For most brides searching for a wedding dress, chances are it's your first time, and understandably, you won't be well-versed in many bridal designers.
Of course there are the big ones, who you probably heard of long before you even considered a dress of your own; Oscar De La Renta, Vera Wang, Pronovias, or Temperley.
Then once you start digging, you'll find the names that appear again and again, Berta, Monique Lhuillier, Hayley Paige or Jenny Packham.
And then there are lots of cool brands who are popular with in-the-know brides and style insiders, like Rue De Seine, Grace Loves Lace, Rime Arodaky, Delphine Manivet or Houghton.
Each and every one of these fashion houses produce stunning wedding dresses, across a range of budgets, and are most definitely worth checking out for the gown of your dreams.
But we're not talking about any of those today!
Dress by Victoria KyriaKides
Today it's all about the designers who you probably haven't heard of. But who we really think deserve a bit of your (precious wedding dress searching) time.
Some are brand new talents, others are couture designers who have branched out into bridal, some are big names in their own corners of the world, while others are simply not getting as much hype as we reckon they should.
While we had to stop at 10 (for today anyway!), it's a very exciting time for bridal fashion, with more and more creative, and talented designers making it mainstream every year – which is awesome news for brides!
But it's not all about cutting edge fashion, along with all the innovative textures and ultra modern silhouettes, you'll find breezy chiffon, dreamy lace, and classic shapes in among our list too.
So, without further ado, let us introducing you to ten incredible designers you need to get on your radar, stat!
1. Mignonette Bridal
Photos by Loren Weddings
Mignonette Bridal create simple, feminine, super pretty designs, that have a really cool and current feel.
A Chicago-based bridal boutique who create their own in-house collections, Mignonette Bridal's gowns are a chic canvas to create your perfect wedding day look, whether it's modern, vintage, boho or classic.
2. Santos Costura
Styled by Veronica Rogers of Type A Society, Photo by Syphotography
Santos Costura are a Barcelona-based bridal couture fashion house, who are continuing the Spanish city's long tradition of creating exquisite gowns for brides around the world.
Their extensive collection is varied in style, but words that come to mind when you scroll through their gowns are romantic modern, empowered, and super stylish.
3. Victoria KyriaKides
Victoria KyriaKides is an Athens-based couture atelier with an NYC showroom, who is renowned among New York brides. But when we caught a glimpse of her stunning 2016 lookbook, we just thought, ‘more brides need to know about this designer!'.
Her signature style is confident, sexy, and ultra glamorous, with a serious side of romance.
4. Chana Marelus
Chana Marelus is an Israeli designer we discovered on Instagram, and instantly fell in love with her romantic designs. A popular atelier among brides looking for modest wedding dresses that don't skip on style, we think her gorgeous gowns are set to hit the mainstream.
Think touches of colour, exquisite detailing and a lacing of luxury, elegant brides are going to fall in love.
5. Mademoiselle de Guise
Mademoiselle de Guise is part of a growing wave of talented Parisian designers making the coolest wedding dresses for fun, chic, modern brides.
Her wedding gowns blend the current with the cute with sheer panels and pretty bows. Be sure to check out her super versatile civil wedding dress too, it's très chic!
6. Oh Oui by Atelier Anonyme
Oh Oui by Atelier Anonyme is another chic collection for brides that's filled with simple, yet beautiful wedding dresses and elegant bridal separates.
Meaning ‘Oh Yes' in French, we think lots of brides would say ‘oui' to their fresh, modern, breezy and oh-so-pretty collection.
7. Keren Mor Yossef
Keren Mor Yossef is an Israeli designer that's got that quintessentially confident, sensual, dramatic aesthetic down, with daring silhouettes, lots of sheer textures, and glistening embellishments.
If you're a fan of big name designers like Berta, Galia Lahav, Zahavit Tshuba or Inbal Dror, this is most certainly a collection to check out, with gowns starting from $4000.
8. Elizabeth Suzann The White Collection
Elizabeth Suzann's The White Collection is one of those collections that fills such a gaping niche in the bridal market; brides who don't want a wedding dress that looks like a wedding dress.
Crisp and minimal, this collection plays with silhouettes and structure with beautiful textures and clean lines. Gorgeous separates make this a mix and match collection for brides who want a bespoke look for their wedding day, that's cool, contemporary, and certainly not too ‘bridal'.
9. Georgia Young
Georgia Young is one of those designers who shows just why Australia and New Zealand are leading the way with exciting new bridal fashion.
Her couture fashion house, based in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, is where she creates truly individual gowns, which are quite unlike anything else on the market. With unique structures, gorgeous necklines, and cool details, we're pretty much head over heels with Georgia Young!
10. Dana Dallal
Dana Dallal might be last in our list, but she's certainly not least. This exceptional British designer is one of the most creative bridal talents in London. We came across her work at the Most Curious Wedding Fair, and even in a huge room filled with all things weddings, her dreamy gowns stood out.
Edgy, modern, and fashion forward, while still ethereal, dreamy and delicate, expect cool slip dresses, geometric cut-outs, unusual placements of sheer panels, and unique touches of colour. Definitely a designer to watch!
Oh wow, so many gorgeous dresses and exciting talents. And we didn't even scratch the surface, we could have made a Top 50 (so watch this space for Part Two!).
Be sure to check out some of these designers on the hunt for your wedding dress, and if you've discovered an under-hyped collection, be sure to share it with us in the comments below!
Read our Guide to How Much a Wedding Dress Costs.
