A cape wedding gown is two looks in one. The cape carries the drama down the aisle, a sweeping train or feathers or beadwork doing the work, and then comes off for dinner and leaves the dress underneath to be the reception dress. Full capes that change the whole silhouette, capelets that sit at the shoulder and read as a detail, a cape scarf that can be worn more than one way. The robes are a different pleasure altogether: silk and Chantilly lace for the getting-ready photographs, which is what you want in them rather than a hotel dressing gown.
Some are hand made to order by the designer and some are ready to wear, so there is something here whether your date is next spring or next month. Nothing tells you more than a cape laid over your own gown, which we can do in Santa Monica or show you on a live virtual fitting. For the rest of the morning see bridal intimates, and for the alternative, veils.
Bridal capes and robes, answered
Is a bridal cape an alternative to a veil?
It can be, and for a non-traditional bride it often is. A cape gives you the long line and the movement a veil gives you with nothing over your face and nothing pinned to your hair, which suits an outdoor ceremony and a windy one especially. You can wear both, though one strong piece usually photographs better than two.
When do I take the cape off?
After the ceremony and the photographs, before dinner. That is the appeal: the gown underneath becomes the reception dress, so the look changes without the outfit changing. A cape over a simple gown and then a second look dress later gives you three distinct looks in one day.
What is the difference between a cape and a capelet?
Length, and how much it changes. A capelet sits at the shoulder or just below and reads as a detail, which is the easier choice over a fitted gown. A full cape falls to the floor or trails past it, and that is the one that alters the silhouette entirely. A cape scarf sits between the two.
What should I wear to get ready in?
Something with sleeves you can get your arms out of, in a colour that photographs. A silk or lace robe does both and keeps hair and makeup well away from the dress, which is the practical reason it exists and the reason it ends up in half the morning photographs. Buy a size up if you plan to wear it over anything.
Can I try on bridal capes in Los Angeles?
Yes, by appointment, and a cape is the piece most worth seeing over your own gown at 145 Bay St in Santa Monica, because a full cape changes the proportions of everything underneath it and a capelet barely changes them at all. No photograph will show you that. Book a private fitting, or read our guide to bridal capes.