Ballpark Estimate: $1,100 to $3,500
Cinderella. Snow White. Sleeping Beauty. These are just a few of the most popular Disney characters who have captured the hearts of generations of little girls around the world.
If you, too, grew up admiring the princesses and wishing you could find a prince of your own, by now you probably know that marrying royalty is pretty unlikely these days. But you can feel still like a princess, at least on your wedding day, thanks to a Disney line of princess-inspired wedding gowns created by designer Kirstie Kelly, who is known for her elegant couture bridal and eveningwear.
Happily Ever After
If you’re dreaming of your happily ever after, wearing a Disney princess-inspired gown from the Kirstie Kelly for Disney Fairy Tale Weddings is one way to get off to on the right foot when you exchange wedding vows. While none of them come with a glass slipper or horse-pulled coach, most of them do feature sleek, modern lines that are accented with just the right touch of romantic details.
The Wedding Business
You probably know that the Disney name has long been a major player in the wedding industry. In fact, Disney weddings seem to appeal to the inner child of many adults. If you fall into this group, what better way to complete the fantasy than wearing a gown inspired by your favorite animated Disney princess.
What makes these wedding dresses truly unique is that they don’t strive to create the same silhouette as the gowns worn by the princesses they represent, instead they attempt to capture the personality and feel of each namesake, and to translate this into very wearable elegance. At least that’s how they’re described in Disney’s marketing efforts. The result is more restrained lines without all of the frills and poufs you might expect.
Made to Fit All
It’s also interesting to note that while the Disney princesses themselves are traditionally slim, the Disney wedding dresses are actually designed to accommodate women of all body shapes and sizes. In fact, in addition to the Disney Fairy Tale Wedding dress regular size line, there’s also the Red Label Collection of plus sizes, which is said to flatter the female body and make it possible for full figured women to get the same type of glamour as their thinner counterparts. Since style options have traditionally been very limited for larger sizes, this expands the options.
Approach
If you’re not familiar with Kirstie Kelly, the Fairy Tale Wedding dress designer, you may wonder who she is and what she brings to these gowns. In fact, Kelly is known for designing gowns for celebrities for weddings and other special occasions. Now she draws on that experience to capture the heart of each of the Disney princesses. She reports that to achieve this goal, she actually immersed herself in all of the popular princess movies to understand the essence of each character, then translated that piece into the modern sensibility of an adult woman to create gowns that are fashion forward and on trend for today’s bridal styles.
Princesses
Of course you’ve probably never thought through the unique personality traits of each of your favorite princesses, but apparently the Disney wedding gown collection has identified the characters’ specific traits and carried that through into distinct style preferences. Here’s an overview of how the Disney line describes a few of the princesses:
- Belle: sophisticated with a European flair
- Snow White: sweet and demure
- Jasmine: bohemian
- Ariel: sultry and alluring
- Cinderella: classic glamour
- Sleeping Beauty: lovely and romantic
To give an example of how these descriptions translate into style decisions, the Ariel gown is a fishtail shape with sleek lines and elegant detailing, while the Snow White gown is made of silk organza with handmade flowers and pearl detailing.
In addition, two of the latest dresses in the line are based on the recent movies, Enchanted and the Princess and the Frog. In the first instance, Giselle’s gown is a study of hand-made leaves and natural elements captured in modern simplicity, while the gown based on Princess Tatiana incorporates a silk chiffon bodice with rouched detailing, full skirt and a waterfall train.
Extras
For die-hard Disney fans, the princess wedding gowns are the icing on the cake (no pun intended) for the perfect Disney theme wedding. Further, for brides and grooms who want it all and more, Disney also offers coordinating accessories to complement the goals. There are now Maiden gowns for bridesmaids, Blossoms collection dresses for flower girls, a line called Jewels that provides bridal jewelry and veils, and even high-quality engagement and wedding rings also based on the princesses.
Critics
Of course not every woman wants to dress up like a fairy tale character to exchange vows. So while the popularity of the Disney Fairy Tale Wedding gowns does speak to the little girl trapped inside many brides, there are also many women who wouldn’t wear a Disney gown if her life depended on it. This means that these gowns appeal to only a certain niche of romantic brides who aren’t afraid to make choices based on their inner child. If you fall into this distinctive group, though, the Kelly gowns offer a tasteful variation of fantasy without being too fussy or overworked.
Where to Shop
You can browse the collection of dresses at Disney Bridal or through Kirstie Kellys own website. You can also find these dresses at a variety of local bridal boutiques and specialty stores. To find a list of retailers in your area who carry some or all of the Disney wedding lines, visit the Disney Bridal website.
What It Costs
If you wonder what a Disney princess gown will cost you, you should know that they don’t come cheap. The simplest gowns start at $1,100, while the more ornate gowns can be as high as $3,500. You can also find many gowns somewhere in between these two extremes. For instance, one of the most popular options is one of the early Princess Jasmine dresses, which sells for under $2,500 and features elegant layers of draped chiffon.
While this is somewhat of an investment for many brides, it’s certainly in keeping with other high-end bridal designs and in fact, is less expensive than most of the highly-popular Vera Wang and Panina Tornay gowns.
Further, if you take the Disney name out of the equation, what the bride who invests in a Kelly gown is getting is a well-cut designer gown in high-quality fabrics like organza, chantilly, chiffon, satins and tulle are accented with stunning embellishments, including lace, ribbons, crystals, pearls and gorgeous embroidered beading, which can help account for the cost.
So you can expect to spend between $1,100 and $3,500 for a Disney-inspired princess wedding gown.
Justifying the Expense
Further, if you have your heart set on an extravagant Disney wedding but can’t swing the high price tag (the most modest Disney weddings start at $3,500 with the average price in the $20,000 range), then wearing a princess-inspired wedding gown is an easy way to infuse some Disney magic into whatever type of wedding you plan.
Princess-Inspired Rings
In addition, if you want to continue feeling like a princess throughout your marriage, then you may consider splurging on the Disney wedding ring collection. The princess-inspired engagement rings cost from $3,280 to $5,150, while the price ranges from $1,820 to $6,160 for the bands.