Bridal Couture

Bridal Couture: Four Bridal Designers Every Bride Should Know About

By Anna Lynn Sibal

Got the money to blow on a grand-style wedding and dreaming of wearing a designer bridal gown created by a top couturier? If you have the money and if you have the desire to wear a dress specifically made for you by a famous designer, here are four names in the bridal couture industry that you should be familiar with.

Amsale Aberra

Simple yet sophisticated wedding gowns are the specialty of Amsale Aberra. Known professionally as Amsale, this top-rated bridal couturier from Ethiopia began her foray into the world of bridal fashion out of her own personal desire to don a dress in clean but elegant lines on her wedding to film executive Neil Brown.

Amsele Aberra was disappointed to find mostly frilly, over-decorated dresses in the boutiques she visited as a bride-to-be. This made her decide to create her own dress instead. Eventually, she realized an untapped market for her style of wedding dresses and began accepting orders for custom-made wedding gowns.

Today, Amsele's dresses are some of the most sought-after by fashionable brides. Aside from bridal gowns, Amsele also designs evening wear. Her creations have been worn by Hollywood beauties such as Julia Roberts, Heather Graham, Halle Berry and Kim Basinger.

Badgley Mischka

Hardcore fans of the HBO television series Sex and the City would know that the wedding gown that Charlotte York wore when she married her unlikely Jewish prince charming Harry Goldenblatt was created by Badgley Mishcka.

Badgley Mischka is an American fashion label that is the brainchild of Mark Badgley and James Mischka. Badgley Mischka is more known for its glamorous red carpet dresses, having started its bridal line a little later in the company’s life. Their red carpet gowns were worn by such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey, Sharon Stone, Jada Pinkett Smith and Carmen Electra.

The bridal line of Badgley Mischka began in 1993. It specializes in wedding dresses that are both sexy and tasteful, expertly touched with lace and beading.

Monique Lhuiller

Monique Lhuiller is one of the hottest bridal couturiers today. Although she had been dressing celebrities on their wedding day for years, her name was propelled to stardom when she outfitted high-profile weddings back-to-back, first for Britney Spears when she married her now ex-husband Kevin Federline, and then for Christine Baumgartner when she became Mrs. Kevin Costner. Other celebrity clients on her resume include Natalie Imbruglia, Guiliana DePandi, and Sarah Gore Lee.

Monique Lhuiller was born and raised in the Philippines, a member of one of the most prominent families in that country. Studying design was something she actively pursued while growing up, but the decision to start her own bridal line began when she designed her own wedding gown and the dresses of her bridal entourage.

The gowns of Monique Lhuiller are characterized by modern simplicity with a touch of luxurious romanticism. Her gowns are typically sleeveless and A-line, with full and detailed skirts.

Vera Wang

Vera Wang's name is almost synonymous with bridal couture. Before there were any other celebrity designers in the bridal fashion industry, there was Vera Wang. Today, she remains to be the most sought-after bridal couturier in the industry.

Before she became a bridal couturier, Vera Wang was a figure skater who competed in national figure skating events. She failed to make the US figure skating team, however, which is when she entered the world of fashion. She worked for Vogue and then for Ralph Lauren before starting up her own style house.

The wedding gowns made by Vera Wang show a blend of the traditional style with modern touches. She makes use of luxurious fabrics and detailing. Her gowns are often sensual, a celebration of a bride's beauty.