Black Wedding Dresses for the Bride Who Never Wanted White

White only became the default for brides in the nineteenth century, so the rule is younger than most people assume. Vera Wang put black gowns on her bridal runway for Spring 2012, and in the years since, black wedding dresses have drifted from shock value toward simple preference. Part of it is the rise of smaller, later and more personal weddings, where a bride is dressing for an evening rather than a cathedral. The Nili Lotan Cami gown is the minimalist answer, a full-length silk charmeuse slip that relies on fabric and cut. The Mac Duggal A-line V-neck ballgown, which Saks carries in its bridal category, is the opposite, a full skirt for anyone who still wants the princess silhouette in a darker key.

Mac Duggal's strapless high-low satin gown shows the shoe and suits a dance-floor reception. The Carolina Herrera pairs a draped satin bodice with a crepe skirt, the most formal piece here.

The difference between a black gown that reads as a bride and one that reads as a guest is almost entirely fabric and scale. Satin, charmeuse and heavy crepe catch light, so black has depth instead of going flat in photographs, which matters more than people expect. A floor-length or full skirt also signals the occasion, which is why every dress here goes long or nearly long. Keep the jewellery bright, pearls or diamonds, so the face does not disappear against the colour. What I would skip is black lace layered over a nude lining, which tends to look like a cocktail dress in pictures.