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Famous Wedding Dresses in History


Rory Lemmon
Rory Lemmon Updated:
2nd of September 2022

Here are some of the most famous wedding dresses of all time...

Jacqueline Kennedy

Jacqueline Kennedy wore a full-skirted dress by New York designer Ann Lowe when she married John F Kennedy at Hammersmith Farm in Newport, Rhode Island, in September 1953. She completed her look with little white gloves and a full veil. Kennedy went on to become President of the United States. He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in November 1963. Jacqueline then married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968, becoming known as Jackie O.

Grace Kelly 

The dress that Grace Kelly wore for her April 19 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier was designed by MGM costume designer Helen Rose and was made from 25 yards of silk taffeta, antique rose-point lace and pearls by three dozen seamstresses, who worked on it for six weeks.

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II was just 21 when she married Prince Phillip in November 1946. The couple had met when she was just 13 years old at the wedding of his cousin, Princess Marina of Greece. Her Majesty famously saved up ration cards to purchase the material needed. 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 by a tiara lent to the princess by her mother.

Queen Victoria

The wedding dress that Queen Victoria wore to marry Prince Albert in February 1840 sparked a trend for white wedding dresses that is still in vogue today.

Elizabeth Taylor

The first of Elizabeth Taylor’s seven husbands was Conrad “Nicky” Hilton. They were married in Beverly Hills in May 1950 and Liz 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 marriage ended in divorce after just nine months.

Audrey Hepburn 

Audrey Hepburn married actor Mel Ferrer in September 1954, after starring with him on Broadway in the play Ondine. She wore a typically full-skirted Fifties ballerina-length style by Pierre Balmain with roses in her hair. Their marriage lasted 14 years, until December 1968, and Audrey went on to wed Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti in 1969.

Yoko Ono

For her March 1969 wedding to John Lennon, Yoko Ono wore a white minidress – accessorised with a sun hat and over-sized sunglasses. Zsa Zsa Gabor cuttingly described the couple as looking like “two people going to hold up a bank".

Priscilla Presley

Priscilla Beaulieu wore a dress of her own design when she married Elvis Presley in May 1967 - also in Las Vegas. Their daughter, Lisa Marie, was born in 1968 and they divorced five years later in 1973.

Wallis Simpson

Edward VIII abdicated his throne in December 1936 in order to marry Wallis Simpson. They wed in June 1937 at the Château de Candé in France. She wore a pale blue dress with a nipped-in buttoned waist, a Cartier brooch at her neck and a halo-like hat.

Rory Lemmon

About the author


Rory Lemmon

With a BA in Journalism from the University of Winchester, Rory is an experienced writer and researcher. Keeping on top of wedding trends and traditions, Rory ensures all the content on Guides for Brides and its sister sites are up to date and relevant for couples and businesses alike.

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