns to bride reception dresses after all of the formal photos. Typically in ivory or white, reception dresses can be short or long, depending upon your style and the formality of the venue. If you’re having a fancy black-tie wedding, then a long formal white or ivory reception dress is a good choice. If your ceremony is more casual, then a short ivory or white reception dress will do the trick. While a variety of stunning styles is certainly a huge perk to wearing a wedding reception dress, here are five other reasons to consider a reception dress for brides:

1. More Freedom: While your bridal gown is sure to be gorgeous, having your maid of honor follow you around while holding your train all night is an experience you can easily skip with a quick change into a reception dress! If you plan to sit down, eat, or enjoy the dance floor, it may be a good idea to have a second dress for the reception. If you’ve chosen a fancy, elaborate wedding gown for the ceremony, a less restrictive reception dress makes it easy to enjoy your party. A second style is typically short and lets the guests know that you’re ready to celebrate with them. A short reception dress also means that you won’t have to worry about overheating or dragging the hem on the floor. Simply change into a short reception dress, and you can relax as you sit down and enjoy a slice of cake.
2. Wedding Photo Variety: If you think that photos in your wedding dress are exciting, imagine more variety and double the fun with a second dress! With a wedding dress and a reception dress, you can show different sides of your personality. Consider wearing your wedding gown to the beginning of the reception so that you get plenty of photos with friends and family while allowing the guests to admire it up close. Then sneak away and change from your gown to the reception wedding dress after cocktail hour, in between dinner and dancing, or perhaps after the cake cutting. You’ll come away with lots of wonderful photos of you at your reception in both styles!
3. Cleaner Wedding Dress: Some brides like an outfit change for the practical reason of keeping the wedding dress clean. If you want to keep your wedding dress spotless, it’s better to not wear it through dinner, dessert, and dancing. Keep your bridal dress in near-pristine condition by changing into a wedding reception dress, and then you can have fun without a second thought about getting your wedding dress dirty or torn.
4. No Style Compromises: Sometimes, a religious ceremony may have modesty requirements, but that doesn’t mean you need to compromise on style. A great way for brides to honor their religious beliefs and feel sexy on their wedding day is to have a conservative bridal gown for the ceremony, and then showcase an alluring reception dress. Maybe you are expected to uphold a family tradition by wearing your mother or grandmother’s wedding gown? Honor the tradition by wearing your inherited dress for the formal ceremony, then change into a trendy ivory or white reception dress that’s more your style.
5. Crowd-Pleasing Drama: Quick wardrobe changes are undisputed crowd-pleasers. Think of the exchanging of vows in your wedding gown as a beautiful performance, entertaining your friends and family. Then, after a quick change, you make a new entrance in your beautiful wedding reception dress. You’ll have twice the excitement by swapping the formal wedding gown for a white or ivory reception dress.

There are lots of reasons for a bride to have a second dress for the reception. And really, just because you’re marrying your first, your last, your everything, doesn’t mean your wedding gown has to be your “one and only” too. Fulfill your fantasy of being a princess in your wedding gown for the vow exchange, and later dance the night away in a comfortable, yet gorgeous dress at the reception. Shop PromGirl’s collection of affordable reception dresses for your wedding day to find the perfect celebration look for you.