PHOTOS BY KRISTEN WYNN PHOTOGRAPHY

Some things just never go out of style. On that list of things, especially when it comes to dresses, are bows.  

Whether it’s as a classy statement piece or a way to add simple-yet-elegant details, bows have made a comeback in the fashion world.

When Erin McMahon and Garrett Vanderhoof were preparing for their Christmas-time wedding at Kimpton Hotel Monaco in 2022, Erin chose a dress with a new “angle” on bows.

“As a kid, I pictured a ball gown, and as an adult, I think I pictured more of what I went with … more form-fitting,” Erin says. Rather than the “Disney-Princess” look, she chose a sophisticated trumpet skirt dress with a semi-sweetheart neckline and a big and sleek diagonal bow in the back. 

“I really liked that it had something extra, but the rest of it was very simple, so you had that one kind of ‘statement.’” 

Kristin Dugan, studio manager from Anne Gregory Couture in Mt. Lebanon, says brides are gravitating toward dresses with cleaner silhouettes and adding on smaller details or statements for their look. 

“It seems popular now to pick more plain dresses that are just clean. It’s more about the lines and the structure more so than it is the design on it, and then the veil is super elaborate.”

Erin’s look fit right into the classic Christmas vibe, as she even added twinkling details from head to toe. She kept her veil simple with a bejeweled hairpiece that matched the embellishments on the front belt of the bow and the knot on the bow itself. Even her shoes matched the jewels. 

Bows alone can come in many different styles. Torrie Fratini’s wedding dress had a more coquette-style bow to tie together her Paris-themed reception when she married Eric Paris at the Priory in July 2023. She had her own vision when she also chose a form-fitting, trumpet skirt dress that originally had a bedazzled back. 

PHOTOS BY LEEANN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY

“I thought I wanted this bling,” Torrie says. “I always kind of wanted that ‘princess-y’ look.” 

She found a soft bow with thick, long ribbons that draped perfectly with the train of her dress. 

“I felt like this was my year to get married with bows and pearls in the trend because that’s a combination of what I love.” 

Her veil was lightly covered in pearls so it didn’t cover the bow that brought together the altered plain, deep v-cut back of her dress. Even her flower girl had a matching dress with a bow in the back. 

“A lot of girls are coming in now … looking for something more classic,” Kristin says. “Bows are still classic, you know. They’re never going to go out of style.”