A wedding dress not only makes the bride look and feel pretty. It’s a chance to express individuality, creativity and sometimes even to pay homage to family tradition. Some brides opt for DIY wedding dresses – it’s cheap, personal and definitely unique. Thrifty brides know where and how to find unconventional wedding gowns without breaking the bank.

Some brides on this list even decided to trade a wedding dress for a wedding suit. However, what ties all of these pictures together is that all of the looks are in some way unconventional. Be it color, shape or style. So, dear pandas, upvote your favorite unique dresses and leave a comment under those that left the biggest impression. And check out our interview with the Rock n Roll Bride magazine editor Kat Williams to learn more about unconventional wedding dresses!

#1 A Part Of Me Was Worried I Would Regret Not Wearing A Dress For Our Wedding. Needless To Say Once We Got The Photos Back I No Longer Cared About The Dress

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It may sound cheesy to some, but a wedding is an important day in one’s life. There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to make it a little bit more special. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I’ll say that a non-conventional wedding can be more interesting than a traditional one.

The Knot even declared the most popular bridal aesthetic of the year 2023 to be non-traditional wedding dresses. According to them, extravagant celebrations and maximalist fashion are the result of the post-lockdown era. Many to-be-weds had to postpone or cancel their wedding plans altogether. Now that they can finally plan their celebration, it’s extravagance and uniqueness galore.

To find out more about the world of unconventional weddings, Bored Panda reached out to Kat Williams. She is the editor and founder of the Rock n Roll Bride magazine. She is also an Amazon #1 bestselling author of the book Rock n Roll Bride: The Ultimate Guide For Alternative Brides. Kat is a specialist in non-traditional weddings and unique bridal looks and kindly agreed to share her expertise with us.

#2 Decided To Photobomb My Wife During Our Wedding Photoshoot Last Month

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#3 Floral Wedding Dress: What Bouquet Should I Get?

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The magazine was born out of lack of inclusivity in the industry. Its creator Kat Williams decided to start Rock n Roll Bride when she was planning her own wedding. “If you didn’t have a big budget, if you didn’t want something traditional and if you didn’t fit into the straight, white, able-bodied bridal mold, there was nothing for you!”

Their mission statement reads: “You don’t have to be wacky; you don’t have to be offbeat and you certainly don’t have to be intentionally ‘different’ – you just have to be you.”

#4 Traditional Wedding Of A British-Ghanaian Couple In London

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#5 My Wedding Dress Didn’t Arrive In Time So I Wore My Mom’s 1960s Wedding Dress And It Was Perfect For Our Backyard Ceremony

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#6 I’m So Excited About My Wedding Dress, I Feel Like A Fairy

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We asked Kat what she considers a wedding outfit that is truly different. “Of course, there's the more obvious things like going to something that isn't white, or is an unusual, more fashion-forward cut,” Kat says. “But I think accessories can really make or break a bridal look too. You can take the most traditional ivory dress and really make it your own with a statement shoe, jackets, belts, gloves and your jewelry choices.”

#7 Wedding Dress With Gold-Work Embroidery

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#8 Heard Such Kind And Helpful Thoughts When I Posted About Wanting To Wear A Red Dress. Here’s How It Turned Out

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#9 My Colorful Wedding Dress. Fabric From Ghana, Dress Custom-Made In Kenya

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There’s a reason why more and more people opt to have non-conventional weddings. “These days couples want their wedding to be a reflection of them more than ever,” Kat explains. “It’s not about blindly following tradition or trying to 'keep up with the Joneses' anymore. The modern couple want a day that is unique and will make people go ‘wow.’ This will, of course, extend to what they choose to wear too.”

#10 My Green "Wedding" Dress. Don’t Let Anyone Tell You What To Do - Do You With Your Wedding

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#11 Black Wedding Dress

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#12 My Totally Non-Traditional Totally Awesome Dress. The Giant Purple Skirt Was Removable For Dancing, Underneath Was A Silk Sheath With Short Mermaid Train

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There’s also no denying people want to share their special day on the internet. “Social media has a huge part to play in this as well, as people are posting their weddings on TikTok in particular and going viral more easily than ever,” Kate acknowledges.

#13 My Mother (The Sewing Queen) And My Mother-In-Law (The Crochet Queen) Made My Wedding Dress

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#14 Our Super Mario And Rainbow Unicorn Wedding. We Decided To Have Some Fun With Our Wedding Reception. Our Wedding Party Was All In Rainbows Too

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#15 I Designed It, And My Mom Made It. I Couldn't Be Happier With The Way My Unconventional Dress Turned Out

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During her years as an alternative bridal magazine editor and creative director behind bridal photo shoots, Kat has seen her fair share of stunning dresses. Although it’s almost impossible to choose just one, she names the DiDomenico Design rainbow dress as her current favorite. The Lucy Can't Dance's Phoenix gown is one that also caught her attention during last year’s 2023 New York Bridal Week.

#16 Traditional Slay: Bridal Attire Of The Fulani Women, West Africa

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#17 My Custom Dress Is Ready. Can't Wait To Try It On

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#18 Bride In India

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The Rock n Roll Bride magazine features a variety of non-traditional bridal looks: from punk to multicultural, from Barbie to Halloween themes – you can find a wide assortment of dresses. Some looks ditch the dress altogether – it’s 2023, women can wear a pantsuit or a jumpsuit to their wedding and look just as fabulous.

#19 I Finally Got The Pictures Back From My Wedding A Few Months Ago And Just Wanted To Share My Non-Traditional Wedding Dress

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#20 My Photos Finally Came Back. This Is Me And My Best Friend Since We Were Toddlers

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#21 Ghana, West Africa. Ghanaian Weddings Are Famous For Their Colorfulness

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The idea is not that world-shattering or particularly new. “Consider alternatives such as a jumpsuit, a matching top and pant set, or something a bit bolder like a colorful wedding dress or even a black dress," Alicia Lloyd told Brides.

"A traditional white wedding gown is not for everyone, and I always encourage clients to choose something that will make them feel their most confident and showcase who they are on their big day."

#22 Tie-Dye Wedding Dress

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#23 Photos From My Winter Wedding In Teuta Matoshi Dress

If you are thinking of getting a non-white dress trust me you won't regret it! I was anxious at first but once I had the dress I selected the color palette to work around it and it all fell into place so well!

The dress is from Teuta Matoshi, I did the custom sizing and it was a perfect fit, the only alteration needed was the length (too long). They even did some customization to the dress for no extra cost, like adding a modesty panel to the corseted back and making my husband a pocket square that we didn't end up using. Would definitely recommend buying from them.

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#24 Lucky To Witness One Of Two Japanese Wedding. This One In Particular Appeared Right Before Me

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Bespoke Bride also offers some tips and ideas on how to make your wedding dress stand out. They advise ditching the usual neck accessories and going with a back necklace. It’s not as bold as usual jewelry, but still eye-catching enough. It’s a great way to complement a strapless or an open-back dress.

#25 Just Had To Share My Dress. Wish I Could Wear It Every Day

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#26 Please Excuse My Messy House, But My Custom Black Wedding Dress Came In The Mail Today. I Can’t Wait For My Fiancé To See It, So I Had To Share It Somewhere

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#27 I Made A Non-Traditional Wedding Dress

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Ombre is everywhere these days. Hoodies, hair – even wedding dresses can be dyed that way! It’s a great choice for a wedding that’s less formal than usual. The length of the ombre effect depends on the person.

For a subtle look, tip-dyeing is the perfect choice. But for more fearless and adventure-seeking brides, Bespoke Bride suggests starting the ombre effect from the top of the bodice and finishing with a bold color at the hemline.

#28 My Wedding Dress

By far my biggest dye project. Rit dye on pure silk chiffon and then hand-dyed opals to sew on the said dress (rit again) looked so good in the sunlight and I love how it turned out. Thanks heap for your advice over the past 2 years.

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#29 My Pakistani Wedding Back In May

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#30 Our Gothic Queen Katie Looking Stunning In Her Bespoke Charcoal And Slate Grey Gown

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“Traditional” does not only mean a white wedding dress. Dresses from other cultures also fall into this category. We’ve covered what traditional wedding dresses from around the world look like before.

Generally, it’s the wedding looks featuring something outside of the conventional Western white-adjacent gowns. They can be colorful, include lots of intricate accessories and, in some cases, even face painting and decorating.

#31 My Dream Wedding Dress

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#32 Ordos-Style Mongolian Wedding Head-Dress

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#33 We Did It

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#34 Traditional Wedding Dress Of North Caucasian People. It Was Heavy And Very Beautiful

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#35 Halloween Wedding. Under 10k. Who Says You Can't Have Creepy, Cheap And Nice Things?

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#36 My Unconventional Wedding Dress, I Seriously Love The Train

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#37 Found My Indian Wedding Dress! It Was The Most Sparkly Outfit They Had In The Store

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#38 I Crocheted My Own Wedding Dress. 21 Days, 121 Hours, 79,000+ Stitches

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#39 Update On The Grey/Blue Dress: Got Married

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#40 Something A Little Different, My Modern Cheongsam, A Traditional Chinese Wedding Dress, That I'll Be Wearing Down The Aisle

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#41 An Unconventional Wedding For An Unconventional Couple. We Got Married 11 Days Ago And It's Been Amazing So Far

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#42 I Got To Go To A Traditional Korean Wedding Today At The House Of Changwon

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#43 Black Wedding Dress Is The Move. So Happy In Love With My Metal Man

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#44 Traditional Style Of Bride Dress In Takasuda

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#45 Full Moon Union Under The Blue Moon Of All Hallows’ Eve

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#46 My Dream Dress

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#47 Said Yes To The Red Dress

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#48 The Black Wedding Gown And A Matching Bat Veil I Made For My Friend's Halloween Wedding

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#49 I Found My Dress! Not Your Typical Wedding Dress But I’m Getting Married In Southern Germany So Why Not

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#50 I Was Set On A Green Dress, And I Am So Thrilled With The Choice I Made

50 Brides That Embraced A Different Look On Their Wedding Day