The Most Iconic Wedding Gowns In History
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Famed wedding dresses throughout history have come in every silhouette, style, and (sometimes) in color—and they often reflect the times. Queen Elizabeth’s post-war wedding gown was made of fabric purchased with ration cards, Yoko Ono's oh-so-sixties wedding look bucked tradition in more ways than one, Diana, Princess of Wales’s extravagant ’80s confection included a 25-foot train (which is still the longest in royal wedding history), and most recently, Priyanka Chopra wowed the world with her Mandarin-collared embroidered column gown by iconic American designer Ralph Lauren, complete with 75-foot veil.
When it comes to twenty-first century brides, we've watched as Kate Moss ushered in a new kind of Bohemian bridal spirit, Portia de Rossi made blush for bridal a mainstay, Solange Knowles introduced us to the bridal jumpsuit, and the new wave of royals inspired the newly betrothed across the world. There were the brides who bucked tradition in their own ways, like Zoe Kravitz, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, and Chiara Ferragni, who have blurred the lines between the runway and the aisle.
Going against the bridal status quo isn't a prerequisite to being remembered, but it's the most traditional and alternative bridal looks that are typically the most unforgettable. From Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, to Beyoncé, Amal Clooney, and all the celebrities, artists, and royals in between, these are the most iconic wedding dresses of all time (from the most recent to back in time) that have made their mark on history, and on fashion.
Princess Beatrice of York
Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in an intimate ceremony in Windsor on July 17, 2020. 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.
Hailey Baldwin Bieber
Wearing a custom gown by Virgil Abloh for Off-White, Hailey Baldwin married Justin Bieber in the fall of 2019. The gown took traditional bridal and combined it with Abloh's knack for streetwear. The words "wedding dress" were stitched into the back of the gown in pearls, while the dress itself was subtly embroidered with Off-White's arrow logo. Hailey's veil was equally legendary, thanks to its ALL CAPS embroidery of "TILL DEATH DO US PART" stitched into the hem.
Ellie Goulding
British pop sensation Ellie Goulding married Caspar Jopling at York Minster in a bespoke Chloé silk crêpe gown, hand-embroidered with White Rose of York symbols in 2019.
Zoe Kravitz
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.
Sophie Turner
Sophie Turner married Joe Jonas in the South of France wearing a custom Louis Vuitton V-neck gown designed by creative director Nicolas Ghesquière in 2019. The dress featured a cut-out back design, fitted lace sleeves, and an embellished skirt.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra married Nick Jonas in a stunning, custom Ralph Lauren wedding dress for the couple's Christian ceremony—paired with a 75-foot long veil. The pair wed at the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India in December 2018—but that was only one of multiple events to celebrate their union. Chopra donned gowns by Sabyasachi, Dior, and more for the couple's various other celebrations—but this high-collar, embroidered gown was unforgettable.
Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie of York wed Jack Brooksbank on October 12, 2018 in a stunning gown by British fashion designers Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos of Peter Pilotto.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow married Brad Falchuk in an A-line lace cap sleeve Valentino gown in Amagansett, NY on September 29, 2018.
Chiara Ferragni
Chiara Ferragni married Italian superstar Federico Leonardo Lucia (aka Fedez) in September 2018. 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.
Chiara Ferragni
Ferragni's reception look, which took inspiration from Maria Grazia's first collection, was hand embroidered in layers to feature lyrics from the song Fedez wrote for his proposal to Chiara on stage in Verona, a small lion to represent the couple's son, Leone, and landmark imagery of all the cities in which they've lived–like a palm tree for Los Angeles, and the Eiffel Tower. The handwork was done in layers, to give the gown more dimension and visual interest as the bride moved.
Virginia Williams
Pusha T married Virginia Williams in Virginia Beach in July 2018. The bride wore Marchesa for the couple's ceremony, and donned this Reem Acra gown, paired with a crown of buds, for the couple's reception.
Rose Leslie
Rose Leslie married Kit Harrington in a stunning lace wedding dress by Elie Saab. The Game of Thrones stars wed in Aberdeenshire in June of 2018.
Meghan Markle
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, married Prince Harry in 2018 wearing a minimal boat neck gown by British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller, then-artistic director of Givenchy. The minimal gown was accented with an embroidered veil.
Chanel Iman
Model Chanel Iman married New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard wearing Zuhair Murad in a ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles in March 2018.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams married Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans in 2017. The bride opted for a regal ball gown with a cape designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, changing into a custom look by friend Donatella Versace for the reception.
Kate Upton
Model Kate Upton wed Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander in Tuscany in November 2017. Kate wore a lace ball gown with sheer appliquéd sleeves, courtesy of Valentino.
Miranda Kerr
Model and Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda Kerr married Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel in their backyard in Los Angeles, in 2016. 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.
Pippa Middleton
Pippa Middleton married James Matthews in 2017 in a custom Giles Deacon wedding gown with cap sleeves, a drop waist, and a mock-neckline.
Giovanna Battaglia
Giovanna Battaglia married Oscar Engelbert across 2 countries with 4 events and 6 outfit changes. For the welcome dinner on Capri, Italy, the couple took over the piazzetta in the center of town. Battaglia started the wedding weekend with an ‘A’ (as in Azzedine Alaïa); the gown was inspired by classic Italian straw parasols.
Giovanna Battaglia
For the ceremony, Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton designed an incredible ruffled gown, using 500 meters of organza for the train, to mimic the sea and rocks of Capri.
Carrie Goldberg is HarpersBAZAAR.com’s Weddings & Travel Director. She oversees the site’s BAZAAR Bride channel, travel & dining content, and styles fashion and bridal editorials for BAZAAR.com. When she’s not traveling, she spends her free time in her hometown–New York City–where there is no shortage of new places to shop, eat, drink, see and explore.
Heather Hall is a weddings, fashion, and lifestyle writer and editor. Her career in weddings began at The Knot, where she worked as a bridal fashion editor. She then worked as a PR Manager at Amsale, a bridal design house, before starting her own events and digital marketing business. She has been featured on Today.com, MSN.com, Yahoo.com, Racked.com, Huffington Post, Verily Magazine, and Style Me Pretty. Heather loves music, travel, and practicing yoga. In her spare time she's typically researching the next fun workout class to try, or finding a new concert to attend. Her latest goal: become a DJ.
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