Throughout the ages, high-profile wedding dresses have served as a reflection of the times.
Queen Elizabeth’s post-war gown was made of fabric purchased with ration cards, while Bianca Jagger embodied the ’70s style in a white suit on her wedding day. Diana, Princess of Wales, was adorned in an extravagant ’80s confection that featured the longest train in royal wedding history.
Recently, celebrity brides such as Hailey Bieber and Zoë Kravitz have challenged the concept of the traditional white dress, as initiated by Queen Victoria, by wearing designer pieces from Alexander Wang and Virgil Abloh.
However, brides who seek something more timeless still have plenty of options, such as Maria Grazia Chiuri at Christian Dior, as seen with Chiara Ferragni, and Miranda Kerr.
The wedding: Ariana Grande’s 2021 nuptials to Dalton Gomez.
The dress: The Grammy Award-winner tapped design maven Vera Wang for her gown—in fact, Vogue reported that the two began scheming up wedding dress ideas at one Met Gala party years before Grande was even planning a wedding. She ultimately channeled Audrey Hepburn, opting for a custom silk empire-waist column gown, which had a sculpted neckline, an exposed bra-strap closure, and a plunging back. For a trendy finish, the dress was accented with a statement shoulder-length hand-pleated bubble veil that had a silk bow on the top. Wang took to Instagram to reflect on the design experience, saying Grande was “a truly magical muse.”
The wedding: Last April, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz got married in front of 500 guests at her father’s oceanfront estate in Palm Beach.
The dress: What do you wear when you marry the son of Posh Spice? Valentino, of course. Model Nicola Peltz tapped the Italian fashion house to design the minimal and chic dress she wore to wed Brooklyn Beckham, son of David and Victoria. The final result—a clean column dress with a square neckline, thick straps, and an attached train—was accessorized with lace gloves, a lavish veil, and chunky Versace platform heels.
The wedding: Sophia Bush and Grant Hughes tied the knot in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in July 2022.
The dress: Sophia was simply a vision in her stunning botanical-inspired wedding dress by Monique Lhuillier. The actress selected a whimsical off-the-shoulder ball gown with balloon sleeves and a pink floral print. The night before the wedding, she also donned an “elevated cowboy” dress by Roksanda, with an attached cape, chunky belt and Western-inspired hat.
The Wedding: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker had quite a few international wedding celebrations, including a late-night Vegas vow swap and a courthouse ceremony. While the A-list bride and groom wore memorable looks for all, nothing compares to Kardashian’s wedding dress worn in Portofino, Italy.
The dress: Given that the multi-day wedding weekend was hosted by Dolce & Gabbana, the Italian fashion brand also designed her now-famous wedding dress: a one-of-a-kind silk lace and satin mini frock. The standout detail, though, was her veil. The brand’s Instagram page revealed that the headpiece, which featured a large depiction of the Virgin Mary and the words “family loyalty respect,” was inspired by one of Barker’s tattoos. She completed the look with white gloves and white lace pumps.
The wedding: Paris Hilton got married to Carter Reum in November 2021.
The dress: Paris wore an elegant wedding dress similar to styles worn by her mom, Kathy, and sister, Nikki—and all three women were undoubtedly inspired by Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. Bride opted for a timeless long sleeve lace creation by Oscar de la Renta, though it wasn’t her only look of the party. In fact, it was one of 11 total looks. Following the ceremony, she changed into an off-the-shoulder tulle ball gown by Galia Lahav. “I envisioned a princess,” Galia Lahav head designer Sharon Sever previously told The Knot. “I knew the effect of the fabric would be flawless on the dance floor, the subtle sparkly fabric allows movement so I added a slit that was hardly noticeable so Paris would be able to move freely in the dress and she even sat down!”
The wedding: Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell tied the knot on September 4th, 2021.
The dress: Yet another celebrity wedding dress inspired by Grace Kelly’s, Lily’s bridal look was certainly one to remember. The actress donned a Victorian Era-inspired long-sleeve lace gown by Ralph Lauren. The unique look also included a matching lace cape with a hood, which lent itself to the magical location at a resort in Colorado. “What started as a fairytale, is now my forever reality,” she shared in one post. “I’ll never be able to properly describe how otherworldly this past weekend was, but magical is a pretty good place to start…”
The wedding: Sarah Jessica Parker tied the knot with Matthew Broderick on May 19, 1997.
The dress: Bride didn’t want to make a fuss over her wedding, so she wore a Morgan Le Fay dress she found hanging in one of her favorite stores. The catch? The dress, which featured spaghetti straps and a tiered skirt, was black! The actress thought that wearing a black dress wouldn’t attract any attention, but it was the very thing that made the dress one of the most famous celebrity wedding dresses for years to come. While SJP has since said that she regrets wearing a black dress, she’s worn several traditional wedding dresses on screen, not to mention the Vera Wang wedding dress she wore to the 2017 Golden Globes.
The wedding: Mandy Moore married Taylor Goldsmith’s on November 20, 2018.
The dress: Actress embodied the “blushing bride” aesthetic with her light pink wedding dress. Rodarte designed her bespoke non-traditional look, complete with a tiered tulle skirt and a ruffled neckline. Her dress perfectly matched her wildflower bouquet, as well as the whimsical pink and beige pampas grass clusters that lined her ceremony aisle.
The wedding: Amal Clooney married George Clooney in Venice, 2014.
The dress: For the couple’s civil ceremony, Amal wowed the crowds in Venice by wearing a navy and cream bespoke suit by Stella McCartney. The two-piece outfit consisted of wide-leg trousers and a short sleeved top with navy trim, which effortlessly matched the navy band on her cream wide-brimmed hat.
The wedding: Chrissy Teigen exchange vows with EGOT winner John Legend in Lake Como, Italy.
The dress: Bride wearing three stunning Vera Wang dresses over the course of the night. For the outdoor ceremony, the supermodel wore a voluminous strapless ball gown with a structured bodice featuring dramatic floral appliqué.
The wedding: Tennis champ Serena Williams married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in a fairytale themed day in New Orleans in 2017. The couple celebrated with friends including Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé, with the couple choosing Beauty and the Beast’s “Tale As Old As Time” for their first dance.
The dress: Williams’s love of fashion comes second only to sport, so her wedding day was always going to be a fabulous affair. The bride walked down the aisle in a caped Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown, complete with millions of dollars worth of diamonds.
The wedding: Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner married musician Joe Jonas in the South of France in 2019 at Château de Tourreau in Provence. Guests in attendance included her GOT co-star Maisie Williams, Ashley Graham, the Jonas family and Priyanka Chopra.
The dress: The bride wore a custom Louis Vuitton gown by creative director Nicolas Ghesquière. The dress had long lace sleeves, a plunging front, an open back and a flowing train, and Sophie added a short lace-trimmed veil.
The wedding: Victoria Adams married David Beckham at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland in 1999.
The dress: The bride wore a Champagne-coloured Vera Wang gown featuring a strapless bodice and voluminous skirt with a 20-foot train. The designer revisited the dress to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her eponymous brand in a British Vogue video. The couple changed into matching purple outfits by Antonio Berardi for the reception, where they famously were seated on custom-made thrones.
The wedding: Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in an intimate ceremony in Windsor on July 17, 2020.
The dress: Rather than enlisting a couturier to craft a custom garment, Beatrice went vintage. She wore a gown by Norman Hartnell, on loan from the Queen, made from Peau De Soie taffeta and organza, trimmed with Duchess satin, and encrusted with diamanté.
The wedding: Hailey Baldwin married Justin Bieber in a much-anticipated ceremony taking place over several days in September 2019, having first entered a marriage a year prior. The couple chose Montage Palmetto Bluff, located 15 miles north of Savannah, for the celebrations.
The dress: Mrs Bieber chose four gowns for the expansive nuptials: a white mini dress by Vivienne Westwood for the rehearsal dinner, a floor-length gown by Virgil Abloh for Off-White, including a veil embroidered with “till death do us part”, a Ralph & Russo halterneck gown for the reception, before finishing the evening in a Vera Wang slip dress and trainers.
The wedding: Zoe Kravitz married Karl Glusman in June of 2019 in Paris—and her rehearsal dinner made just as much of a splash as her custom Alexander Wang ceremony gown.
Kravitz wore a pair of daring bridal biker shorts paired with a bespoke crochet mother-of-pearl dress by Danielle Frankel the night before she walked down the aisle.
As for the day-of dress the bride wore a halter, drop-waisted, ballerina skirted tea-length dress a la Audrey Hepburn.
The wedding: Priyanka Chopra married Nick Jonas in a week-long celebration in Mumbai, December 2018.
The dress: Throughout the festivities Chopra enjoyed multiple outfit changes, the most notable fashion moment being the custom Ralph Lauren gown worn to the couple’s Christian ceremony. Featuring a multitude of pearls, crystal beading and Swarovski crystal embellishment, the extravagant dress was the culmination of 1,826 hours of work. And just when you thought the wedding couldn’t get more over the top, the bride wore her custom gown with a tulle veil measuring an incredible 75ft.
The wedding: Gwyneth Paltrow tied the knot with Brad Falchuk in an intimate wedding at the couple’s Hamptons home in 2018.
The dress: Paltrow collaborated with Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli to create a gown covered in lace appliqués over nude lining, with capped sleeves and a keyhole back. Paltrow finished the look with a cathedral length veil for her walk down the aisle.
The wedding: Chiara Ferragni married Italian superstar Federico Leonardo Lucia (aka Fedez) in September 2018.
The dress: Working with Maria Grazia Chiuri, she wore two haute couture Dior dresses. For her ceremony, Ferragni walked down the aisle in a crochet lace romper featuring long sleeves and a high neck, with a full tulle skirt over the top.
The wedding: Prince Harry married Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018 in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The dress: For the ceremony, Meghan Markle wore a silk-cady gown with graphic bateau neckline created by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The look was teamed with Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara and a 16ft veil featuring intricately hand-embroidered flowers, each representing a Commonwealth country.
The wedding: Model and Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda Kerr married Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel in their backyard in Los Angeles, in 2016.
The dress: Inspired by Grace Kelly’s iconic wedding gown, Kerr wore a Haute Couture gown designed by Christian Dior creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, appliquéd with embroidery inspired by Lily of the Valley.
The wedding: Solange Knowles married music video director Alan Ferguson in New Orleans in 2014.
The dress: Arriving at the ceremony by bicycle, Knowles wore a Stéphane Rolland jumpsuit with a cape, before switching into a Humberto Leon for Kenzo gown for the reception.
The wedding: Poppy Delevingne married James Cook in May of 2014.
The dress: Featuring floral appliqués, a cap sleeve, and a drop waist, the Chanel gown, designed by Karl Lagerfeld, was stunning with a polished yet bohemian vibe. The gown was the first of two iconic looks for the bride, who donned a colorfully embroidered gown with a lace-up plunging v-neckline by Peter Dundas for Pucci for her reception party in Marrakech.
The wedding: Priyanka Chopra married Nick Jonas in a week-long celebration in Mumbai, December 2018.
The dress: Throughout the festivities Chopra enjoyed multiple outfit changes, the most notable fashion moment being the custom Ralph Lauren gown worn to the couple’s Christian ceremony. Featuring a multitude of pearls, crystal beading and Swarovski crystal embellishment, the extravagant dress was the culmination of 1,826 hours of work. And just when you thought the wedding couldn’t get more over the top, the bride wore her custom gown with a tulle veil measuring an incredible 75ft.
The wedding: Anne Hathaway married Adam Shulman in 2012, in an outdoor sunset ceremony in Big Sur, California.
The dress: The actress wore a custom-made Valentino bridal gown, which featured intricate lace and embroidery, and was paired with a dramatic full-length veil and vintage-inspired headpiece.
The wedding: Kate Moss married Jamie Hince at St Peter’s parish church in Southrop in July 2011.
The dress: The bride wore a custom-made gown by John Galliano, which was exhibited in the Victoria & Albert museum in 2014 as part of it’s exhibition of wedding dresses. Speaking of the gown, Kate later said she had wanted “a classic Galliano, those chiffon ’30s kind. I’ve lived in his dresses for years, and they just make me feel so comfortable. But it’s so much more couture, couture, couture. Oh, my God, the work that’s going into the dress!” Of creating the gown, Galliano said, “She dared me to be John Galliano again. I couldn’t pick up a pencil. It’s been my creative rehab.”
The wedding: Kate Middleton married Prince William at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011, becoming HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The dress: Middleton wore an ivory and white satin gazar dress featuring long sleeves and a bodice covered in couture lace by Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton. The dress was worn with a veil made from layers of ivory tulle and the Cartier Halo Tiara, which was borrowed from Queen Elizabeth.
The wedding: Beyoncé Knowles became Mrs Carter when she married Jay-Z in 2008 at the couple’s Manhattan home, transforming the space completely including with orchids flown across the world from Thailand specifically.
The dress: The bride wore a strapless sweetheart-neckline white taffeta gown designed by her mother, Tina Lawson, with a trailing vail pinned into a bun hairstyle. She finished the look with a blue manicure — the same name the couple chose for their first born in 2012 — and simple pearl earrings.
The wedding: Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton said “I do” on July 3, 2021.
The dress: The No Doubt lead singer wore an ivory and magenta ombré gown by John Galliano for Christian Dior. The unique dip-dyed dress was hand-painted and created exclusively for Stefani. After the wedding, Stefani donated the dress to the Victoria & Albert museum in London to be displayed as “a piece of art.”
The wedding: Diana Ross married Arne Næss Jr. in Switzerland in 1985.
The dress: She wore a pearl-embroidered white satin dress with a long white veil of antique Belgian lace, accenting the look with fresh flowers in her hair.
The wedding: Diana, Princess of Wales married Prince Charles at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981.
The dress: The bride wore an ivory silk taffeta dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Valued at the time to be worth £151,000, the dress was decorated with lace, sequins, hand embroidery and 10,000 pearls, and featured a 25-foot train – the longest in royal wedding history.
The wedding: Bianca Jagger married Mick Jagger in St Tropez, 1971.
The dress: The bride decided against a traditional wedding dress, opting instead for a white skirt suit by Yves Saint Laurent. The designer had originally made a shirt for Bianca to wear under the jacket but it did not fit as she was four-months pregnant — so she wore nothing underneath instead. She kept the Riviera sunshine off with a wide-brimmed hat.
The wedding: Elizabeth Taylor married Conrad “Nicky” Hilton in Beverly Hills, 1950.
The dress: The bride wore a dress by Helen Rose – the MGM costumier who designed Grace Kelly’s wedding gown. The dress bore a striking resemblance to the one Taylor wore in Father of the Bride, the costumes of which were also created by Rose.
The wedding: Jacqueline Kennedy married John F Kennedy on Rhode Island in 1953.
The dress: The bride wore a full-skirted off-the-shoulder ball gown by African-American designer Ann Lowe. She completed her look with little white gloves and a full veil.
The wedding: Audrey Hepburn married actor Mel Ferrer in Switzerland, 1954.
The dress: The bride wore a typically full-skirted ’50s ballerina-length dress by Pierre Balmain. The romantic style featured a high neck, leg-o-mutton sleeves and a cinched waist with a bow at the back. Instead of a veil, Hepburn wore roses in her hair.
The wedding: Grace Kelly married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, at Monaco’s Saint Nicholas Cathedral in 1956.
The dress: The bride wore a silk taffeta and antique Brussels lace gown made by MGM costume designer Helen Rose. As one of the most iconic and timeless celebrity brides, a notable amount of work went into Princess Grace’s wedding dress including 25 yards of silk taffeta, 100 yards of silk net and hundreds of seed pearls. All together it reportedly took three dozen seamstresses six weeks to create the gown.
The wedding: Mia Farrow married Frank Sinatra at The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, 1966.
The dress: In typical mod fashion, Farrow wore a neat skirt suit with a double-breasted jacket and knee-length skirt featuring a box around the waist. Her shortly cropped hair and minimal makeup makes Farrow a bridal icon of the ’60s.
The wedding: Priscilla Beaulieu married Elvis Presley in Las Vegas, 1967.
The dress: The bride wore a silk chiffon babydoll dress with a beaded neckline and long sleeves. The dress was worn with a traditional 3-foot tulle veil and a tiara.
The wedding: Yoko Ono married John Lennon in Gibraltar, 1969.
The dress: Ono wore a white minidress accessorised with a sun hat, over-sized sunglasses and knee-high socks.
The wedding: Anticipating seeing one of the best celebrity wedding dresses of all time, thousands stood outside the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal on December 17, 1994, to see Celine Dion’s grand entrance as she married her manager, René Angélil.
The dress: And the singer, wearing a ball gown with a 20-foot train, did not disappoint. The wedding dress, designed by Mirella and Steve Gentile, featured a sweetheart neckline, a fitted waist, a full skirt and long sleeves. For added drama, the singer wore an unforgettable headpiece embellished with 2,000 Austrian crystals. She also donned a white fur coat before and after the ceremony.
The wedding: Michelle and Barack Obama married in Chicago in 1992.
The dress: The bride wore an off-the-shoulder satin gown with a sweetheart neckline, accessorised with diamond drop earrings and a traditional veil.
The wedding: Queen Elizabeth II was just 21 when she married Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey in 1947.
The dress: Her Majesty famously saved up ration cards to purchase the material needed for her wedding dress. The gown was made of ivory duchess satin and decorated with 10,000 imported white pearls, silver thread and tulle embroidery. Her bridal ensemble also included a 15-foot patterned full court train attached at the shoulders, and a silk tulle veil held in place with the Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara lent to the princess by her mother.
