Top 5 Stunning French Wedding Dress Designers

On my first visit to Paris, I found the women fascinating.  Cliche?  Probably.  But it's true – French women generally have an understated, effortless style about them that is just so right.  And trying to emulate it is difficult, so I instead embraced the tourist look; walking shoes, sun hat and camera slung about my neck.  Classy, me.

The same cool, clean elegance in a French woman's every day wardrobe can be found in their top wedding dress designers.  Often boho, always modern, usually understated.  Structure seems to be thrown out of the window, leaving me wondering if their dresses would look any good on anybody larger than slim.  After all, that's what structure and corsets are for – pulling all your bits and pieces into the right places.   I've been sifting through French designers and picking out my top 10 favourites.  So in no particular order, here they are:

1. Cymbeline

A list of French designers wouldn't be complete without France's most successful design house, Cymbeline.  You can buy Cymbeline all over the world, and its success is likely down to doing classic yet beautifully designed gowns that incorporate both modern styles with more traditional.

2. Stephanie Wolff

Ah, Stephanie Wolff.  Soft, pretty, feminine gowns that manage to be understated yet glorious in one fell swoop.

3. Missy Dress

If you're looking for a killer combination of sexy yet cool, Missy Dress may well be the designer you're after.  Lots of laser cut lace, separates, and loose flowing garments that ooze rock chick charm.

4. Delphine Manivet

Delphine Manivet encapsulates everything about great French wedding gown designers.  Endlessly tasteful, beautifully made, with an element of rock chick that screams coolness (in a good way).

5. Fabienne Alagama

Ah, love at first sight.  Fabienne Alagama mixes clean, immaculate design with a touch of French edge, and 'gasp', some structure! Wonders will never cease.  Her gowns remind me just a little of Jesus Peiro.