Ladies – it’s 2017! Wedding dresses don’t need to be big, white and covered in lace anymore – come to think of it, they don’t even need to be a dress! Rules were made to be broken, and ballsy brides who go against tradition are some of the best (and most memorable) ones out there. Just to get you inspired, we’ve put together a list of celebrities who wore something different on their big day, switching up the colour, fabric, and even the concept of a wedding dress.
1. Poppy Delevingne
The British It Girl wed husband James Cook (for a second time) in 2014 in Marrakesh, with her bohemian Emilio Pucci dress not in the least bit out of place.
2. Solange Knowles
So she might have had six outfit changes on her big day, but this low-cut cream jumpsuit with a cut out cape is hands down the best one.
3. Dita Von Teese
Dita is one of the most glamourous old-school ladies alive, so it makes sense this custom designed by Vivienne Westwood, which was made from seventeen meters of Swiss silk faille, for her 2005 nuptials to Marilyn Manson reflected that.
4. Gwen Stefani
Just like Gwen, her Dior gown designed by John Galliano for her 2002 wedding to Gavin Rossdale was elegantly offbeat.
5. Cynthia Bailey
The Real Housewives of Atlanta star told US bridal publication Brides that the inspiration behind her one-of-a-kind gown came from the venue for the big day, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. “It’s a really modern venue with huge dinosaur bone installations, so the unique feel of the dress made sense to me.”
6. Cynthia Nixon
The Sex and the City star told Elle US that she settled on her distinct pastel green wedding gown ‘because it reminded her of an art deco skyscraper’. “I already knew I didn’t want white—I wanted to leave that little-girl fantasy out of it. I didn’t want red—that would have been shocking. I didn’t want black—that would have been shocking. Maybe it was also years of playing red-headed Miranda: Even though in real life my hair is blond, green has become my go-to.”
7. Shenae Grimes
Vera Wang is widely credited for starting the trend for dark dresses after sending black colors down the aisle in her Fall 2012 collection, with 90201 star Shenae Grimes loving the look so much she choose to wear one of the gothic-inspired designs to her wedding to Josh Beech in 2013.
8.Angelina Jolie
What made this simple white satin creation stand out were the hand-sewed children’s drawings on the back of the dress and the full-length veil. Created by Atelier Versace master tailor Luigi Massi, the unique gown was Jolie’s way of including her children in her 2014 wedding to Brad Pitt.
9. Whitney Port
The Hills star rocked a controversial ‘mullet’ dress on her wedding day, but despite the name, this creation was anything but unsophisticated. “While on one of my Pinterest spirals, I came across the gorgeous Lebanese designer Ashi (@ashistudio) and immediately knew he was THE designer I was looking for. I reached out to my stylist Lara Backmender and told her she NEEDED to get in touch with him.”
10. Olivia Palermo
Another The Hills star who shunned the idea of the traditional wedding dress, Olivia Palermo looked every inch the fashionista in her three-piece Carolina Herrera creation, with her royal blue shoes a nod to Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolo Blahnik courts she wore to her own big day.
11. Jessica Biel
Justin Timberlake’s wife opened up to Elle US about the unique gown she wore to their 2012 wedding, commenting, “I wanted the dress to be very romantic and feminine and a shape that I very rarely wear. I have never been crazy about all-white wedding dresses, for me at least. (Giambattista Valli) had created that same fabric in a fuchsia-and-pink combination for a dress in a previous collection, and I asked him if he could create that same pattern in a white combination, and he suggested pink. It was a bit of a leap of faith at the time, but it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. [Putting it on], I felt like I had made the right choice. I felt elegant. And it moved like a dream.”
12. Keira Knightley
When the actress married rocker James Righton in 2013, her Chanel wedding dress sent the world into a spin, with it’s sophisticated simplicity to die for. But it didn’t stop there – Knightley continued to shun tradition by wearing her gown multiple times after her nuptials, asking designer and friend Karl Lagerfeld to switch up the design for every new event.
13. Serena van der Woodsen
While technically not a celebrity, Blake Lively’s Gossip Girl character looked stunning in this strapless gold and white Georges Chakra Couture creation.
14. Blair Waldorf
Not to be outdone, Blair’s Ellie Saab Spring 2012 Couture gown had fans doing a double take, with the wedding industry predicting brides in blue for the following season.
15. Ivy Aguas
Created by Filipino designer Val Taguba, this black gown send Instagram into melt down earlier this month, and it’s not hard to see why.
Article written by Alison Donnellan
