Top Bridal Boutiques in Houston

By Devorah Isenberg , Wednesday, June 20, 2012 3:11 AM

The best part about getting married in Houston is probably Houston wedding planning. As befits a city of its size and importance, Houston bridal shops are among the best in the country—combining the big-city fashion and style sense with a distinctly Texan friendliness and unpretentiousness. Whether you are looking for the princess dress of your childhood dreams, or a simple country-chic ensemble for your farmhouse wedding, Houston’s bridal stores will outfit you to perfection.

- Misora - Located in the Sharpstown neighborhood, on the Sam Houston Parkway, Misora is a fantastic small bridal boutique with a very neighborly, friendly feel. Helpful, informative sales associates help each customer find the dress that is perfect for her—but fans on Yelp praise the staff for never being overly pushy or aggressive. The small store is beautifully appointed and stocked with a gorgeous selection of bridal gowns, most of them traditional styles and made of classic materials such as lace and satin. Prices are affordable, with many dresses in the $1,000 range, and Misora also boasts its own in-house hair and makeup team, making it one of the most accessible and convenient bridal boutiques in Houston.

- Ivory Bridal Atelier—An “atelier” is a studio where couture designers work on the high-end haute couture designs that are shown off on the runways and red carpets of the world. A visit to Ivory Bridal Atelier is your chance to step into that world and be a glamorous star, if only for your wedding day. Sisters and proprietors Ronit and Sharon Levy have imported the sophistication and elegance of a New York or Los Angeles bridal salon to the Houston area, creating one of the best bridal shops in Texas. Gowns by the likes of Badgley Mischka and Lazaro are elegantly displayed in the sleek, spare shop, and while not cheap—gowns start at $3,500—they are without doubt some of the most fashionable and well-constructed dresses available at any Houston bridal boutique. An Editor’s Pick from trusted wedding planning website The Knot, Ivory Bridal has been covered by nearly every media outlet in Houston—from the local news to the Houston Chronicle—and is easily the best bridal store in Texas for the fashion-obsessed bride.

- Winnie Couture—While there are several location of this mini-chain, and so it is not a Houston bridal boutique in the technical sense, Winnie Couture still offers many of the advantages of boutique shopping, such as personalized attention and customer service, in a boutique-style shopping environment. What is so unique about Winnie Couture is that unlike shops that stock standard dresses from a variety of designers, Winnie carries only the designs of its namesake, Winnie Chlomin. With several locations across the country, including one in Beverly Hills, it’s high time that Houston brides were able to try on the classically feminine and vintage-style dresses of Winnie Couture. Few other Houston wedding dresses can compare. 

- Houston Bridal Gallery—Few other bridal stores in Houston can truly claim to be one-stop shops the way Houston Bridal Gallery can. HBG (as fans call it) carries every single thing the bride needs to look perfect on her wedding day—from veil to shoes—as well as bridesmaids dresses, mother of the bride dresses, accessories for every member of the wedding party, and the widest variety of flower girl dresses of any Houston bridal store. The men in the wedding party are not forgotten either, with a respectable selection of tuxedos, suits and accessories.

- The Princess Bridal—It took a mother and daughter team to create one of the best bridal stores in Texas. Specializing in destination weddings, second weddings, and other non-traditional bridal styles, The Princess Bridal strives to make every bride feel like royalty, whether or not she wants the traditional princess-style dress. If a pouf skirt and a sparkly tiara are your biggest dream, they can help you with that, but if you are looking for something more casual, contemporary, or glamorous, you can find that too. And if you want a true Houston wedding dress—worthy of being worn with your best pair of cowboy boots---there is no better Houston bridal store to visit.