Brides-to-be, take note. And warning: major dress envy ahead.
First comes love, then comes the sparkling engagement ring, and finally…the dream wedding straight out of a fairytale. Yes, there’s nothing we love more than swooning over our favourite celebrity couples – especially when it comes to those truly one of a kind, drop-dead gorgeous bridal gowns that serve as the perfect sartorial inspiration for us all.
Kate Moss
When tying the knot to rocker Jamie Hince in 2011, Kate Moss had only one person in mind to design her dream wedding gown: close friend John Galliano. The disgraced designer (formerly from Dior) may have been a risky choice but ultimately, it paid off with an utterly stunning gown befitting of a supermodel. Inspired by the Roaring Twenties, the vintage-style slip dress was a masterpiece of bias-cutting, with a sheer overlay embroidered with an intricate web gold sequins and accessorised with a 1920s-style lace cap veil.
Amal Clooney
Nothing but the best for Mrs. Clooney. For her highly-anticipated nuptials to Hollywood’s most notorious bachelor, Amal Alamuddin sought the help of fashion royalty Oscar de la Renta to custom-make her dream wedding dress. “George and I wanted a wedding that was romantic and elegant, and I can’t imagine anyone more able than Oscar to capture this mood in a dress,” she said. And captured it he did. The result? An ethereal ivory tulle gown, featuring fourteen yards of Chantilly lace and a delicate bodice with hand-embroidered beading and crystals.
Kate Middleton
Who can forget the royal gown that spawned a million copycats? For months, details of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress were kept tightly under wraps – and on 29 April 2011, all was revealed to much fanfare when the Duchess of Cambridge made her bridal debut at Westminster Abbey. The world went crazy over her elegant Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton ivory and white satin gazar ball gown, which featured a Victorian-inspired corset, long, delicate lace sleeves with hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace, 58 silk and organza-covered buttons, and a 9-foot long train.
Grace Kelly
When Hollywood royalty marries actual royalty, the result is pure fairytale magic. Grace Kelly’s larger-than-life nuptials to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 was nothing short of memorable – all thanks to her dramatic bridal gown: a regal high-necked, long-sleeved masterpiece fitted with 25 yards of silk taffeta, 100 yards of silk net, peau de soie, tulle, and 125-year-old Brussels rose point lace. Arguably the most iconic royal wedding gown of all time, it was created by costume designer Helen Rose and presented to Kelly as a wedding gift from MGM Studios.
Angelababy
With a hefty $31 million price tag (yes, you read that right!), Chinese star Angelababy’s 2015 wedding to actor Huang Xiaoming in Shanghai was over-the-top and extravagant, to say the least. And her dress? Custom-made, of course, by the House of Dior. Requiring two fittings and five months of meticulous work by the label’s talented team of petit mains, Angelababy’s pièce de résistance was a modest yet sophisticated haute couture creation with long organza sleeves, Chantilly lace bouquets, 115 feet of satin organza, 170 feet of tulle crafted into seven skirt layers, and a 10-foot long train.
Jacqueline Kennedy
The former First Lady was a picture of virginal innocence in her 1953 nuptials to then-Senator John F. Kennedy. Her off-shoulder wedding gown was designed by dressmaker Anne Lowe and featured a full bouffant-style skirt made out of 50 yards of ivory silk taffeta, interwoven tucking bands, and tiny wax flowers. As acclaimed as her dress may be, Kennedy later admitted that she didn’t like it, saying that it “looked like a lampshade” and accentuated her flat chest.
Olivia Palermo
Chic but definitely not conventional: there’s plenty to love about Olivia Palermo’s wedding attire. In 2014, the style icon secretly wed her long-time partner donning a three-piece Carolina Herrera set that comprised of a cream cashmere sweater and white shorts worn under a full tulle skirt with a thigh-high slit – and perfectly accessorised with a pair of Manolo Blahnik heels for her ‘something blue’.
Angelina Jolie
It may have taken them nine years and six kids to finally tie the knot, but boy was Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s nuptials worth the wait! For her special day, Jolie stunned in a simple yet sophisticated white silk-satin Atelier Versace gown that featured one very special touch: colourful drawings from her children embroidered on the back of her dress and full-length veil. It just goes to show: Angie may be a bona fide movie star but she’s a devoted mom first and foremost.
Solange Knowles
Her sister may be Queen Bey but Solange Knowles is definitely the style star in the family. Proving that she’s not one to go by the book – even on her wedding day– , the chanteuse opted for a non-traditional custom caped gown by Humberto Leon for Kenzo. The perfect finishing touch? Matching gold cuffs from Lady Grey to complete the fierce but fabulous look.
Kim Kardashian
It’s true what they say: third’s time a charm. With two failed marriages behind her, it’s looks like Kim Kardashian finally got it right (both love-wise and dress-wise) when she wed Kanye West in Florence’s historic Forte di Belvedere in 2014. Eschewing her signature flashy style for a more subtle bridal look, Ms. K was the epitome of sophistication in a custom-made haute couture Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy gown, which had all the makings on an iconic haute couture piece: long, lace sleeves, a modest neckline, sheer side cutouts that showed off her curves, and a lace-trimmed cathedral-length veil.
