Every so often someone browses our wedding umbrellas and asks the same question: "why's that one a funny shape?" And fair enough, if you're used to a standard dome-shaped brolly, a pagoda umbrella does look like it's wandered in from somewhere else entirely. It has, in a way. The shape borrows from traditional Chinese and Japanese pagoda roofs, all those gentle tiers stepping outward, and it's been a favourite for wedding and occasion umbrellas for a very good reason. It's simply prettier than a plain dome.
So What Actually Makes It a Pagoda?
The giveaway is in the canopy. Instead of one smooth curve from tip to edge, a pagoda umbrella has a slightly stepped or scalloped profile, sometimes with a gentle upward flick at the rim, sometimes finished with a delicate frill running all the way round. It gives the whole umbrella a softer, more ornamental silhouette than your everyday golf or walking umbrella, which is exactly why you'll mostly see the pagoda shape on our wedding and ladies' ranges rather than the practical, no-nonsense end of the shop.
Take our frilled pagoda umbrellas as an example. They're built with a domed canopy finished in layers of decorative frill, so what you get is a proper ruched, romantic look rather than a flat expanse of fabric. Pair that with a faux bamboo crooked handle and a little black tassel and you've got something that looks like it belongs in the photos, not just tucked under an arm waiting for the rain to start.
Not Just for Show, Either
Here's the bit we'd want any bride, bridesmaid or wedding guest to know: a pagoda umbrella isn't a delicate ornament that'll fold at the first gust. Our pagoda styles come with proper fibreglass or steel ribs (some with as many as sixteen) and 100% waterproof polyester or pongee canopies, so they're doing the same job as any other umbrella in the shop, just with considerably more elegance about it. Canopy spans generally sit somewhere around 90 to 105cm, plenty for one person and a dress, with a manual open and close action that suits the slower, more considered pace of a wedding day rather than a dash for the bus.
Honestly, we'd argue this is the whole appeal of the pagoda shape. It's a wet weather umbrella first, a beautiful one second, not the other way round.
Parasol or Umbrella? A Bit of Both
You'll sometimes hear a pagoda umbrella called a parasol, and it's not wrong exactly, the word's been used for sun and rain shades alike for centuries and the pagoda shape has roots in both traditions. Our own frilled pagoda styles lean into that dual purpose. They're fully waterproof for a soggy ceremony, but the shape and finish work just as nicely as a pretty accessory if the sun does decide to make an appearance (we live in hope, every single wedding season).
Colours and Finishes We Stock
We keep our pagoda range fairly wide. You'll find plain black, white, beige and grey options, some kept simple with just a curved or crooked handle and a tassel for a minimalist, oriental-inspired look, others dressed up with that layered frill for a more romantic finish. Handles range from plastic hooked designs to faux bamboo, and most come with a decorative tassel as standard, small details, but they're the sort of thing that photographs beautifully.
When to Choose One
If you're picking umbrellas for a bridal party, a pagoda shape is worth choosing over a standard dome any time the umbrella itself is going to be in the pictures, walking down a churchyard path, held over the bride outside the venue, lined up with bridesmaids all matching. For a practical everyday brolly or a corporate giveaway, we'd point you towards our sturdier golf or walking umbrellas instead, they're built for a different job. But for a wedding, an occasion, or simply a ladies' umbrella that's a little more special than the one you keep in your bag, the pagoda shape earns its place, both up close and in every photo taken on the day.
By Emma Barber
