Famed wedding dresses throughout history have come in every silhouette, style, and (sometimes) in color—and they often reflect the times. Queen Elizabeth’s post-war wedding gown was made of fabric purchased with ration cards, Yoko Ono’s oh-so-sixties wedding look bucked tradition in more ways than one, Diana, Princess of Wales’s extravagant ’80s confection included a 25-foot train (which is still the longest in royal wedding history), and most recently, Priyanka Chopra wowed the world with her Mandarin-collared embroidered column gown by iconic American designer Ralph Lauren, complete with 75-foot veil.
When it comes to twenty-first century brides, we’ve watched as Kate Moss ushered in a new kind of Bohemian bridal spirit, Portia de Rossi made blush for bridal a mainstay, Solange Knowles introduced us to the bridal jumpsuit, and the new wave of royals inspired the newly betrothed across the world. There were the brides who bucked tradition in their own ways, like Zoe Kravitz, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, and Chiara Ferragni, who have blurred the lines between the runway and the aisle.
Going against the bridal status quo isn’t a prerequisite to being remembered, but it’s the most traditional and alternative bridal looks that are typically the most unforgettable. From Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, to Beyoncé, Amal Clooney, and all the celebrities, artists, and royals in between, these are the most iconic wedding dresses of all time (from the most recent to back in time) that have made their mark on history, and on fashion.
Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in an intimate ceremony in Windsor on July 17, 2020. Rather than enlisting a couturier to craft a custom garment, Beatrice went vintage. She wore a gown by Norman Hartnell, on loan from the Queen, made from Peau De Soie taffeta and organza, trimmed with Duchess satin, and encrusted with diamanté.
Wearing a custom gown by Virgil Abloh for Off-White, Hailey Baldwin married Justin Bieber in the fall of 2019. The gown took traditional bridal and combined it with Abloh’s knack for streetwear. The words “wedding dress” were stitched into the back of the gown in pearls, while the dress itself was subtly embroidered with Off-White’s arrow logo. Hailey’s veil was equally legendary, thanks to its ALL CAPS embroidery of “TILL DEATH DO US PART” stitched into the hem.
British pop sensation Ellie Goulding married Caspar Jopling at York Minster in a bespoke Chloé silk crêpe gown, hand-embroidered with White Rose of York symbols in 2019.
