Galia Lahav’s Head Designer Shares The Secrets to Rocking A Sexy Wedding Dress

Without question, some of the most unforgettable dresses happening in bridal for the past several seasons have been designs from Galia Lahav. Famous for gowns featuring revealing details like plunging backs, expertly placed sheer panels and silhouettes that cling like a second skin to the body, a Galia dress is a dream for many fashion-forward brides who consider it a wedding must.

Sharon Server who is the head designer for Galia Lahav was recently in Toronto for an exclusive appearance event and trunk show at White, Toronto and brought with him the label’s latest 2019 Bridal Haute Couture collection. He has been with the label for over 20 years and during that time has evolved the collection and pioneered the sexy bridal looks it's renown for today. He shared the slinky dresses that feature in the lineup today were actually something the label was known for in Israel for years before it went global.

“Our look was already happening in Israel where we are based,” Server says. “We came up with a different look in bridal and it took us the better part of two decades to create and perfect the design methods of crafting these incredibly sexy gowns, which women feel incredibly comfortable in. It takes a certain woman to wear our dresses—you need curves and you need to be confident and carry yourself in a certain way. Our brides are extremely fashionable and want to look the very best they can on their wedding day.”

Server says though many of Galia’s designs continue to raise eyebrows because of their sexy silhouettes he believes that’s a good thing because in fashion (and in bridal!) it’s important to keep things fresh. His inspiration for the collections comes not from what’s happening in bridal but what’s happening on fashion runways, social media and pop culture. “If you want to stand out, this is where you need to be looking to get inspired for your bridal look. You want to post your photo of you in an incredible dress on Instagram and you want your friends to die when they see your pictures because you are so fabulous!”

One person who definitely had a huge reaction when she wore a Galia Lahav was none other the Beyoncé. For her 2018 vow renewal with Jay-Z, Bey chose label’s Thelma gown, which was created for Galia Lahav’s very first couture show. Server delights in the story of how the dress found its dream match in Queen B—she shopped on her own and chose the dress on her own too, the label had no idea it was happening.

“Beyoncé came into one of our stores and went straight for the Thelma dress, she knew what she wanted,” Server says. “She paid for it, didn’t ask for any alterations or tweaks. It fit her perfectly and she looked like a goddess. We had no idea where she was going to wear the dress and when it was being custom produced for her our team had no idea who they were creating it for. I did send it off to her with the letter B drawn on the box. We first saw her in the dress when her mom posted it on Instagram and could not believe it. I wanted to cry when I saw the picture.”

Thelma has now gone on to be one of Galia’s most requested dress styles.