Ultimate Bridal Inspiration: The Most Notable Celebrity Wedding Dresses
It could be said that celebrities understand the power of a really great dress more than most, which makes their bridal choices all the more significant. From Sofia Richie's Chanel to Victoria Beckham's Vera Wang, ELLE UK chooses the best celebrity wedding dresses.
Consider that celebrities have the world at their feet when it comes to choosing what they opt to wear on their wedding days, and so the gowns they do choose feel all the more poignant. Some lean into their ambassadorial roles by finding a gown from the designers they rely on the most, while others strike out different and choose something that sits separate to the pieces we're used to seeing them wear on the red carpet.
In recent years, Sofia Richie and Chloë Sevigny's bridal wardrobes have inspired a generation to lean into wedding dresses that are not only plentiful but full of personality and personal preference, which can be found in both the classic and the contemporary. It's just up to the bride to decide which, or opt do both.
Then, there's the eternal allure of wedding looks that have stood the test of time. Priscilla Presley's 1967 dress (and veil!) springs to mind and so does Bianca Jagger's white suit worn for her 1971 nuptials, both of which continue to inspire today. The one thing that celebrity wedding dresses have in common is that each comes with a unique story that's full of sentiment.
Here, ELLE UK chooses the celebrity bridal looks worth knowing a little more about:
Anya Taylor-Joy
Actor Anya Taylor-Joy revealed she was secretly wed to her musician partner, Malcolm McRae, two years ago. While the world thought the pair only married recently, it turns out the couple instead had their nuptials on April Fool's Day back in 2022. Taylor-Joy wore an embellished and embroidered Dior gown to the gothic New Orleans wedding, which was attended by fellow thespian Cara Delevingne.
Kate Moss
The supermodel married musician Jamie Hince in the Cotswolds in June 2011 and chose a custom gown by her friend John Galliano. The bias-cut dress was textbook Galliano and pulled references from gowns from the Twenties.
Bianca Jagger
In May 1971, Bianca Perez-Mora Macias married Mick Jagger in Saint-Tropez, nine months after first meeting. Since, her Yves Saint Laurent suit, worn sans blouson, has endured as complete bridal (or at least alternative) perfection.
Kate Middleton
After much speculation about who would have the task of designing her wedding dress, Kate Middleton arrived at Westminster Abbey to marry Prince William wearing an Alexander McQueen gown by Sarah Burton in April 2011. The nine-foot long silk gazar gown had a lace bodice and sleeves, while the trim of her veil was decorated with rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrocks for each of the countries that make up the United Kingdom. Middleton finished off the look by borrowing Queen Elizabeth II's Cartier Halo Tiara.
Solange Knowles
Knowles established a new formula for celebrity weddings when she married in New Orleans in 2018. The musician released stylised portraits worthy of a magazine editorial — starring big sister Beyoncé, of course — and wearing a trousseau of outfits like this Stephane Rolland jumpsuit, which also set a new precedent for brides looking for a more contemporary option.
Diana Ross
The legendary Ross married Arne Naess in Switzerland in 1986. For her nuptials, she wore a Belgian lace-trimmed satin slim-fit gown complete with a matching veil, while flowers framed her face and a tiara was placed between.
Priscilla Presley
As serialised in Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, Priscilla Beaulieu married Elvis Presley in May 1967 in Las Vegas. The bride wore a long-sleeved lace dress that she picked up off the rack despite it often being attributed it as been one of her own design. However, for Coppola's movie, Chanel made a replica for actor Cailee Spaeny to recreate the scene in. The look on the day, and in the film, was complete with a voluminous three-foot veil and lashings of black eyeliner. Those looking to emulate would be hard pressed to find a veil better suited than this Molly Goddard one.
Hailey Bieber
To marry Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin looked to her friend Virgil Abloh at Off-White. The result of the collaboration was an off-the-shoulder lace fishtail gown paired with an extra-long train that applied Abloh's signature graphic work to spell out 'till death do us part' in san-serif font.
Chloe Sevigny in Loewe
If bridal has ever been considered boring, then trust Chloë Sevigny to rewrite the rule book. The actor married in 2020 first before celebrating with friends in 2022. For the latter occasion, Sevigny had a wardrobe of options including her primary dress from Glenn Martens' Jean Paul Gaultier collection. There's great bridal fashion and then there's Sevigny's bridal fashion.
Mandy Moore in Rodarte
For the most part, celebrity brides tend to stick to classic white for their nuptials but every now and again one will break out to try something bolder, or even sweeter in the case of Mandy Moore's pink dress. Designed by Rodarte, the tiered gown was rendered in baby pink tulle complete with floral embellishments and a trailing veil with detail at the crown. A wedding day of Pinterest folklore.
Victoria Beckham
Before she was a Beckham, she was Posh Spice and before that she was Victoria Adams. To marry her footballer beau in Ireland in 1999, Beckham wore a bespoke pale gold Vera Wang gown, before joining in with her new husband and wearing matching purple outfits by Antonio Berardi.
Meghan Markle
Like many brides are wont to do, Markle changed dresses on her wedding day to move from the more traditional elements to the celebrations. To arrive at St George's Chapel in Windsor, she wore a bespoke Givenchy by Clare Waight Keller dress before changing in to a halterneck Stella McCartney gown that has spurred a 1000 imitations since for the party portion of her wedding to Prince Harry.
Gwen Stefani
When marrying Gavin Rossdale in London in 2002, the musician turned to John Galliano for Christian Dior for her bespoke gown. Together, they dreamt up a dip-dyed gown where the ivory silk turned to a shock of pink as it trailed long behind her.
Beyoncé in Tina Knowles
The superstar married Jay-Z in New York City in 2008 wearing a fishtail dress with a corsage detail across its skirt. Beyoncé looked away from a big-name house for her big day and instead enlisted the help of her mum, Tina, who had previous experience in long creating her stage costumes, to make her wedding gown.
Lily Allen in Christian Dior
When Lily Allen married David Harbour in September 2020, the musician reminded the world that when it comes to wedding dresses going short has long-term pay off. She chose to wear a neat retro-leaning style by Dior with her hair in a complimentary beehive-like style and a perfectly placed veil.
Sofia Richie in Chanel
Few contemporary celebrity weddings have had such a content chokehold as Richie's to Elliot Grainge in April 2023, making the bride a poster girl for polish. At the heart of it all? A custom Chanel Couture gown created by Virginie Viard at the brand's Paris HQ.
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