I’ve heard friends who have gotten married before me complain about how hard it is to find a modest, “altar-appropriate” wedding dress that’s still flattering and stylish. Now that I’m engaged to be married and have casually started browsing wedding dresses, I’ve found this to be true for myself. The overwhelming majority of dresses out there just miss the mark on modesty.

I’ve also had trouble with bridesmaid dresses. When I was preparing for my sister’s wedding last fall (I was her maid of honor), I tried on what seemed like tons of dresses before finding something I felt reasonably comfortable in that was still reasonably cute.

My dressing rooms rants went something like this: “I’m not wearing this—it’s too low in the front…Next!…OK I am NOT wearing this—my entire back shows….Next!…Ugh, I’m not even going to bother trying that one on.” And so on. I finally asked the sales person if they had anything modest. She looked at me like I was nuts and basically asked me if I just wasn’t comfortable with my body (or something to that extent).

It’s sad that so many people lack an understanding of the holy sacrament of marriage. Regardless of whether or not one is standing on God’s altar taking vows, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, made in the image and likeness of God. Our dress should always reflect that.

Many people often (mistakenly) liken modesty to frumpiness, and that’s simply not the case—modesty is a reflection of our true femininity. (If you’d like to read more about this, I would suggest Blessed John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter, “On the Dignity and Vocation of Women.”)

In my quest for a modest dress, I recently Googled “modest wedding dresses,” and the first site that popped up was one from the Mormons called “Latter Day Bride.” I was pleased to see these links (to name a few): modest wedding dresses, modest prom dresses, modest bridesmaid dresses, and modest clothing. I love how they use the word “modest” and they have an entire site dedicated to helping women respect the dignity of their bodies. AND, the majority of these dresses are really cute!

Modest and beautiful!

Tasteful bridesmaid dress

It would be great if Catholics had a wedding site like this. Maybe there is one that I’m missing. Until then, I am grateful to our Mormon brothers and sisters!

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Pictures from Latter Day Bride website

Lindsey Simmons

Lindsey Simmons is the publicity, social and digital media manager at Franciscan Media. She is a parishioner at St. Gertrude Parish and she occasionally attends the traditional Latin Mass. An animal lover, she has a dog and cat.