43 Lace Wedding Dresses for Every Mood

Of all bridal fabrics, lace carries the deepest sense of poetry. Nuanced by the shape and form of thread, it’s at once delicate and intricate, ancient and modern. Woven with craftsmanship, historic symbolism, and in modern designs, a touch of sensuality. Originating in the late Renaissance,  around the 1500s, lace was once reserved for the nobility, an artisanal material that took endless hours to produce by hand. With roots in Italy and Flanders, it adorned Elizabethan collars, royal veils, and ceremonial gowns, being a mark of status and wealth.

In bridalwear, lace has found its most iconic expressions. From Queen Victoria’s Honiton lace gown that ignited the white wedding tradition to Grace Kelly’s 1956 masterpiece – its cinched waist and lace sleeves are still a reference point for bridal designers. Kate Middleton’s long-sleeved Alexander McQueen gown brought lace back into the modern era with regal restraint. Since then, designers like Elie Saab, Oscar de la Renta, and Vera Wang have reimagined lace with plunging necklines, panels, body-skimming silhouette, deep décolletage, and subtle cut-outs.

Today, it’s less about convention and more about emotion. Bodices with illusion sleeves, Chantilly veils floating like air, and Guipure cutouts echoing organic forms. Whether corded in Alençon, draped in embroidered tulle, or layered in baroque Venetian motifs, lace remains a language of bridal dressing.

“Bodices with illusion sleeves, Chantilly veils floating like air, and Guipure cutouts echoing organic forms. Whether draped in embroidered tulle, or layered in baroque Venetian motifs, lace remains a language of bridal dressing.”

Shop Our Edit

Shop our edit of lace wedding dresses, from barely-there Chantilly to artfully bold lace. Pieces that capture a soft, sensual and innately feminine mood.

To see our full edit of Bridal Designers see The Lane Directory.