Vera Wang bridal

>> After last season's all-black collection, Vera Wang is doing monochrome again — but this time, it's all about the red. Or, as the collection's title, "Mei Meng" — Chinese for "beautiful dreams" — suggests, perhaps it's all about the Chinese market. The brand plans on entering Asia this year, and bridal is the first push. "Vera is most known for her bridal," president Mario Grauso explained to WWD recently. "So we feel it is safest and easiest for us to lead with bridal." With red the traditional wedding color in China — it symbolizes prosperity, love, and joy — it makes sense then that these 15 Spring 2013 bridal dresses would come in so many shades of the hue. Brides-to-be in North America, however, do not fear; Wang will offer each gorgeous gown in ivory shades as well.

>> Vera Wang, who debuted 15 wedding gowns during her bridal show last week, nine of which were black — causing quite a stir — suggested that after a year of major white weddings, she was ready for something new.

“I found black to be fresh and tongue in cheek,” Wang said. “With all the big weddings that happened this year, it was fun to step out of the box.”

Wang has experimented with purple, pale green, and neutrals in past bridal collections, but wanted to explore ways for black to read "wedding day": “I did take it to a witchy kind of place. For me, it helped build a sense of mystery that I was hungry for. And it added this sensuality and sexuality, and a little bit of severity, too.”

Even if you aren't the romantic type when it comes to wedding gowns, chances are you've swooned at the sight of a Vera Wang gown. They are impossibly beautiful, and for many, impossibly expensive. If you are one of the many, you are seriously in luck. On Feb. 11, Vera Wang and David's Bridal will launch White, a collection of Vera-designed dresses that range from $600-$1,400. We got to see the dresses up close and personal today, and what struck us was the quality and detail. Everything we love about Vera Wang is in these dresses! Check out the collection here, but be prepared to get butterflies.