When you are planning your wedding, one of the biggest decisions you will make as a bride is what wedding dress you will choose. There are two main choices before you pick your final gown and this is whether you are going to buy off the rack or have a dress custom made for yourself. Many brides are choosing to have their dress made for them so that they know it is unique to them as well as to sometimes save money. After deciding to have a dress made the next decisions need to be what style your gown will be and what Bridal Fabrics to use to create the dress. In recent years we have seen many brides opting for matte fabrics rather than shiny materials as these can often give a more expensive look and feel to your wedding gown. There are a number of different Bridal Fabrics with a matte finish available at Calico Laine which would be ideal for wedding gown fashion. Crepe : Crepe is starting to become more popular for wedding dresses and is a beautiful weight for a winter ceremony as it is heavier in weight than more traditional Bridal Fabrics making it slightly warmer to wear. At Calico Laine we stock a beautiful winter white crepe which is an 'off-white' shade. This shade would give any bride a softer look to her wedding gown compared to a bright white and this is often preferable to the modern day bride. Microfibre : Not traditionally seen as a Bridal Fabric, microfibre is a perfect material for a matte finish wedding gown. Microfibre has a 'peachskin' finish making it soft and comfortable to wear and does not have any type of sheen or shine to it. It drapes beautifully so is ideal for a full length gown as it will give the skirt a lot of movement which will look particularly elegant and stunning when walking down the aisle or during the first dance. Microfibre is also crease resistant which is a big plus on your wedding day as you can be assured that it will stay looking good all day. Satin Back Dupion : Although satin back dupion is usually thought of as a shiny fabric, it is a reversible fabric and therefore can be used on either side which includes a matte finish side. Satin back dupion has 'slubs' in the fabric which give it a texture to imitate that of 100% silk dupion. This fabric can be used to create the look of a pure silk gown with a fraction of the cost.