Anyone familiar with Vivienne Westwood’s runway shows knows that ending with a bridal look is a signature move. “There’s always the fashion show wedding dress,” the brand’s creative director, Andreas Kronthaler, tells Vogue. “I’ve designed wedding dresses since Vivienne and I started working together—35 years, and every time, a wedding dress. It’s always last-minute. A few days before the show: ‘Okay, what’s the wedding dress going to be? Oh, we need a wedding dress. Do we really need one?’ All these questions come up. But of course, we always make one.”

However, on Thursday evening, Kronthaler took on a new challenge: presenting an entirely bridal-focused runway show as the highlight of Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week.

Over the past few years, bridal wear has become a major part of Vivienne Westwood’s brand, with a dedicated atelier, 43 exclusive retailers worldwide, and countless brides eager to wear their signature corseted styles. “It’s a beautiful and important part of our house’s identity,” says Kronthaler. “It kept growing, so we became more structured.” Reading between the lines, it’s clear that designing wedding looks speaks to his romantic side. “We live in a strange time, and marriage means a lot—committing to share life together,” he says. “It’s something you can control—how you spend your time, sharing the good and the bad. And then, the bad things feel half as hard, and the good things feel twice as sweet.” (Kronthaler would know—he was married to the brand’s namesake, the late Vivienne Westwood, for nearly 30 years.)

Though he considers himself more traditional when it comes to wedding dresses—especially compared to the avant-garde pieces he creates for the ready-to-wear collections—he always wants a Vivienne Westwood bride to feel truly special. “What we offer isn’t easy to find elsewhere,” he says. “It might even be a bride who doesn’t usually wear our clothes or can’t typically afford them. But for this one occasion, they come to Vivienne. We’re great at making women look amazing without being too stiff.” Corsetry is a key element in many of the brand’s bridal designs, but comfort and flexibility are also prioritized, with features like zipper closures, interchangeable skirts, and detachable trains. “The top is always structured and intricate, but the skirt can be changed easily—without breaking the bank—and it completely transforms the dress,” Kronthaler explains. “I love that spontaneity. The draping isn’t fixed; there’s always movement.”

Headlining Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week—a multi-day event featuring runway shows and a massive bridal trade fair—felt like a big step for Vivienne Westwood’s bridal division. “I’m enjoying every minute, even though it’s a challenge because it’s different,” says Kronthaler. “First, you’re in this world of white. You have to really focus on making each piece unique.” Curating the show meant balancing commercial designs with bold, dramatic looks. “Of course, it’s a fashion show—it’s about fantasy,” he adds. “But I also like a touch of reality.”

While classic bridal white dominated the collection, there were also hints of blush, a recurring rose print from Vivienne Westwood’s archives, and even a touch of something blue. “Light colors are beautiful, but everyone has different skin tones…””Tones that sometimes shift into rose hues are lovely,” says Kronthaler, who also mentioned that international bridal clients often seek alternative colors that align with their own cultural traditions.

The collection also offered plenty of tailored options for the modern bride. “They’re very masculine suits—the idea is really about stealing his jacket,” the designer explains with a playful grin. During casting, they chose models of all genders to showcase the looks, and Kronthaler himself closed the show wearing a white veil, floral boa, floor-length skirt—and a Simpsons T-shirt. (The day before, he hinted: “It might be great to have some boys in wedding dresses too.”)

While most designs were created fresh for the show, Kronthaler also drew inspiration from the brand’s impressive archive. The opening gown was a reimagining of a dress his late wife Vivienne Westwood designed for the 1995 Vive la Cocotte collection, inspired by Madame de Pompadour in François Boucher’s Rococo painting. “It’s something Vivienne loved, something I loved, and we adored together,” Kronthaler says of the famous artwork, which hangs in London’s Wallace Collection—a favorite museum of the late designer. “No woman in a painting has ever looked like that—it’s the most beautiful dress ever made in human history.”

For the first time, Kronthaler recreated the extravagant gown in white and asked model Simonetta Gianfelici—who walked for Vivienne Westwood in the ’80s—to wear it in the show. “I keep thinking about Vivienne in all of this,” he reflects. “She would love it. She would absolutely adore it.”