Cinema has gifted us a lot, from the language of romance to unforgettable wedding scenes and along with them, some iconic wedding dresses. These iconic wedding dresses in film history have made their names into couture, bride inspirations and have transcended as style references across generations.
So, keeping an ode to style in mind let’s walk down the lane of the 20 most unforgettable bridal looks to ever grace the big screen.
1. Frankenstein (1931)
Mae Clarke wore a classic long-sleeve lace gown and a long tulle veil for Elizabeth Lavenza’s wedding to Henry, the monster’s creator. Although her wedding didn’t go as originally planned, it worked out in the end.
2. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Katharine Hepburn looked incredible as Tracy Lord in her chiffon ruffled wedding gown in The Philadelphia Story. To top off the look, Hepburn wore a wide-brimmed hat, rather than a veil.
3. Father of the Bride (1950)
Elizabeth Taylor was a vision in satin and lace for Kay Banks’ wedding in Father of the Bride. The actress, whose first wedding to Conrad Hilton coordinated with the release of the film, wore a Helen Rose design for both the film and her real-life nuptials.
4. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
For her wedding to millionaire J.D. Hanley, Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall) wore an ornate lace, boat-neck gown and a sheer white sun hat. The dress is iconic not for its time as the bride of Mr. Hanley, but for her impromptu nuptials with her true love.
5…And God Created Woman (1956)
From the embroidered short veil to the high-collar design, Juliete’s wedding dress from …And God Created Woman is one of the most iconic gowns to date. Surprisingly enough, the dress had a similar feel to the real-life wedding dress that Brigitte Bardot wore to marry the film’s director, Roger Vadim, in 1952.
6. Funny Face (1957)
Although Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn) was a heartbroken model when she first put on the Hubert de Givenchy short tulle wedding dress in Funny Face, by the end she was floating off with her desired in a truly iconic scene.
7. The Sound of Music (1965)
For the first half of The Sound of Music, we see Maria, played by Julie Andrews, only in her uniform. But we’re treated to an elegant structured satin gown, elaborate headpiece, and simple veil in the second half when her sisters give her away to Captain Von Trapp.
8. The Graduate (1967)
The wedding may not have worked out as planned, but at least Elaine Robinson’s (Katharine Ross) elegant peasant-inspired wedding gown looked as good in the back of a getaway vehicle as it did going down the aisle.
9. Funny Girl (1968)
We didn’t technically see what Fanny Brice wore to say “I do” to the dashing Nick Arnstein, but Barbra Streisand was wearing an absolutely gorgeous wedding gown for her performance with the Ziegfeld Follies when the two characters fell in love.
10. Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)
It was both of their second weddings, and their children took up the bulk of the church’s seating, but the blue brocade wedding dress and matching hat that Helen North Beardsley (Lucille Ball) wore in Yours, Mine and Ours is almost as sweet as the romantic comedy itself.
11. The Princess Bride (1987)
Robin Wright certainly looked the part of a princess bride in the 1987 film. For the Renaissance-era fantasy, the actress wore an appropriately styled gown that was covered in dreamy beading and embroidered details.
12. Coming to America (1988)
What to wear when you suddenly become a princess? Lisa McDowell, played by Shari Headley, nailed her wedding dress to Prince Akeem with a light pink strapless tulle ball gown and gold crown for the ceremony.
13. Father of the Bride (1991)
George Banks may have lost his little girl, but at least we were all able to lust over the dreamy silk-and-lace gown that Kimberly Williams-Paisley wore as Annie Banks. In typical ’90s fashion, the bride opted for a full skirt and lots of luxe details.
14. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
In one of the four weddings that took place in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Carrie (Andie MacDowell) wore an off-the-shoulder, A-line ball gown with a draped skirt.
15. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
In the modern Romeo + Juliet adaptation, Claire Danes played Juliet and married her Romeo (a.k.a. Leonardo DiCaprio) in a minimalist sleeveless satin gown.
16. Emma (1996)
We were happy when Emma Woodhouse finally wed Jeremy Northam. But we were overjoyed with the cap-sleeve and empire-waist wedding gown Gwyneth Paltrow got to wear for the occasion.
17. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
To be honest, Julia Roberts’s lilac maid-of-honor dress stole the show. But the off-the-shoulder long-sleeve wedding gown Cameron Diaz wore as Kimberly Wallace was a showstopper in itself.
18. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997)
The pearls! The tulle! The micro-braided chignon! It’s all perfect.
19. The Parent Trap (1998)
The scene that inspired a thousand brides to wear top-hats down the aisle.X
20. Runaway Bride (1999)
It wasn’t the wedding that finally made the runaway bride say “I do,” but Maggie Carpenter’s (Julia Roberts) full skirt and illusion-neckline gown for her wedding to Ike will forever be remembered as she rode off into the sunset on a FedEx truck.
