Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more couples opt for a civil ceremony rather than a traditional wedding. After getting married at City Hall, there would be a photoshoot, share a meal with their closest family members and friends and call it a day.
Growing up, I always dreamed of what that special day would look like. Would it be a big or small wedding? Would I wear an intricate lace mermaid dress or a simple satin dress? I’ve daydreamed my future wedding day and always ended up with the same thought: my wedding will be different.
My fiancé and I became engaged in the summer of 2021. We had a baby girl December of 2021. So it wasn’t a huge priority planning a wedding and it certainly took the pressure off of wedding planning in a certain timeframe. I assumed we would get married a year or two later. I imagined it would be a very small, intimate wedding. But I found out our ideal guest count would almost be too small for most wedding venues. I reached out to a venue that I absolutely loved and the package rate for a small wedding would be much higher if we had 50 people compared to 100, for example. I get it… but I also don’t. It was a bummer and I just stopped my search there because I was so hung up on the wedding taking place there.
Since 2020, micro-weddings have become more popular and I personally love that idea more than a big wedding. It tends to feel more personal and intimate. So after some conversations, we decided… what are we waiting for? Let’s go to City Hall and get married. I’ll be honest – I was initially a bit hesitant at the idea. Am I letting my little girl dream of a big wedding day go? Would it feel the same if we did a bigger celebration next year but having been already married for a year? I gave it a lot of thought. And I realized a civil ceremony works more in my favor for many reasons. It actually made me feel more at peace… because it simplified everything. No need to spend thousands of dollars in flowers, decor, food, drinks, the venue, cake, band or source of entertainment, parting gifts, etc. It would just be me, him, and one witness… Literally just one. Which I didn’t love but fine. It wouldn’t be about anything else but us.
On 11/1/2022, we married. But the journey – oh, the journey! The journey of finding the right outfit in 1.5 months just possessed and encompassed me whole. I thought, imagine trying to find the wedding dress?
I scoured the internet for the perfect all white look. I didn’t envision myself wearing a dress to City Hall. I wanted to feel like me, comfortable, able to move freely, but chic, chic, chic. Those were the parameters for the outfit. I bought and returned a few looks. I put every look option on powerpoint and scanned through it every day, envisioning myself wearing it. I also noticed that a lot of white pieces are either low inventory or sold out?! Why is everyone buying up the perfect modern bridal pieces?!? Literally – coats, trousers, dresses, shoes, accessories – I always found “1 left” for my size or “sold out” which did not help my urgency to find the right piece.
After trying things on and returning them, I came back to one piece that stayed in my mind and kept popping up in my google search of “white long coat”. A Fendi coat with satin lapels and gorgeous wool-blend material. Simple, chic, timeless. I paired it with slightly off-white long flared trousers, since the coat was also slightly off-white, and pointed toe heels. That was my look for City Hall and our shoot afterwards.
Then, I changed into a silk dress by Galvan for some photos and for the dinner so I could be comfortable but also feel like a bride. That’s the thing, too. I wanted to feel like a bride.
I created a Modern Bride Edit where you can shop looks that I absolutely love and wish I could wear. 2 outfits for one day? Reasonable. 40 outfit changes? Not so much.
I really wanted to create a source where you could get inspired by different ideas, silhouettes, and materials. What you imagine you would wear could be totally different than what you end up choosing and feeling your best in. So for those brides-to-be who are online shopping and trying to find that perfect look for that special day, I created this edit for you. And even if you don’t find the exact pieces from the shopping edits, maybe a piece will inspire you to find a particular style trouser, dress, blazer, or coat. Best of luck on your search, brides!
