Celebrity

The Most Iconic Wedding Dresses Of All Time

From royalty to rockstars, here are some of the most iconic wedding gowns of all time.

The most iconic

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco, 1956.

Their love story read like it was straight out of a movie: famous American actress meets Monaco’s prince and they fall in love. Kelly’s dress, designed by Helen Rose, came as a gift from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to the famous star and gave new meaning to the word ‘icon’. The high-necked, long-sleeved design, with a long, billowing skirt and 10-foot train, was certainly fit for a princess.

Grace Kelly

The most unconventional 

Bianca and Mick Jagger, 1971.

When we think of unconventional weddings, Bianca and Mick Jagger spring immediately to mind. The bride opted for an unusual white, smocked, YSL jacket with nothing underneath, over a floating maxi skirt. At the time of her wedding, Bianca was four months pregnant and the shirt she intended to wear underneath her jacket no longer fit. Instead, she opted for a bare chest and deep cleavage. As a true non-conformist, Mick Jagger wore a green suit and sneakers.

Bianca Jagger

The most celebrated

Princess Diana and Prince Charles, 1981.

The wedding of the century came the day when Lady Diana Spencer became Diana, Princess of Wales. Princess Diana’s gorgeous train was a whopping 25 feet long and included more than 10,000 pearls. It is estimated that 750 million people watched the wedding worldwide.

Princess Diana

The most fairytale

Serena Williams’ marriage to Alexis Ohanian was a fairytale come true. Serena’s dress was the stuff wedding dreams are made of—she worked with Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen to design the gown. The traditional Cinderella-style dress added to the magical feel of the day.

The most secretive

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, 2011.

Throughout their six-month engagement, the designer of Kate’s wedding dress was kept a secret, leading to intense global speculation. Sarah Burton designed the now very famous dress, and was sworn to secrecy by the palace. The embroiderers who crafted the lace on Kate’s dress were told that it was going to be used in a television costume drama. The designer was only revealed on the day of the wedding as Kate was making her entrance into the Abbey.

Kate Middleton

The most inspirational

Solange Knowles and Alan Ferguson, 2014.
Solange changed the wedding game by asking her guests to wear white to the festivities. It didn’t stop there: instead of using a regular car, bicycles were used as a mode of transport, proving once more that Solange is not one to follow rules.

Solange Knowles

This article originally appeared on marie claire South Africa.

Related stories