I have officially been overtaken by wedding fever. With less than 90 days & 7 lbs. to go the countdown to my wedding just seems to be flying by. I have already chosen both of my dresses, so it's a little bittersweet knowing that the excitement of searching for the perfect gown is over. So, I decided to take a break from the frenzy of nuptial planning & have a little fun by counting down my top 15 wedding dresses of all time. You may notice some major iconic dresses/ weddings are missing. This list only contains dressed I love, would actually wear & inspired my choices for my own wedding gowns
So with out further interruption...
My Top 15 Wedding Gowns of All Time:
Honorable Mention: Stephanie Seymour from the video "November Rain"
1992
Designed by Carmela Sutera
This is not a dress from an actual wedding but this $ 8000 gown by wedding gown designer Carmela Sutera was the wedding dress of 1992, and sparked envy in brides to be everywhere & a few copy cats. Italian born Sutera cites Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn as inspirations for her collections. You can definitely see Grace's style in the elegance, craftsmanship & superb fit of this gown, with maybe a little less leg.
September 27th 2009
Designed by Vera Wang
This trumpet style dress was crafted by Vera Wang with just 15 days notice in anticipation for Khloe's quickie wedding to LA Laker Lamar Odom. They went from meeting to matrimony in just 30 days. This body hugging creation was perfect to accentuate Khloe's curves and the lavender crystal sash cinches the waist.
14. Victoria Beckham
July 4th 1999
Designed by Vera Wang
Victoria may not be royalty but that didn't stop her from wear a crown, getting married in an Irish castle & wearing this simple yet extravagant strapless creation by Vera Wang. She chose to forgo a traditional white dress, her son Brooklyn was in attendance after all; so I'm assuming the jig was up, and instead opted for a beautiful champagne hued gown with a bodice & silhouette that enhanced her tiny little waist.
13. Portia De Rossi
August 16th 2008
Designed by Zac Posen
During the short and glorious time that same sex marriage was legal in the state of California Ellen & Portia hosted a small wedding ceremony in the backyard of their Beverly Hills estate. They both wore Zac Posen for the occasion & Portia opted for this beautiful, backless pink halter gown which accented Ellen's white tuxedo style ensemble.
12. Elizabeth Taylor
February 2nd 1957
Designers Unknown
I guess producer Michael Todd was so nice she had to marry him twice. For their first wedding in Spain Liz wore this effortlessly beautiful cap sleeved gown perfectly accessorized with free flowing wavy locks and elegant brooch on the waist.
For their second ceremony in Acapulco Liz donned a simple hooded white gown.
11. Angie Harmon
June 29th 2001
Designed by Vera Wang
Angie Harmon tied the knot wearing a simple yet stunning satin Vera Wang ball gown with the most amazingly fitted bodice I've ever seen on a wedding dress.
10. Gwen Stefani
September 14th 2002
Designed by John Galliano
Gwen Stefani wed her fellow rock star hubby, in a custom-made one shoulder pink and white silk faille wedding dress by John Galliano for Dior with an antique lace veil also by John Galliano, in London.
In fact she loved her gown so much that she wore it two weeks later for a second ceremony held in Los Angeles. And earlier this year she donated it to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London calling it "a work of art that needs to be seen."
9. Tori Spelling
July 3rd 2004
Designed by Badgley Mischka
Tori Spelling celebrated her first wedding in this awesomely chic 20's inspired Badgley Mischka beaded gown on the ground of her 56,000 square foot childhood home in front of 350 of her closest family & friends.
In 2007 the one of a kind frock accidentally ended up on sale at ebay but was luckily saved by Tori with a little help from Perez Hilton.
8. Ivanka Trump
October 25th 2009
Designed by Vera Wang
Ivanka Trump called upon celebrity wedding dress designer Vera Wang to create an updated version of Grace Kelly's wedding dress for her fall nuptials to Jared Kushner. Her gown was created from many shades of white and the skirt was covered in 3 layers of lace. Trump and Wang closely collaborated to romantic, regal yet modern gown complete with lace sleeves.
7. Cindy Crawford
May 29th 1998
Designed by John Galliano
For her second marriage, to Rande Gerber, Supermodel Cindy Crawford decided to keep it simple: Barefoot on the beach simple in this John Galliano designed short lacy slip dress.
In what was probably an attempt to make her wedding day a simple beautiful memory Cindy Crawford & John Galliano ignited an underwear as outerwear craze that still echoes in today's fashion.
6. Nicole Richie
December 5th 2010
Designed by Marchesa
Nicole Richie married long time love in this exquisitely unique Grace Kelly inspired high necked lace wedding gown by Marchesa containing over 100 yards of hand draped silk & tulle. I love the exposed decolletage and the long lace sleeves. It seems like it would be too much detail for one gown but she pulls it off effortlessly. This gown was actually one of three Marchesa gown Nicole celebrated in that night.
5. Elizabeth Taylor
May 6th 1950
Designed by MGM's Helen Rose
Liz celebrated her first marriage in this beautiful silk off the shoulder number which was estimated to cost $ 1500. ($14241.65 today) and was gifted to her by MGM studios and designed by award winning cinema costume designer Helen Rose. Helen also designed the iconic dress Liz wore in the movie "Father of the Bride" which this dress seems to be a simpler version of.
4. Jacqueline Kennedy
September 12th 1953
Designed by Ann Lowe
Jackie's voluminous embroidered and pleated wedding gown designed by New York City dressmaker Ann Lowe for her story book wedding to future POTUS JFK in Newport, Rhode Island was considered risque at the time for a socialite's wedding because of it's shoulder baring design.
The ivory, silk & taffeta dress created by the African American designer to celebrities & upper crust alike(she also designed Olivia de Havilland's 1946 Oscar dress, though she wasn't given credit for it) now resides in the Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts.
3. Carolyn Bessette
September 21st 1996
Designed by Narciso Rodriguez
Carolyn Bessette snagged the world most eligible bachelor wearing this pearl-colored silk crepe floor-length gown, hand-rolled tulle silk veil and long silk gloves, designed by her good friend Narciso Rodriguez in an intimate top secret ceremony in a tiny wooden church on a secluded island in Georgia.
The design & silhouette then unheard of for a wedding dress in the 90's (see honorable mention), launched a revolution in wedding wear and the career of the until then unknown designer.
2. Catherine Middleton
April 29th 2011
Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
What can I say about this dress that hasn't already been said? After much speculation in the press, on April 29th it was revealed the UK's future queen wisely collaborated with Alexander McQueen's creative director & former assistant to the late designer, Sarah Burton to create this pitch perfect $400,000 combination of modern design & classic beauty, inspired by Grace Kelly's iconic gown. McQueen's signature is blending impeccable, classic British tailoring with futuristic styling to accentuate the beautiful curves of the female form. As George Michael tweeted, the only shame is that Alexander McQueen wasn't here to design the dress himself.
1. Grace Kelly
April 19th 1956
Designed by MGM's Helen Rose
No surprise at number one here. This is arguably one of the most famous and beautiful dresses in history. Grace Kelly's Helen Rose designed gown was a gift from MGM studios, as was the custom at the time (see #5), and was created in six weeks by no less than 36 seamstresses at the MGM wardrobe department. It was crafted from silk needle lace (rose point), silk faille, silk tulle, and seed pearls. It currently resides in Grace Kelly's hometown at The Philadelphia Museum of Art. It's elegant & timeless design is still inspiring brides all over the world, including yours truly.
So there they are; the 15 wedding dresses (technically 16 if you count both of Liz's 1957 frocks) I've been obsessively studying while trying to find my own fairy tale gowns. I wonder if any of you can guess the designer and silhouette of at least on of my dresses.
That's all for now...
Thanks for tuning in.
Until Next Time.
Keep Adding Bliss!
Michelle
