Keeping with the body-consciousness bubbling up in haute couture and ready-to-wear lately, the corset continued to serve as a foundation in just about every bridal collection during April’s New York Bridal Fashion Week for spring 2026.
Designers put the emphasis on a range of waist-forward wedding dress silhouettes this season, with a distinct split between two different skirt shapes. Some used strict boning to offset a new draped basque waist, leading into a slimmer column, while others relied on the corset’s strength to bear the weight of larger-than-life ballskirts.
Elsewhere, the corset served as a blank canvas, bringing other trends to the fore like bow embellishments, colorful florals and Ren-fair references.
Here, the seven biggest trends from NYBFW spring 2026.
Andrew Kwon Bridal Spring 2026
Courtesy of Andrew Kwon
Corset Craze
Corsetry continues to be the trending foundation of the wedding dress industry, but across the spring 2026 collections designers offered choose-your-own-adventure styles with either draped, Basque waists, as seen from the likes of Kyha Studios and Andrew Kwon, or larger-than-life skirts from Ines di Santo, Oscar de la Renta, Amsale and more.
Galia Lahav Bridal Spring 2026
Courtesy of Galia Lahav
Colorful Florals
Why not cut back on the flower budget and double down on the dress? As solid color gowns continue to go mainstream, colorful florals, whether printed or embellished, are destined to be the next frontier for nontraditional brides looking to stand out. Whether it’s Sareh Nouri’s Lily-of-the-Valley or the pink wisteria at Galia Lahav, there will be no need for a bouquet.
Dana Harel Bridal Spring 2026
Dudi Hasson/Courtesy of Dana Harel
Mermaid
An old-Hollywood favorite, the curvaceous mermaid gown has undergone a red carpet resurgence lately with the likes of Naomi Watts, Demi Moore and Zendaya all sporting it. The silhouette is ideal to wiggle down the aisle in as well and spring 2026 offered a boatload of true mermaids, which cut-off below the knee before flaring out into a full fishtail.
Kim Kassas Bridal Spring 2026
Courtesy of Kim Kassas
Period Dressing
Most brides dream of looking like a princess on their wedding day, and this season there were plenty of historically inspired options to satisfy with homages to Renaissance and medieval nobility. Some, like Kim Kassas, went all-out cosplay, layering waist cinchers, capes and collars in one look, while others like Savannah Miller offered a more subtle interpretation by zeroing in on a single Juliet or mutton-sleeve.
Viktor & Rolf Mariage Bridal Spring 2026
Courtesy of Viktor & Rolf Mariage
Bow Details
No longer just a utilitarian fastener for bridal gowns, bows in recent seasons have gotten larger and more playful. They’re the perfect accents for not only alternative wedding-day fashion as seen here from Viktor & Rolf, but also elevate simpler silhouettes for the entire wedding weekend.
House of Gilles Bridal Spring 2026
Courtesy of House of Gilles
Allover Lace
While white lace has historically been a go-to look for brides’ wedding days, the spring 2026 bridal collections reflected a strong return for the romantic, traditional look with head-to-toe, modern flare, as seen from the likes of House of Gilles, Roses by Reem Acra, Mark Ingram and more.
Kyha Studios Bridal Spring 2026
Courtesy of Kyha Studios
Rounded Volumes
Across the spring 2026 bridal collections, the idea of maximalist-dressing was front and center. One of the newest iterations of “going big” came in the form of wedding dresses with playful new, rounded volumes. The fashion-forward look spans from pouffed sleeves and diaphanous proportions to the trending bubble skirt at every length — a variety of options for each bride to be on cloud 9.
