Silk bridal robe for getting ready

The getting ready hour is the most photographed part of the day after the ceremony itself. Your photographer will shoot you in the chair, at the window, with your mother and while the dress comes off the hanger. Polyester satin, which is what most of the cheapest bridal robes are made of, has a hard, mirror-like shine that throws flash back at the lens and shows every crease from sitting. Mulberry silk has a lower, softer lustre that photographers call a glow, and it falls back into shape when you stand up.

Silk also breathes. The getting ready room is usually warm, full of people, steamers and hot tools, and silk stays cool against the skin where synthetic satin traps heat. That matters when you are wearing the robe for three or four hours with a full face of make-up.

Most brides need one robe for the morning. Choose by length, by how formal the day is and by what you want to wear it for afterwards.

The Mattina is the one we designed for the wedding morning. The lace sleeves are sheer enough to show your arms in photos and sit well clear of the wrists, so they stay out of the way while your nails are done. The Portofino is the dramatic choice: a floor length ivory robe moves like a second gown when you walk to the window, and it looks right in a villa, a historic hotel or a formal ballroom suite.

Put on your wedding lingerie before hair and make-up, then the robe over it. That way you only need to step into the dress at the end, without pulling anything over your head. The ivory Sposa lace set has a convertible low back bra for open backed gowns, and the Velo bridal garter set adds a keepsake leg garter. If you want the pieces to match through the evening, the long Perla silk negligee is cut from the same ivory silk for later. See all of it on the bridal lingerie page and the wedding night lingerie edit.

Robes come in two sizes. S/M fits US sizes 0 to 10 and L/XL fits 12 to 16, and both are cut with room in the shoulder so the robe sits open without slipping. If you are between sizes, take the larger one, because a slightly fuller robe looks more relaxed in photos. Orders ship express within the US in 2 to 4 business days and shipping is free from $150, so a robe alone ships free. We suggest ordering four to six weeks before the wedding, which leaves time to steam it, try it with your lingerie and use the one free size exchange in our Fit Promise if you need it. Silk care is simple, see how to care for silk.

A silk bridal robe is one of the most common gifts from a maid of honor or a mother of the bride, because it is used on the day and long after it. Every order arrives in a silk gift box inside a plain outer box, and you can add a handwritten note in the bag with no prices in the parcel. For more ideas, the lingerie gifts page and the honeymoon lingerie edit have pieces from $55.