2022’s wedding dress trend is combining with the best trend of the summer to create the ultimate: bridal crop tops.
This morning, I was informed that women have begun wearing a trend that I found a little odd, to say the least: bridal crop tops. I had heard tell of this before, but then I saw this article on Lucky by Virginia Nam explaining her decision to wear a crop top to her wedding.
Preposterous, I thought, because I am an extra on Downton Abbey in my head. Won’t she regret that? Gosh, 2022 has stupid trends.
I’ll admit that my initial logic was rather antiquated in the same way I have resented anti-body modification crowds’ mindsets being. In my head, wearing an unconventional trend to your wedding could not result in anything but remorse at the age of 45 and slight sadness whilst looking at one’s wedding photos. (Did I mention I am a very dramatic Downton Abbey extra?) And yet, I have never gotten married, so I’m probably just being a slightly naive pessimist–chances are, the bride and her partner would look at the photos together in 10 years and actually just be stoked about being married still. The phrase “bridal trends” just has such an awful ring to it, though, and to pair it with a non-bridal trend like crop tops seems a little risky.
Crop tops are one of 2021 and 2022′s most pervasive items, what with celebrities ranging from the cutesy teeny boppers to the sophisticated thirty-somethings wearing them on the red carpet. Anybody can wear a crop top; they look amazing on all different body shapes and sizes, especially when you style them well. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before they were added to the fairly narrow range of “typical” bridal wear.
The more I thought about it, in fact, the more I realized that there are several reasons bridal crop tops could actually be awesome. Examples:
- Heat. Being hot at your wedding sucks. If you are getting married in New York City in the summer and your venue is outdoors, for example, you may find yourself uncomfortable in a large cupcake of a dress. Bathing in sweat at your wedding just isn’t considered sexy these days, so perhaps a crop top/skirt combo would assist in feeling a little bit cooler.
- Makeup. Speaking of heat, you being less hot would mean your makeup and hair last longer–a big ol’ concern for summer and early autumn brides.
- You could wear it again. Just the other day, we discussed wedding dresses you can actually wear after you get married, which are more economical and less wasteful options. When you’ve got a two-piece wedding outfit, you are much more likely to find cool ways to reuse those items again. A white crop could go with a cool leather skirt; a floor-length white skirt could work with a pretty pastel blouse or even be hemmed up to a midi length.
- It’s inexpensive. Inexpensive? A wedding dress? Well, yeah–because the market isn’t enormous yet. In fact, some of the recommendations Nam lists are downright cheap, which is something that basically never happens for brides. Traditional wedding gowns that are white can spike through the roof; with these, you can get beautiful ivory or white look without taking out a second mortgage on your house.
- They’re versatile. Want to dance? Switch skirts! You can keep the same top on and still have an entirely different look. Feel like making it super formal for the ceremony? You can obtain a large tulle or feather skirt to go with your top, then wear a different one for the reception. Wedding dresses rarely offer this type of ease in transitioning from day to night.
On top of those very practical reasons, there is also this very important thing to remember: lots of people do not take their weddings seriously nor traditionally. While obsessive wedding planning and attention to every last Pinterest-driven detail are always attributed to women, there are plenty of us who genuinely just DGAF. Not every woman wants to look like a celebrity on her wedding day. For lots of people–both women and men–the marriage and relationship itself are what is important, not what’s worn or eaten that day. Sure, having a fun party is great! But it doesn’t have to be the be-all; end all of representing your commitment to one another. And even the ones who do take it seriously might just want to try something unconventional for their wedding day, because why not?
So, do you plan on ever wearing a crop top at your wedding? And if you already have, post the photos because now I’m really curious!