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13 Wedding Dress Brands And Designers To Know When Browsing For The Big Day
From traditional bridal boutiques to affordable online gems
In 2025 there’s a wedding dress brand out there for everyone. The beauty of browsing online for bridal is the variation – you could discover a new under-the-radar designer, champion London talent or ship a bohemian gown in from Australia. Because who wants to look like everyone else on their big day?
Once upon a time, bridal shopping consisted of a trip to your local boutique, champagne in hand, friends and family in tow; but the rise of ecommerce and less traditional weddings has really changed the scene. If you still like the ceremony of IRL browsing, we applaud you, but the reality of standing in a stuffy changing room trying on multiple gowns can be a little overwhelming. Ordering wedding dresses online allows for rumination (without the pressure of an audience), not to mention you can try your chosen pieces on with the appropriate accessories and underwear.
The other detail that can't be ignored: if you’re on a budget, bespoke bridal is out of the question and online browsing is the easiest way to keep an eye on your spending. There are so many affordable bridal brands out there, from De La Vali and Reformation to Whistles and Shona Joy.
Best wedding dress brands, at a glance:
Best British wedding dress brand – Rixo
Best bespoke wedding dress designer – Halfpenny London
Most popular wedding dress brand – Vivienne Westwood
Best high street wedding dress brand –Whistles
The brand for a dress you'll wear again – Reformation
But if you’re in the market for a good old-fashioned fitting, we’ve got you. Browse our selection of bridal brands that have well-stocked websites, but you can also head to their flagship stores in London to seek the advice of their expert designers…and perhaps enjoy a glass of fizz while you’re at it. Weddings are about romance, after all.
ELLE edits the best wedding dress brands to know:
Vivienne Westwood
Most popular wedding dress brand
Vivienne Westwood first introduced bridal on the runway in 1992 (modelled by none other than Naomi Campbell), and yet in 2025 the late designer's wedding dresses have never felt more relevant. In fact, nearly 7000 shoppers are searching for them every single month in the UK.
Incorporating the house’s iconic signature corsetry and draping, Vivienne Westwood’s Neoclassical wedding dresses have maintained their status thanks to their universally-flattering shapes and unwavering dedication to the OG aesthetic. The brand's Galaxy dress is one of the most popular bridal options out there, and has spawned a slew of copycats in the past few years.
Reformation
The one you'll wear again post-wedding
We can't believe it's been nearly 10 years since Reformation launched its bridal line; a brand that's famed for its long, bias-cut dresses was always going to be a natural fit in this modern age. The collection has grown – and grown-up – since then, expanding beyond your typical 'sexy' offering to include more directional suiting, Sixties-inspired shifts and cool wedding party looks. But if it's the sultry slips you're after? Rest assured they're better than ever: cut from liquid-like silk-satin, complete with expertly-draped sashes and trains, off-the-shoulder sleeves and cowl necklines.
Ordering online is easy, as are returns, but should you wish to try these pieces on, head to one of Reformation's many London stores (although Covent Garden is your best bet for a wide range of stock).
De La Vali
Best for bohemian wedding dresses
De La Vali stays true to its carefree, bohemian aesthetic even when designing bridalwear – but that doesn't mean its designs won't translate to weddings in colder climes. When the Ibiza-based duo Jana Sacha Haveman and Laura Castro expanded their collection to include weddingwear back in 2023, they really thought outside of the box. Which means that for every backless or mini dress, there's a high-neck, long sleeve option, and floor-sweeping lace gowns that can be peeled back to reveal a more versatile slip beneath.
We love the on-trend details like drop waists, feather trims and corsages, the headscarf veils and hoods, detachable lace skirts and corset belts, as well as ruffled capes for covering up during the ceremony.
Halfpenny London
Best British wedding dress brand
Kate Halfpenny founded her eponymous label 20 years ago in 2005 and now she's one of the biggest British bridal brands. She started with bespoke wedding dresses through word-of-mouth recommendations (it helped that she'd already styled Cate Blanchett, Kate Moss and Rihanna, of course) but her reputation soon preceded her. Halfpenny's flagship opened in Bloomsbury in 2013 and here customers can experience the full bespoke service of 'creating a dream dress', but it'll cost you £15,000 or more.
For those who want a slice of HalfPenny's elegant charm for less (starting from around £600), luckily you can find the brand's off-the-rack wedding gowns, bridal separates and accessories at both Net-a-Porter and The Outnet.
Rixo
Best affordable wedding dress brand
It's been five years since Rixo launched its bridal section, but the British brand has become a market-leader for affordable mid-tier wedding dresses. With its vintage-inspired dresses starting from £285, and silk gowns with trains hitting under the £1500 mark, there are chic offerings for every price point. While Rixo's website is a great place to order your wedding dress online, bridal parties can't resist heading to the brand's Chelsea and Marylebone stores for a glass of champagne and IRL fittings.
Whistles
Best high street wedding dress brand
Over a thousand people per month in the UK are searching for 'Whistles wedding dress', and we're guessing its the delicate balance the brand has struck between affordability and luxury that's hitting the spot. Whistles' bridal department launched in 2016 and has been churning out new hero pieces ever since – from pastel-hued bridesmaid dresses to contemporary wedding suits and separates, as well as beautiful gowns under the £1000 mark.
With free delivery and returns, buying your wedding dress online has ever been easier. However, if you want to try before you buy, or need any alterations, head to the brand's flagship in St Christopher's Place.
Shona Joy
Best wedding dress brand for options
Shona Joy started off as a market stall on Bondi Beach back in 2000, and this bohemian spirit is still strong in the languid, unfussy silhouettes of her slip dresses. But the Australian brand has grown to include a new clean aesthetic too – there's lots of structured gowns with internal boning to choose from, not to mention simple gowns that focus purely on lustrous draped satin.
A bridal brand for everyone, separates and satin slips start from around the £100 mark, while custom gowns can retail around £1500. We love the concept of layers within the spring/summer 2025 collection: a lace bodysuit that can underpin your strapless dress during the ceremony, a full-skirted gown that can be pinned up to create an on-trend puffball mini, and countless detachable sleeves, boleros and gloves that can change the look of your gown for the after-party.
Elliatt
Best affordable Aussie bridal brand
ELLIATT was founded in 2011 with an intention to create affordable occasionwear – fast forward 14 years and the Australian brand is a global go-to for party dresses. We've also recently discovered the label's bridal range which, despite starting from just £225, is appropriate for both the rehearsal/engagement/hen do looks, as well as the moment you actually walk down the aisle. The latest drop sees ELLIATT go hard on SS25's biggest bridal trends: floral jacquards (we can't get enough of the hi-low Galadirel gown in this luxe fabric), corsage appliqué and origami satin bows.
Clio Peppiatt
Best for embellished wedding dresses
Clio Peppiatt launched her signature intricately embellished collections a whole decade ago in 2015, but she didn't introduce bridal until spring/summer 2023. Post-Covid, the bridal landscape shifted to reflect the modern way women dress – soon meringue gowns were being swapped out for separates, wedding suits and party pieces women would actually wear again – so this move was perfectly timed.
If you're looking for a custom design, Clio Peppiatt herself takes appointments on Fridays in her West London studio (there's a non-refundable £50 fee), but otherwise Net-a-Porter has myriad exclusive bridal looks to choose from. If you can't stretch to one of the sparkling pearl and crystal adorned dresses, why not treat yourself to a Clio Peppiatt bag for the big day?
Sleeper
Best for casual bridal looks
Sleeper is best know for its cult Party pyjamas and summery linen dresses, but recently the Ukranian brand has upped its bridal game. Things are still non-traditional, naturally – think feather-trimmed slips and sheer separates for the hen do, smocked white cotton midis for beach weddings and chic Cheongsam pyjamas in lustrous satin for the night before. The collection's hero piece is one you'll definitely wear beyond the big day: a jersey drop-waist dress fitted with a full taffeta skirt and centred with a scarlet-red corsage.
Jenny Yoo
Best for wedding and bridesmaid dresses
Jenny Yoo actually started with bridesmaid dresses when launching her namesake brand back in 2002, before dropping a bridal collection in 2006. It's one of the only bridal brands that excels in both areas – Yoo really sell us the dream with campaign imagery of both the bride and her BFFs looking their best (this season, the design team has gone hard on butter yellow).
There's something for every bride on a scale of 'on-trend' to 'timeless'. So, for SS25 you'll see drop-waist and bubble-hem ballgowns, as well as draped Neo-grecian styles that give Viv a run for her money; there's floral-printed chiffon and corsage-adorned show-stoppers alongside simple fishtail crepe dresses that'll stand the test of time.
Rebecca Vallance
Best Australian wedding dress brand
Former PR Rebecca Vallance launched her eponymous line to create clothes for 'women who like to be noticed'. Bridalwear was in the Australian brand's destiny, then, since at weddings even the quietest of wallflowers are looking to do just that – and the perfect dress helps. Rebecca Vallance really has thought of everything when it come to bridal looks. There are debutant-inspired gowns and bow-adorned minis, embellished and feather-trimmed party pieces, contemporary separates, and more conservative draped maxis for the bride who wants to cover up.
Kindred of Ireland
Best for linen
Kindred's founder Amy Anderson is obsessed with all things linen, always championing artisanal craft and collaborating with family-run mills across Ireland. So when she launched her label's first ever bridal collection, we were pleased to see how true to the brand's roots it was; shot in a mossy forest, the campaign is ethereal, earthy and delightfully simple, just like each beautiful piece in the collection.
Our favourite look is the voluminous Isabella dress (it's structured with a hidden corset) worn with the knitted-linen Gabriella coat that trails like a train behind you. But if its cost-per-wears you want, look no further than the petal-dotted Grace, the pie-crust collar Camille or the sweet 'Something Blue' midi.
Abigail Southan is our Senior Fashion Ecommerce Editor and has five years' experience as a writer and editor in the industry. Abigail has a BA in History from the University of Bristol and an MA in Fashion Journalism from Central Saint Martins. Abigail currently covers all things style and shopping across titles including Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Esquire and Red. On a daily basis, she helps readers buy better with how-to-wear guides, first-person product reviews and deep dives into the latest trends. Previously, Abigail has worked for The Sunday Times’ Style and Fabulous magazine as their first ecommerce writer and was a founding editor of Sun Selects. She has also written for Net-a-Porter, I-D, Man About Town, Wonderland and 1 Granary, and has interviewed the likes of Paris Hilton, Dua Lipa and Christopher Bailey. You can follow Abigail on Instagram at @abigailsouthan.
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