Style for the Aisle by Keren_Alderson

Charmeuse. Organza. Duchesse Satin. Just as you probably learned everything there is to know about diamonds when you bought your engagement ring, you're more than likely to become more acquainted than you'd like with the different materials wedding gowns are made from. Fret not however. I've put together this guide for you to help you down the road a little (and to help you nod off at night: it's hard work making a fabric guide exciting, so I apologise in advance).

Brocade: Generally richly decorated, brocade is a heavy woven fabric. Which makes it a popular cooler weather fabric.

Charmeuse: Light and delicate, charmeuse is shiny on one side and dull on the other. Generally made either with silk or polyester.

Chiffon: Chiffon is often used in multiple layers as an over-skirt. Slightly stretchy, and rough feeling, yet lightweight.

Crape/Georgette: Soft, light and thin, crape is often used as scarves. It has a slightly crinkly appearance.

Dress by MiaMia at The White Gallery

Damask: Richly decorated in a similar fashion to brocade, damask is a reversible lighter weight fabric, so not restricted to cooler weather gowns.

Duchesse Satin: Generally made by combining silk and polyester, Duchess Satin is shiny, heavy, and luxurious, and drapes beautifully.

Dupioni Silk: A silk that is characterised by a rubbed texture with but with irregular, thicker, coarser fibers, and a lovely sheen.

Hemp Silk: Made by combining hemp and ethically sourced silk, hemp silk is a new fabric for ethically minded brides.

Jersey: A very stretchy fabric, jersey is the stuff that t-shirts are made from. Jersey wedding dresses tend to be clingy and unforgiving, but move beautifully.

Organza: Similar to chiffon though stiffer but still flowing, organza is often used for skirts, sleeves, and overlays.

Polyester: Polyester is a generic name for any man-made fiber that's woven into just about anything. It's generally the cheapest fabric available.

Rayon: A seriously versatile fabric, rayon can be made to imitate the look and feel of cotton, linen, silk and wool. It's often seen in its silk form on wedding dresses, but cheaper and stretchier than silk.

Satin: Very common in bridal gowns, satin is heavy, deliciously smooth fabric, with a high sheen on one side.
Dress by Alan Hannah at The White Gallery

Silk: Ahhh, silk. It doesn't really need explaining, but as we all know, silk is easily the most sought-after, expensive fabric for wedding dresses. Silk is considered unethical by people who object to the manner in which it is made – around 2400 silk-worms are required to make 450g of silk. The silkworms make their cocoons from silk, and when they go to pupate, are boiled alive to stop them breaking the cocoon.

Shantung Silk: Similar to Dupioni silk, Shantung has a beautifully rubbed texture.

Taffeta: Crisp and smooth, taffeta can be made from silk or synthetic fibres.  And it rustles as you walk. Which can be nice, or noisy for those with acute hearing.

Tulle: Normally used for skirts or veils, tulle is used for ballerina tutus.

Velvet: You'd have to be living under an unfurnished rock to not be familiar with velvet, but for those rock-dwellers amongst us, velvet is a soft, thick fabric with a lovely, plush, felted top and plain underside.  Definitely a material for the winter.

If you're marrying in warmer weather, you're better off sticking with non-synthetic materials to allow for cooling off.