By Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell’s own admission, their brand Tanner Fletcher’s first bridal collection is “unconventional.” There’s a Hollywood Regency-esque robe that looks straight out of the wardrobe of Norma Desmond, alongside a billowing sheer top styled with jeans. (For brides or grooms, they explain.) Velvet tuxedos come in a variety of pastel shades, while veils are adorned with a Tanner Fletcher favorite: bows. Everything is vintage-inspired, like you rifled through the bridal trousseau of one of Truman Capote’s Swans—but then had a tailor bring them firmly into the present day.
Photo: Sara Bouwman
The idea was first sparked when Richie and Kasell had a number of brides and grooms call them up for custom commissions. They all had the same request: something, well, different. Sure, there are dozens of high-end bridal ateliers in New York. But most of them cater to traditional couples throwing weddings with guestlists running into the hundreds. What about those getting married at the courthouse and then having dinner at Balthazar? Or same-sex brides who want white suits rather than princess dresses? Or a fashion-loving couple who wants something cool and retro? “A lot of brides that are looking more for the vintage aesthetic, because you can’t really get it from traditional bridal stores,” says Richie.
Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell in their own tuxedo designs.
Photo: Sara Bouwman
The two also recognized the lack of options for queer couples. “I don’t know where you’d go. I was even thinking where we would go if we were getting married?” (Richie and Kassell are partners in both business and romance.) “We’d obviously make our own, but not everybody has that luxury.”
A standout piece from the collection is a tea gown printed with World War II-era love letters. (“You must know: Surely, you know it was all for you,” reads one, in cursive.) It’s a fashionable, and moving, interpretation of the adage: “Something old, something new.”
Photo: Lawrence de Leon
“We’re really trying to tap into the customer who wants something a little bit unconventional—but also still feels: it’s for your wedding,” says Richie.
That’s a customer base that’s only continuing to grow. The annual 2023 trend report from Pinterest—the motherboard of all bridal inspiration—saw the term “anti-bride” jump by 490 percent. Why? We live in an age where our social media feeds are a constant flood of other people’s weddings. (This writer recently saw the nuptials of a kindergarten classmate’s cousin on Instagram.)
But the one thing everyone wants to feel on their wedding day is special—and now, Tanner Fletcher are on hand to offer just that.
