WTF Even Is an Anti-Bride?

You’ve seen it. The TikToks, the Pinterest boards, the articles talking ~anti—bride~ this and that. And you might be wondering: What does that even mean? Because last time we checked, a bride is still a bride, even if she’s wearing black or skipping the bouquet toss.

Let’s break it down.

The Myth of the Anti-Bride

The term anti-bride is supposed to signal rebellion—someone rejecting the so-called wedding industrial complex, throwing out the rulebook, and doing things their own way. Cool, right? We love a wedding that actually reflects the people getting married.

But here’s the thing: when every wedding magazine is pushing the “anti-bride aesthetic,” when bridal brands are literally launching anti-bride collections, and when wedding planners (who…are still planning weddings) are branding themselves as anti-wedding planners, we have to ask—how is this actually anti anything?

If you’re still having a wedding, still hiring vendors, still picking out a dress, still making a seating chart—congratulations, you’re just…a bride. And that’s okay!

Edgy, But Make It Marketable

The anti-bride aesthetic is often just a rebrand of existing wedding choices, wrapped up in a cooler, edgier package. Wearing a pantsuit instead of a gown? That’s just a stylish choice, not a radical act. Eloping instead of throwing a 200-person event? That’s been happening for literally centuries. Serving pizza instead of filet mignon? Iconic, but not exactly breaking new ground.

Somehow, the wedding industry has managed to turn not following tradition into its own kind of tradition. Instead of selling you a fluffy white dress, they’re selling you an alt, non-traditional, minimalist, cool-girl version of the same thing.

You Don’t Need a Label for Doing Whatever You Want

The best weddings—the ones that actually feel special, personal, and joyful—are the ones where the couple just does whatever makes sense for them. No need to slap a label on it.

Skipping the wedding party? Great. Wearing something thrifted? Love that. Doing a courthouse wedding with five friends? Hell yes. None of that requires a hashtag or a new identity. It just requires deciding what matters to you and doing it.

So, if you’re engaged and feel like you’re supposed to be one thing or another—a classic bride, an anti-bride, a bridechilla (yeah, that’s a thing people say)—here’s your permission to ignore all of it. Because the real move is just being yourself and getting married in a way that feels right for you.

No branding required.