Barcelona Bridal Week celebrated their 20th year of the event last week and yet again the 2010 event did not disappoint.

The exhibition had everything from Wedding Planners to photographers, floral design to wedding cakes but of course the highlight of every bridal week is the new bridal collections.

The event plays host to some of the top names in Spanish bridal designers including Pronovias, Rosa Clara, Pepe Botello, Franc Sarabia and Raimon Bundo.

Rosa Clara showcased her Spring 2011 collection by using American actress Mischa Barton to model one of her gowns.

Pronovias showed why they are one of the leading names in bridal design with their new collection displaying their trademark lace and ruffle gowns but with their Fashion Collection they have taken inspiration from the latest fashion trends and I adore their Grecian style dress.

Raimon Bundo’s collection has an extremely floaty, feminine feel to it, although I can’t image many brides teaming one of his gowns with the same head dresses as seen on his models!

And the same woodland themed head dresses seem to overshadow some of the (rather) plain Victorio and Lucchino gowns which were on display. It will be interesting to see how the high street interprets the tree on your head look!

The Pepe Botello collection remembers the companies key design feature of the feminine as the essence of each gown, while the Franc Sarabia collection shows Spanish lace at it’s best.

As always Barcelona Bridal Week promised so much and delivered.

The runway was on fire with glamour in Spain recently with a fashion fiesta of everyone from Rosa Clará to Jesús Peiró.

While traditional strapless wedding dresses made their rounds, flowing white wedding gowns were also all the rage with a few gold stunners in the mix. Floral applique, feathers and ruffles were a big hit as well as jewel tones and pops of unexpected color like the reds and purples seen in Patricia Avendaño’s line.

Check out what made my top three in this season’s big bridal extravaganza!

Rosa Clará: Gorgeous material draped in body slimming gowns graced the runway of designer Rosa Clará. Modern elegance from head to toe in both ball gowns with a floral motif to graceful silhouettes to Grecian styles made me weep with delight. I think all would beautifully compliment the bride who fancies a little something out of the ordinary on her special day.

My favorite in the line is this simply stunning textured strapless gown. A nod to a modern day mermaid and flattering for hourglass figures and modern brides.

Jesús del Pozo: Ruffles made their appearance in Jesús del Pozo’s line and so did silk and draping.

The result? Timeless, romantic pieces that is sure to induce awe by everyone who sees them.  Although it was hard to choose, I finally decided on this gold tinged number perfect for the maid of honor, the bridesmaid or even the bride.

Model Novias: Bright, bold color peppered the dresses of Model Novias. Jewel tones have seen their day in recent fashion trends and now are taking stage with this line of ravishing reds, vibrant violets and bold blues.

I love the lime green of this outfit, with its structured lines, versatile jacket and gorgeous pattern.  Great for Mother of the Bride.

Images © Rafael Arocha, Tommy Pelluz,  via Vogue España

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Jesus Peiro aim to create contemporary designs that encompass current trends in bridal fashion. His 2010 collection is no exception. It has successfully embraced the fashion for vintage Hollywood style to create fascinating hybrid of contemporary/ vintage wedding gowns that are perfect for today’s fashion conscious bride.

Jesus Peiro wedding gowns have the simple elegance of 19th and 20th Century fashion, yet feature oversized bows, bold collars and statement sleeves. These dresses are not for the shy bride- the statement features create drama whilst maintaining the trademark elegance. Think Ginger Rogers in 2009 Vogue.

This dress captures all the modern simplicity of sophisticated fashion with a twist. The asymetrical collar hints at 1930′s ballgowns, with the large scale bringing it whizzing forwards into the 21st Century. This dress needs no accessories- the collar speaks for itself. Suited to show off the slim bride’s graceful figure, this dress is perfect for the bride who wants drama whilst regaining simplicity.

Lace is a wonderful touch for the princess bride. This dress is reminiscent of a young Queen Victoria- the perfect dress for brides who want all eyes on them. The bodice holds in the waist and stomach to create a flattering smooth line, whilst the skirt floats elegantly behind. Covering the bodice is beautiful lace, which forms dainty off the shoulder sleeves and an elegant bow at the waist. This regal dress shows how a bride can make a dramatic statement yet still retain an ultra-feminine look.

The revival of the mid-20th Century in bridal fashion makes this 1950′s tinted dress ideal for the fashion-savvy bride. 1950′s fashion was all about creating curves, and this dress certainly achieves that. The sash and bow nip in the waist to create an hourglass silhouette. The tiered skirt is reminiscent of ultra-feminine prom gowns, yet more subtle to flatter the hips. Support is given from the elegant sleeves and neckline, which still gives the impression of the fashionable strapless style. An ethereal dress to create a perfect Monroe figure.

Images © Tomy Pelluz, via Vogue Novias España

Dense laces and tulle stole the runway during the Pronovias 2010 collection at a Spanish Bridal show recently. I noticed Pronovias featured a few wedding dresses with the trumpet style skirt in this particular collection, and added uniqueness by altering the styles with the Spanish style embroidery and lace that they’re known for.

A number of the dresses also featured dropped asymmetrical waistlines – a feature that’s flattering and slimming on just about every body type and showing up more and more in bridal fashions lately.

A few of the sheath style dresses featured in the collection were seen with layers of lace creating a tiered look – a look that seems to be showing up all over the fashion scene lately. This tiered style not only made it into the conventional gowns and sheath dresses, but also into the shorter wedding dresses created for the bride who wants to be untraditional and the life of the party by wearing an unconventional wedding dress.

A few of the dresses in this new collection that particularly jumped out at me were:

This dress seems to have classic beauty written all over it. It’s simple, elegant and has the lovely Spanish style embroidery along the bottom and the straps giving it a unique touch.

The way the tiered look is done is amazing combined with the mermaid style skirt, and this wedding dress has a certain elegance written all over it. I’m not big on lace or embroidery but this gown jumped out at me, likely because of the use of Spanish lace. It looked classic without looking too boring or doiley like which I often find to be the case with many lace dresses.

This gown to me screams elegant, black-tie style ball. The skirt of the dress with the pickups and the asymmetrical waistline look couture without looking overdone. I’m big on simplicity and this gown, to me, has what I call “simple elegance” but with a unique twist. It’s a gown I’d love to wear if I were having a huge, over the top, black tie wedding gala.

Images courtesy of Pronovias, via Vogue Novias España

Barcelona Bridal Week is one of the highlights of the European fashion calendar, and one of the largest features for the wedding industry in the world. Top designers such a Pronovias, Amanda Wakely, and Christian Lacroix show off their latest collections, while new raw talent has the opportunity to introduce fresh ideas to the world of wedding fashion.

Feminine was the key word for most designers this year, with light fabrics and delicate sillouettes trimmed with lots of girly lace, frills, and flowers. Spanish designers Jesus del Pózo and Rosa Clara were both heard saying that their goal was to compliment the female form and create designs that were elegant and sophisticated.

Many collections showed more than a nod to classicism, with greek and roman style gowns that are sure to set the trend for 2009 brides. This should make most brides happy, as the high waistlines, loose, flowing skirts, and gathered fabric that are the hallmarks of this era are pretty universally flattering.

Of course, it wouldn´t be a truly couture fashion show if all of models appeared polished, elegant and conventional, and if high-fashion high-jinx were somewhat absent from many of the designers’ simple dresses, it was spilling over in abundance when it came to headwear.

Large, wide-brimmed hats were on show, while over-the-top feather fascinators were all the rage, with Victorio and Luchiano offering a spectacular show of models with white painted faces, red lips, and clusters of huge, white feathers branching out from their hair.

De la Cierva y Nicolás even went so far as to incorporate feathers into one of their wedding gowns, with a suprising subtley. Why the model was also carrying a white teddybear, I’m not sure, but that’s one fashion trend I don’t see brides adopting for their trip down the aisle.

Swarovski and Pronovias paired up for a truly sparkling display of gowns (by Manuel Mota) jewellery and accessories, featuring elements from Swarovski’s Crystalized range of embellishments. There are even a pair of shoes encrusted with crytals for a bride who yearns for a Cinderella style shoe.

With all of this, it is no wonder that Barcelona calls itself the City of Brides.

More about Barcelona Bridal Week.

Loving:
Jesus Piero

I love the subtle glow of this ivory silk, and the modesty of the jacket. This style would be great for an older bride.

Hating:
Any and all stripey dresses!

Just for Fun:
No, I wouldn’t wear it down the aisle, but I love the whismsical extravagence of the layers of this dress.

All images barcelonabridalweek