PHOTOS BY LAVENDER LEIGH PHOTOGRAPHY

You’ll likely see a lot of Pittsburgh brides wearing white at upcoming weddings, but you may also see them wearing pink or blue.

Rebecca VanRyzin chose the “Charlotte” gown by Lazaro from Bridal Beginning for her Sept. 23 wedding to Andrew Hanus after searching for a year for the perfect look.

“I was a tomboy growing up and refused to wear dresses … choosing a dress seemed like a little bit of a daunting task,” she says.

Surprising herself, she eventually decided on a ballgown silhouette with sparkles, but she still couldn’t narrow her choices down to “the” dress.

“They all seemed to blend together and look the same to me,” she says. 

PHOTOS BY LAVENDER LEIGH PHOTOGRAPHY

When she saw a sparkly blush ballgown on Lazaro’s website, she knew it was the one, and tracked down a sample at Bridal Beginning. 

“There are so many things that I love about my dress. The fact that it leaves sparkles everywhere I walk brings me more joy than I care to admit! Whenever I twirled on the dance floor I looked like the most incredible starry midnight sky you have ever seen,” she says. “My dress not being white also brought me so much joy … Every single one of my guests was so surprised to see me walk down the aisle in a pink dress.”

“ANNE” FROM HOUSE OF SAVIN | PHOTO COURTESY BRIDAL BEGINNING

Pam Olivo, owner of Bridal Beginning in Mt. Lebanon, says soft blushes or soft nudes are often offered as an underlay. Hues of blue are catching on, and nods to the ‘50s and ‘60s are also trending with lots of drop waists, longline corsets and full tulle skirts.

PHOTO BY CHASE IMAGES

Carissa Lange married Sean Packer on Aug. 12, 2023, at Shady Elms Farm. She chose an Essense of Australia gown from Bridal Beginning in Moscato, adding two belts for a personalized touch.

“It did give a very ‘blush’ appearance, which is one of the things I loved most about it,” she says.

PHOTO BY CHASE IMAGES

Jenn Mason, the store manager/buying manager at MB Bride & Special Occasion in Greensburg, says she’s noticed soft blush colors making an impression as well as subtle colorful accents being re-introduced. She’s also noticed blue gowns popping up.

“I think that brides are looking for a more picture-perfect look with the new gowns,” she says. “They are more detail-oriented. Gowns with color or gowns with bold detail seem to be what is alluring to our brides.”