You know the drill. You’re engaged to be married, shopping for a wedding dress and you really have one option, but multiple variations of it: long, white and maybe a bit of lace.

But what if you’re more interested in standing out from the crowd? Sure, maybe white might be your preference, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play around with other features of the dress to ensure yours is one that’s both unique and striking.

Shorter hems

Shorter hems are absolutely a possibility. It may make your dress a tad more affordable, and there’s no doubt it’ll be easier to wear as you celebrate into the night.

Reality TV star Whitney Port wore a wedding dress that was designed by Ashi Studio and modelled after a chandelier from Venice and Florence, Italy. Sure, yours doesn’t have to be as fancy if you don’t want it to be, but her wedding photos pose a great argument for a shorter hem.

A post shared by Whitney Port (@whitneyeveport) on

Nov 11, 2015 at 11:45am PST

And she’s not the only one who has shortened her dress, either. There’s a whole host of celebrities who also bucked the long wedding dress trend, opting for more practical, but equally as stylish numbers.

Actress Cheryl Hines

Cindy Crawford

Model Joanna Krupa wedding dress

Model Joanna Krupa

Oscar De la Renta

Rachel McAdams short wedding dress on The Vow

Blogger Rozalia Russian in a Jaton Couture dress

Blogger Rozalia Russian, who wore a short dress for her reception (but not ceremony.)

Blogger Rozalia Russian, who wore a short dress for her reception (but not ceremony.)

Blogger Rozalia Russian.

Vera Wang dress

Vera Wang dress

Olivia Palermo

Cindy Crawford

Natalie Portman

Keira Knightley

Rita Wilson

Wear some sleeves

And when I say sleeves, I’m not just talking Kate Middleton’s white lace sleeves back at the royal wedding. I mean wear a sweater if you must. Olivia Palermo is arguably one of the world’s most stylish women, known for her ability to put together an outfit that would work on no one else except her own style-savvy frame. And she wore a sweater to her wedding.

Check it out for yourself:

You can wear colour, you know

Yes, colour. Black or blue or grey or green, you don't have to wear white. In fact, white might be thought of as a little... outdated, considering what it symbolises.

Kirsten Bell wore black and proves that even if you're after a more understated wedding, a pop of colour that's not white can still work.