Bridal is the adjective for anything to do with a bride or a wedding, while bridle is the headgear that guides a horse, and also a verb meaning to restrain or to take offence. Memory hook: bridal is the one for weddings, and a bridle is what goes on a horse.
The core difference
Bridal relates to weddings; a bridle controls a horse.
- bridal — relating to a bride or wedding: She spent the morning trying on bridal gowns.
- bridle — the straps fitted to a horse's head: She slipped the bridle over the horse's head before the ride.
- bridle as a verb — to react with resentment, or to restrain: She bridled at the suggestion that she had lied.
How to tell them apart
Use bridal for weddings: bridal shower, bridal gown, bridal suite. It is related to the word bride, so if a bride could be involved, this is the spelling you want.
Use bridle for horses, and for the figurative senses drawn from them. To bridle your temper means to hold it in check, and to bridle at a remark means to bristle with anger. The mix-up shows up in wedding writing, where bridle appears by accident in phrases like bridle party. It should be bridal party.
