There was certainly a time when a bride who was not wearing the expected white floor length wedding gown was stared at not with wonder or admiration, but by guests who were appalled that she could break away from tradition so easily. We are much luckier these days because many brides exercise their freedom to wear what they want to wear, not what others expect of them. They show their own uniqueness and their independent natures which makes them happier, more radiant brides than ever before.

Thankfully today brides wear all types of bridal dresses. Gothic bridal dresses are just one unique type of gown you will see at a modern wedding. Today brides wear short wedding dress, coloured wedding dresses or white wedding dress with color, informal wedding gowns, and beach wedding dresses, Celtic, medieval, pagan or other wedding gowns to celebrate heritage or religious choices and freedoms.

So what does a gothic bridal gown mean exactly? Well, even though certain images may come to mind it all depends on who is thinking about it really. There's no one gothic design that all brides who choose to go a little (or a lot) gothic in their ceremony choose over every other design and idea out there. What gothic bridal dress the bride chooses is really up to her idea of what she wants to look like on her special day. Many brides choose to wear darker colored gowns like deep reds, purples, blues and greens. It really helps if they gowns have intricate design features, like decorative beading, and a corset top looks especially nice.

Of course there are brides who want a more gothic feel to their ceremony but don't want to stray from white and like colors. There are many gothic wedding dresses which are white; they're just of a specific style. For instance Celtic and medieval dresses are most certainly gothic in nature. They tend to be stark white or ivory, but the style screams gothic beauty. They will use design elements like tie corsets, long billowing sleeves and floor length clothes.

Many brides who choose to consider outside the box for their gown also do so for the rest of their ceremony and reception. If you select a gothic bridal dress you might want to carry that theme during the entire rest of the day. Many brides who choose a gothic theme also integrate the Celtic or medieval aspects into their ceremony and reception. A good way to do this is to get married in a castle like setting (or to decorate it so it appears to be one). Be imaginative in how you want to accomplish this, but a castle screams medieval wedding along with a fairytale wedding. What woman does not desire to be part of a romantic fairytale?