A wedding is only as good and beautiful as the bride’s flowers, makeup, jewelry, and most importantly, bridal dress. A unique and elegant wedding gown necessitates as much attention to detail as possible, which takes lots of hard work and dedication. Brides walk the entire length of the earth searching for a gown that they cherish and that they’re comfortable in. They have to find a dress that captures the essence of their love story. That can be quite challenging. But don’t fret! If you’re preparing for your forthcoming nuptials, or if you’re a lover of exquisite bridal gowns, this article is for you.
Exploring Iconic Dresses
If there’s one thing that celebrities how to do to perfection, it’s getting married right. Their wedding budget can be a little out of reach for us common people, but we can always borrow a leaf from their over-the-top ceremonies. What’s important is to use celebrity wedding ceremonies as a reference point while shopping for your dress. Once you get the style inspiration that you need, find yourself a reputable designer to create a perfect dress for your budget and style preferences.
In this article, we went back decades to find the most incredible bridal fashions for your inspiration. If you like any of the styles from the past century, a good modern designer should be able to modernize it for you so that your dress looks both contemporary and classic. Some of the most iconic bridal dresses of today are products of simple modern twists on historical bridal dresses. A classic dress in the hands of skilled designers ends up being unique, elegant, and timeless, all while capturing your style, vision, and personality.
From classic silhouettes to modern gowns, here’s our selection of the most iconic bridal dresses that made history:
- Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton dressed in Alexander McQueen’s gown when she wedded Prince William at Westminster Abbey in 2011. Over a decade later, the dress still evokes everlasting excitement and has a strong influence on today’s wedding dresses. Celebrated designer Sarah Burton created the Duchess’s iconic and timeless look. The tailoring and quality of workmanship manifested on this gown were simply impeccable! The dress hugged the Duchess’s body so beautifully, the handmade lace detailing, the needlework, hand-cut & hand-engineered flowers, and the padded bodice on the hips were all so unique and exquisite. To complete the impeccable design was a majestic, graceful eight-foot train swept behind Kate as she walked so organically and authentically.
- Grace Kelly
One of Philadelphia’s greatest icons, Grace Kelly, wore a befitting iconic bridal dress for her wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. The wedding was on April 19, 1956, but the impact of the dress on modern weddings is still significant. Grace was a celebrated, talented, beautiful, and stylish Hollywood goddess. Her classic style is known as the “Grace Kelly Look” and has influenced the fashion style of so many ladies for more than 6 decades now. Grace Kelly’s was designed and made by a renowned designer of the time, Helen Rose. The dress was made of silk faille and embellished with pearls to create antique Brussels laces. Her dress was simple and minimalistic, but still magnificent and admirable enough for a royal bride like Kate. This bridal elegance is displayed in the museum as a reference point for brides-to-be.
- Diana, Princess of Wales
Lady Diana Spencer’s “Wedding of the Century” to Prince Charles (now King Charles III) went down on July 29, 1981. The impact and cultural relevance of her trendsetting wedding ensemble are felt to this day, more than 4 decades later. Even with so many iconic bridal looks happening after her wedding, none has come close to matching Lady Diana’s special day. The then 20-year-old Diana was watched by over 750 million people as she walked down the aisle in the first-ever royal wedding to be televised live. Her awe-inspiring wedding dress was hand-embroidered with mother-of-pearl sequins and featured a 25-foot train. The dress was a creation of David and Elizabeth Emanuel. It took them months to engineer the estimated 10,000 pearls on the dress.
- Naomi Biden
Naomi and Peter Neil got married in 2022 on the South Lawn of the White House. Joe and Jill Biden’s granddaughter was the first bride to walk down the aisle at the presidential residence in recent history. Her show-stopping bridal gown lived up to the venue’s high standards; no wonder it made our list of timeless elegance despite being only a year old. The Chantilly lace wedding dress was made by Ralph Lauren. It had a custom long-sleeve with organza floral embroidery and a mock neck, remotely resembling Grace Kelly’s dress. It had a sweeping cathedral-length veil made of silk organza, complete with a Chantilly lace border and embroidery.
- Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in history and immediate former queen. Before her death at 96 years in 2022, the queen was known for her dashing, ever-stylish fashion sense. This was well reflected in her choice of bridal dress for her wedding with Prince Philip of Greece on November 20, 1947. The then 21-year-old princess walked down the aisle donning a floral-trimmed dress that was customized with intricate, crystal-and-pearl-embroidered flower and leaf motifs. The elaborate veil, more than 10,000 astonishing hand-sewn seed pearls, and spectacular floral pattern all made the dress iconic and legendary.
- Serena Williams
Tennis star Serena Williams married her lover, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, in New Orleans in 2017. What makes her wedding extraordinary is the fact that she wore not one or two but three wedding gowns. She walked down the aisle wearing a strapless princess ball gown and veil by Sarah Burton. She then changed into her second dress for the reception, which was a beaded and feathered Versace gown. The attention to detail was impeccable, which was a testament to the 1,500+ hours of hard work by embroidery experts at Versace. Serena then debuted her third dress for her first dance. The dress was a short, glamorous, and well-fitted Versace look. The three dresses were simply out of this world!
Final word
The brides highlighted in our article wore dresses that, on top of wowing the world, expressed their personality and style. The dresses are chic, unique, daring, and timeless. Simply put, the brides these brides did not hold back in terms of making everlasting fashion statements on their special day. Why should you?
