Wanting to uphold Vietnamese traditions in the United States can be a challenging feat, let alone wanting to uphold Vietnamese wedding traditions. One of the first things you should consider when planning a Vietnamese or Vietnamese-fusion wedding in the US is what your áo dài will look like. Some brides opt for áo dài during their tea ceremony, while others wear áo dài during their wedding reception. Whichever you choose, here are some stores in the US to choose from.
Áo dài is Vietnamese traditional clothing. Typically worn by women, it is an outfit comprised of a long-sleeve tunic with ankle-length panels at the front and back that is worn over trousers. Áo dài is typically worn on special occasions (like Lunar New Year and weddings), but in Vietnam, is commonly worn by school girls as well.
Cưới just means wedding in Vietnamese, so áo dài cưới translates to wedding áo dài.
While red and gold are the most popular colors for Vietnamese bridal áo dài, as a tea ceremony and wedding photographer, I’ve seen a new wave of brides sporting different colors, like cream, green, pink, and blue.
When I was planning our wedding, I was both overwhelmed with style options and underwhelmed with the lack of designers stateside at the same time. It felt like the styles of áo dài in the US were dated compared to the more modern looks in Vietnam.
A lot of Vietnamese immigrants in the US are congregated in three key areas: California, Texas, and Washington. Thus, most of the áo dài designers are there too. If you happen to live in any of these areas, you’re in luck, and maybe wouldn’t be reading this blog post. But, since you are, I take it you are having a hard time like I was.
Don’t fret! I wrote this blog post in hopes of helping another fellow bride find her dream áo dài. I will cover bespoke, custom designs, as well as premade áo dài options.
Áo Dài Options for Brides in the US BY STATE
The stores below all offer shipping within the US. If you are outside of the US, you will need to check with the individual store to see if they ship internationally. The stores marked with an asterick (*) are the stores I personally ordered from for our wedding.
- Ao Dai Thuy Anh* (Danville)
- East Meets Dress
- Thanh Thuy Ao Dai (Westerminister)
- Thai Nguyen Atalier (Orange County, CA)
- Petite Bridal BMT Collections* (Houston)
- Doan ByNs (Richmond)
- Ao Dai Em Kim (Grand Prairie)
- Mark & Vy Ao Dai
Petites & Bridal BMT Collections
LOCATION: Houston, TX
STOREFRONT?. Yes
CUSTOM? Multiple sizes offered ready made in set styles.
This store is near and dear to my heart, as this is where we purchased our bridesmaids áo dài and khan dong for our tea ceremony! I stumbled upon this store while browsing inside of Hong Kong City Mall. It was one of the last ones, located near the food court. It’s quaint, but the store attendees are quire hands-on and helpful. The store is bursting with different colors of áo dài for. They have Vietnamese sizing ranging from S-8XL for brides, grooms, bridesmaids, and mothers alike. You are also able to customize pant color with áo dài purchase here. There are many styles of khan dong to choose from too.
Premade bridal styles in various sizes starting at: $150+
We sell bridal Áo Dài and dresses starting at $99 and up. Bán Áo dài và áo đầm cô dâu có giá từ $99 trở lên. We have…
Posted by Petites & Bridal BMT Collections on Thursday, May 2, 2024
Doan ByNs (@doanbyns)
STOREFRONT? Yes
CUSTOM? Yes
DOAN by Ns specializes in áo dài design and alterations in the Houston area. Their designs are classic, often with beading, lace applique, and the classic mandarin collar. The designer frequently creates bespoke dresses for his brides who want a variety of color, ranging from dark green, hot pink, white, to even blue.
Custom áo dài options starting at: $500+
Mark&Vy Ao Dai
STOREFRONT? No
CUSTOM? No, but made to order based on measurements
Premade designs that are customizable to your size. Mark&Vy uses brocade, taffeta, and silk fabrics as a base for their hand painted and beaded designs. There are many different áo dài options on their Etsy page for brides, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, groom, and guests.
Premade styles at customizable sizes starting at: $170+
East Meets Dress
STOREFRONT? No
CUSTOM? Semi / made to order based on measurements
East Meets Dress was started by a fellow bride who was frustrated at the lack of options in the market for Southeast Asian wedding dresses. Today, they offer modern renditions of Vietnamese áo dài, Chinese cheongsam, and more. I do not believe their designs can be entirely customized, but they do offer customizable options for base color and embroidery color for áo dài, like their Lana design. If you aren’t married to (ha ha, pun intended) a traditional áo dài design, perhaps their Constance gown, a red and gold low-back gown with a mandolin collar will suit your fancy. Their designs are made to order and custom made to your measurements.
Semi-customizable designs made to order starting at: $470+
Ao Dai Em Kim
STOREFRONT? No
CUSTOM? No, but made to order based on measurements
Ao Dai Em Kim is a storefront that sells many different options for áo dài. What makes this store unique from the others is that it sells matching áo dài sets for the bride and groom. The red, blue, and white designs feature more modern beadwork that showcase the double happiness symbol, phoenix, and cherry blossoms. All áo dài are made to order and made based on the measurements of the buyer.
Premade styles at customizable sizes starting at: $450+ per bride and groom set
Ao Dai Thuy Anh
STOREFRONT? No
CUSTOM? Multiple sizes offered ready made in set styles.
This is another one-stop shop for tae ceremonies, as Ao Dai Thuy Anh sells áo dài for brides, grooms, wedding parties, parents, and guests. Another one of my tried-and-true stores! Ao Dai Thuy Anh is very reputable, as seen from its 17k+ sales on Etsy alone. The owner operates out of the Bay Area in California, and sells on Etsy, Ebay, and Facebook. Our groomsmen wore one of their male áo dài designs for our tea ceremony. The áo dài were purchased through the Ebay store.
I ordered a red and gold khan dong (shown above) from this seller. The piece is organized by head size online (measured by circumference of your head). Shipping is quite fast; the seller ships USPS priority, so items arrive in about four days.
Premade styles at various sizes starting at: $90
Áo Dài CHỊ DẬU
STOREFRONT? No
CUSTOM? No, but made to order based on measurements
This website proves you don’t have to sacrifice beautiful designs for lower cost! Áo Dài CHỊ DẬU is an affordable online storefront that’s a one-stop shop for all things áo dài! If you are planning a tea ceremony and want your wedding party in áo dài, this website is great resource for planning. There are áo dài options for bridesmaids, groomsmen, bride, and groom, with matching khan dong too. Like the other áo dài options, there are premade designs that you can choose from that are custom made to your size. There are a couple matching sets to browse as well.
Premade styles at customizable sizes starting at: $100+
Thanh Thuy Ao Dai
LOCATION: Westminster, CA
STOREFRONT? Yes
CUSTOM? Yes
This is an OG store located near Phước Lộc Thọ (Asian Garden Mall) in Westminister, CA. They provide a lot of custom options to buy, as well as ready-made áo dài available to rent for those wanting to go that route. Depending on the style, the turnaround time can be as quick as two weeks. No website, but lots of reviews on Yelp. Thuy frequently communicates with brides through text and phone call.
Custom áo dài options starting at: $500+
Thai Nguyen Atalier
LOCATION: Orange County, CA
STOREFRONT? Yes
CUSTOM? Yes
Thai is the mastermind behind many celebrity red carpet áo dài styles, such as actress Kelly Marie Tran and singer Thuy. Thai is FIDM trained, and takes pride in his gowns, seeing them as a work of art. He has ready-to-buy couture designs for sale on his website as well. Thai’s designs are high fashion adjacent and perfect for the avant-garde bride.
Custom áo dài pricing: starting at $1,600 (zoom-only meetings) / $2,600 (in-person meetings)
This list is ever changing! I am frequently adding more and more websites. Bookmark and come back to it later when you’re ready to make a purchasing decision, or share with a friend who is looking for áo dài for their tea ceremony or wedding.
Did you find this blogpost helpful? Should I write more? Is there a store you think I should include? Let me know in the comments down below!
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