The 10 best wedding dresses in movies
From the Vivienne Westwood worn by Carrie Bradshaw to the romantic mermaid dress of Dakota Johnson in 50 Shades Darker
October 6th, 2020
Cinema loves weddings. It doesn't matter if the ceremony is a disaster, if the family is suffocating and nosy like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, if the cake isn't good or the groom doesn't come to the altar. From Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face to Kirsten Stewart in Twilight, from Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride to Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, brides and their dresses have always been among the most popular stars of the big and small screen.
Fluffy, princess, lace, romantic, unconventional, modern, vintage... there is something for everyone. It's hard to choose the perfect model, but nss G-Club did it.
Here are the 10 best wedding dresses in movies.
...And God Created Woman (1956)
Brigitte Bardot has married several times both on screen and off set. She wore different wedding dresses, from the white and pink Vichy print one to the long one, covered with marabou feathers, but the most iconic dress is still the tea-length dress seen in ...And God Created Woman. It was created, like the rest of the movie outfits, by Pierre Balmain and is similar to the one BB chose to marry Roger Vadim in 1951.
Funny Face (1957)
In Funny Face Audrey Hepburn plays a Parisian librarian who, once noticed by a famous fashion photographer (Fred Astaire), becomes a model. The outfits she shows off during the musical, created by Edith Head and Givenchy, are all delicious, especially the tea-length wedding dress. It is a model similar to the stage costumes of ballet dancers, consisting of a silk bodice with a boat-neck and a wide tulle skirt, completed by a short veil stopped by a small bow and a pair of gloves. Givenchy's creation is a timeless classic, so much so that it also inspired the dress chosen by Zoe Kravitz for her wedding.
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
There are numerous remakes of the Shakespearean masterpiece, but Baz Luhrmann's is a real feast for the eyes. The world recreated by the director together with production designer Catherine Martin and stylist Kym Barret is vivid, baroque pop. While many can't forget the flamboyant Hawaiian shirts worn by Romeo-Leonardo Di Caprio and the Montecchi crew, one of the most beautiful outfits is the minimal and elegant one worn by Juliet-Claire Danes at her wedding. The dress, by Prada, is in satin, with a bodice reminiscent of a vest and an A-shaped skirt.
Runaway Bride (1999)
Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) was many times a bride, never a wife. She always runs away before saying yes. As she walks down the aisle to the altar, she offers us an array of different wedding dresses: crocheted hippies; classic in lace; princess and fluffy; simple and elegant alternating satin and tulle. All created by Albert Wolsky, the costume designer of the film. The latest dress, the one Maggie wears to marry Ike (Richard Gere) is, instead, a romantic model with a wide boat neckline and A-line skirt by Ethiopian designer Amsale Aberra.
Sex and the City: the movie (2008)
Vera Weng, Carolina Herrera, Christian Lacroix, Saint Laurent, Dior, Oscar de La Renta. And in the end Vivienne Westwood. Following a photoshoot for Vogue during which she wore some of the most spectacular and dreamy bridal creations, for her (almost) wedding Carrie chose "a dress so special, it could bring a wedding tear from even the most unbelieving of women". It is called Cloud Dress, it appeared for the first time in the FW07 collection of the English designer. It features an ivory duchesse silk corset with golden reflections and a skirt made of meters and meters of ivory silk Radzimir taffeta which create a "wave-like" silhouette with oversized volumes that left even Samatha speechless. An eccentric and beautiful piece that will never reach the altar. In the end Carrie Bradshaw married Mr Big in a labeless vintage dress with a 50s silhouette, made special by a blue pair of Manolo Blahnik.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
The boho-hippie dress created by Ann Roth and worn by Amanda Seyfried in the musical with the ABBA soundtrack, perfectly embodies the mood seventies of the Greek island where the film is set: a blaze of lace, bias cuts and satin ribbons, completed by a wreath of flowers and a long veil.
Bride Wars (2009)
The stress for the organization of the perfect wedding can turn two friends into enemies. As happens to the characters played by Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson in this 2009 comedy. Emma and Liv's plan is simple: get married at the Plaza on a spring day and be each other's bridesmaid. Then, something goes wrong and starts a fight between the two of them involving cupcakes, blue hair and sun showers. What brings the two BFF together is not only a happy ending, but the love for Vera Wang's wedding dresses. Liv chooses a princely dress: white, strapless, characterized by a heart-shaped embellished bustier and a fluffy tulle skirt. Emma, instead, falls in love with an asymmetric, ivory mermaid model.
The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn part. 1 (2011)
Finally Bella and Edward get married. To celebrate the love story with her beautiful vampire, the character played by Kristen Stewart wears a satin crepe dress by Carolina Herrera. The dress was hand-sewn by the same designer with the help of four other seamstresses and it took about six months of work to realize it. The lines are classic, simple, but hide unexpected details that add a unique twist to the creation, like the chantilly lace design on the back, with a row of 152 buttons running along the curve of the back, enhancing its shape.
Melancholia (2011)
Waiting for the end of the world in a wedding dress. Kirsten Dunst is the iconic bride of Lars von Trier's movie, caged in a strapless dress by Manon Rasmussen, with a sweetheart neckline and a wide multilayer tulle skirt, completed by rose shrug and veil. A cage which at the same time suffocates and protects her, from which she finds relief only when, like a modern version of John Everett Millais' Ophelia, she lies in the water.
50 Shades Darker (2017)
The wedding dress worn by Dakota Johnson in 50 Shades Darker perfectly embodies the character of Anastasia Steele with her mix of innocence and sensuality: white lace, mermaid silhouette, long sleeves and tiny fabric-covered buttons on the back of the dress. The veil is made of tulle, while the hair is gathered in a chignon decorated with a brooch. The stylist is Monique Lhuillier, the same one who dressed Reese Witherspoon, Britney Spears and Pink on their wedding day.