Brides aren't the only ones wearing white to weddings on Long Island
Francesca Tarantino, 31, wasn’t concerned about what others thought when she asked her bridesmaids to wear white jumpsuits to her wedding.
“A lot of people said, ‘You really don’t want to do that,’ ” she recalls.
The jumpsuit idea “was already enough” for some people to digest, the Massapequa resident and global sales manager for designer Carolina Herrera’s bridal collection says. In the end, her 2019 wedding rebellion went well. “Everyone loved it.”
Though for decades upon decades women other than the bride wearing white at a wedding was largely considered taboo, having bridesmaids wear white has actually been occurring with increasing frequency over the years to the point that it’s now among the hottest of bridal trends. It also used to be the norm.
Long Island bridal shop owners say more and more brides are definitely seeing white when pondering what their bridesmaids will wear, and they’ve been coming into their stores in increasing numbers.
“It’s a thing and it’s a trend,” says Tarantino, who got her bridesmaids’ outfits from Here Comes the Bridesmaid in Bethpage.
Brides from some of the most traditional families are among those taking part in it all. Bridesmaids wore white at the 2011 royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William.
“Actually, bridesmaids always used to wear white as a way of keeping evil spirits confused — so they couldn’t know which one was the bride,” notes Nina Priolo, 34, of Babylon, quoting an old tale that dates back to ancient Europe.
Priolo’s bridesmaids will be in ivory dresses from Bella Bridesmaids in Huntington for her June 10, 2023, nuptials at The Royalton on the Greens in Melville.
“I think it’s a really clean, classic, look,” Priolo says, and no one among her family or friends has voiced an objection.
Samantha Turnbull, 26, decided to have an outdoor wedding at Raphael Vineyard in Peconic and didn’t like what she saw when envisioning colors for her bridesmaids’ dresses. “I wanted them in something like what I had — something that looked elegant and smooth that would pop against the greenery of the vineyards,” the Medford resident explains. So, she sent her bridesmaids down the aisle on Sept. 3 in ivory silk gowns from Paradise Bridals & Tuxedos in Bellport.
Some bridesmaids and others can be taken aback at first by the idea of bridesmaids in white.
“My sister says she wishes she had all white for her wedding and my mom thinks it’s beautiful,” Priolo says. Priolo’s sister and maid of honor, Mary Cusumano, 31, of Babylon, says she thought of white for her bridesmaids, “but I got talked out of it and dressed them in Champagne,” Cusumano notes. “I really like the white.”
The trend could serve as “something old” for some brides too, since it was actually last popular at weddings in the '90s.
“Every designer offers white, ivory and black — they were always options — just not chosen options,” says Gina DiGuardia, owner of Bridal Suite of Bay Shore. “I know definitely in the '70s they were offered, I don’t know how long that went back.”
DiGuardia, 56, says she selected ivory for her bridesmaids when she wore an ivory gown for her Aug. 22, 1992, nuptials in her grandmother’s backyard in Holbrook.
“I really didn’t think about it that much," DiGuardia says. “I just kind of liked what I liked rather than worrying about what the trend was.” In fact, both the mother-of-the bride and mother-of- the groom wore ivory as well.
DiGuardia says that today millennials in particular “do break the mold,” and dressing bridesmaids in white is very appealing to those brides as well as others.
“I do believe that everyone wants to have an individual wedding, something that suits them,” DiGuardia says. “I’ve had four brides come in the last six months, before it would have been one in two years or one in three years” asking for white bridesmaid dresses.
Francesca Tarantino, 31, wasn’t concerned about what others thought when she asked her bridesmaids to wear white jumpsuits to her wedding.
“A lot of people said, ‘You really don’t want to do that,’ ” she recalls.
The jumpsuit idea “was already enough” for some people to digest, the Massapequa resident and global sales manager for designer Carolina Herrera’s bridal collection says. In the end, her 2019 wedding rebellion went well. “Everyone loved it.”
Though for decades upon decades women other than the bride wearing white at a wedding was largely considered taboo, having bridesmaids wear white has actually been occurring with increasing frequency over the years to the point that it’s now among the hottest of bridal trends. It also used to be the norm.
Ivory was worn by the bride and her bridesmaids for Gina DiGuardia’s Aug. 22, 1992 Holbrook nuptials held in DiGuardia’s grandmother’s backyard. Credit: Gina DiGuardia
Long Island bridal shop owners say more and more brides are definitely seeing white when pondering what their bridesmaids will wear, and they’ve been coming into their stores in increasing numbers.
“It’s a thing and it’s a trend,” says Tarantino, who got her bridesmaids’ outfits from Here Comes the Bridesmaid in Bethpage.
WHY WHITE?
Brides from some of the most traditional families are among those taking part in it all. Bridesmaids wore white at the 2011 royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William.
“Actually, bridesmaids always used to wear white as a way of keeping evil spirits confused — so they couldn’t know which one was the bride,” notes Nina Priolo, 34, of Babylon, quoting an old tale that dates back to ancient Europe.
Nicole Setti, left, from Patchogue, and Stephanie Sutter, from West Islip, try on white bridesmaid dresses at Bella Bridesmaids in Huntington. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Priolo’s bridesmaids will be in ivory dresses from Bella Bridesmaids in Huntington for her June 10, 2023, nuptials at The Royalton on the Greens in Melville.
“I think it’s a really clean, classic, look,” Priolo says, and no one among her family or friends has voiced an objection.
Samantha Turnbull, 26, decided to have an outdoor wedding at Raphael Vineyard in Peconic and didn’t like what she saw when envisioning colors for her bridesmaids’ dresses. “I wanted them in something like what I had — something that looked elegant and smooth that would pop against the greenery of the vineyards,” the Medford resident explains. So, she sent her bridesmaids down the aisle on Sept. 3 in ivory silk gowns from Paradise Bridals & Tuxedos in Bellport.
Some bridesmaids and others can be taken aback at first by the idea of bridesmaids in white.
“My sister says she wishes she had all white for her wedding and my mom thinks it’s beautiful,” Priolo says. Priolo’s sister and maid of honor, Mary Cusumano, 31, of Babylon, says she thought of white for her bridesmaids, “but I got talked out of it and dressed them in Champagne,” Cusumano notes. “I really like the white.”
BREAKING THE MOLD
The trend could serve as “something old” for some brides too, since it was actually last popular at weddings in the '90s.
“Every designer offers white, ivory and black — they were always options — just not chosen options,” says Gina DiGuardia, owner of Bridal Suite of Bay Shore. “I know definitely in the '70s they were offered, I don’t know how long that went back.”
In addition to the bride and bridesmaids, the mother-of-the bride, the late Doris DiGuardia, wore ivory and so did the mother-of-the-groom at Gina DiGuardia’s Aug. 22, 1992, Holbrook nuptials. Credit: Gina DiGuardia
DiGuardia, 56, says she selected ivory for her bridesmaids when she wore an ivory gown for her Aug. 22, 1992, nuptials in her grandmother’s backyard in Holbrook.
“I really didn’t think about it that much," DiGuardia says. “I just kind of liked what I liked rather than worrying about what the trend was.” In fact, both the mother-of-the bride and mother-of- the groom wore ivory as well.
DiGuardia says that today millennials in particular “do break the mold,” and dressing bridesmaids in white is very appealing to those brides as well as others.
“I do believe that everyone wants to have an individual wedding, something that suits them,” DiGuardia says. “I’ve had four brides come in the last six months, before it would have been one in two years or one in three years” asking for white bridesmaid dresses.
