Brilliant Bridal Gowns

I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Brilliant Bridal in Denver wearing wedding gowns this past week. Oh my, was I excited and giddy like a child at the thought of wearing beautiful bridal dresses again! My husband and I got married over 4 years ago in Viet Nam. He is British and I am of German upbringing which means we have family and friends all over the globe. We decided on a destination wedding in Viet Nam because many of his friends are expats working in Asia and many of my mom’s side of the family still reside in Viet Nam. Coming from the US, we actually had the biggest distance to cover to our own wedding!

There were two ceremonies on two separate days. The first one was the traditional Vietnamese ceremony in our ancestral village near Da Lat. I got to wear three dresses on this day: a red traditional Ao Dai dress for the tea ceremony, a white lace gown at the reception party and a more comfortable ivory gown to make the rounds at dinner. Lots of wardrobe changes!

The second wedding ceremony took place on the beach in Nha Trang, a picturesque coastal town. This was a western-style wedding where I only had one wedding gown. Only one lol! I had four different dresses in total for our wedding and I cannot tell you how happy I was about that! I mean how hard is it having to decide on THE dress when it’s supposed to serve so many functions: From standing up at the ceremony to sitting down at dinner, then dancing and walking around to socialize, the dress has to hold up all night and look amazing for photos while being somewhat comfortable. One ought to have one dress for each function of the party! But I get it, that is not an option for most of us, unless A) you have an excess of cash lying around or B) you are Vietnamese. Come to think of it, I should post our wedding so you can see what I am talking about.

Fast forward 4 years and I am down at Brilliant Bridal on Broadway in Denver, trying on all of these fabulous gowns completely immersed in nostalgia and romance. It was a blast to say the least, getting fitted with help of the wonderful gals working at BB who took the time to clamp my dresses into place, helping me pick out hair accessories and educating me on the different styles and types of laces. They made me feel as if I still had my big day ahead of me. What’s interesting about Brilliant Bridal is that all of their gowns are authentic designer pieces that ship directly from top designers to the boutique but retail at a 30-80% discount. There are some amazing deals to be had! Furthermore, each gown is unique, so you won’t have to worry that someone else will be flaunting YOUR dress on Facebook photos. Brilliant Bridal not only carries dresses but also belts, veils, jewelry and cute bridal t-shirts.

I picked four different wedding gowns and will tell you what drew me to each one. Enjoy!

This long sleeved gown with a short train was the first one I picked. It was a little heavy with lots of material and volume underneath the skirt. This would be perfect for a colder climate in the fall or even winter. This gown reminded me of the dress Princess Kate wore when she tied the knot with Prince William. To me it signifies classic elegance and the long lace sleeves lend it a degree of conservative beauty.

I thought a long veil would go well with this classic dress. . Look at these beautiful and intricate lace on the long sleeves – love!

Way to make an entrance in this classic mermaid dress. The form fitting corset emphasizes the bride’s curves and the medium length train adds contrast. This is definitely a dress with drama and oomph to leave a lasting impression on everyone!

details of the lace overlay – just beautiful!

Here we have a lighter, more flowing dress made with incredibly soft silk. Embellishments in the front makes for a luxurious and regal feel. To me, this is an old Hollywood starlet look that I adore so much. It was easy to move around in this dress and the semi long train makes it look as though you are floating along.

I picked this simpler dress because it is minimal chic and very comfortable! The lace throughout is just so stunning. This is probably a better Colorado style dress as it is less pompous and easy to wear. You can definitely dance in this all night!

I picked a birdcage veil to compliment this gown. Another benefit to choosing a simpler dress is that you can accessorize heavily without it looking overdone and kitschy.

The last dress of the series is similar to the previous one only that it is even simpler and even more comfortable. The material is wonderfully soft and silky, the only embellishments are on the wide shoulder straps. This one is for the type of bride who is casual but chic and would not feel comfortable being constrained in a tight and heavy gown.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did playing dress-up for it. If you are or know someone who is getting married, consider paying Brilliant Bridal a visit. They have locations here in Denver, Las Vegas, L.A., Phoenix and East Valley (Mesa). The consultants were a delight to work with and the selection of designers was top notch!