They say a wedding dress is the most important piece of clothing a woman will ever wear. Well, where’s the beauty in that if the style you’ve chosen to walk down the aisle in is far too elegant for everyday settings? For an increasing number of brides, the styles they selected to tie the knot in aren’t floor-grazing or aisle-dragging. Instead, short wedding dresses offer something altogether quite contemporary and unconventional. Indeed, call this their ‘something new’ in the way they’ve bucked convention, but as more couples opt for ceremonies that cater to their own tastes rather than adhere to traditions, it’s unsurprising to see cropped hemlines come to the forefront.

This isn’t just a response to modernity, however. Whilst perpetual brat, Charli XCX, might’ve made the most prolific endorsement for short wedding dresses when she wore Vivienne Westwood’s Nova Cora off-shoulder mini, but it’s not just the Aperol Spritz-adoring pop star who has chosen the unexpected for their big day. In fact, short wedding dresses have a storied history of being worn by prolific women who weren’t afraid to blaze their own trail, whether that be Mia Farrow, Audrey Hepburn, Sharon Tate, Lily Allen or Cindy Crawford. The most famous short wedding dress, however, remains Yoko Ono, who wed John Lennon wearing a pleated thigh-baring dress at the British consulate office in Gibraltar.

These women weren’t dressing to meet expectations. They were dressing with intention, just for themselves,” explains Annelise Sealy, founder of London-based bridal boutique, The Fall. “Choosing a short dress signals that same mindset—fashion-forward, self-assured, and unafraid to stand apart.”