20 Celebs Who Didn't Wear White To Their Wedding (& Are Total #BridalInspirations)
It might be a nice day for a white wedding, but not everyone wants to go traditional when it comes to their wedding dress. In fact, white bridal gowns are a relatively new tradition, started during Queen Victoria's reign when she first wore a white lace gown to her wedding to Prince Albert. Prior to this, red was actually the colour of choice for many brides! Queen Victoria's choice had a great impact.
Just a few years later, white became “the most fitting hue” for a bride, as Time reports. It was considered an “emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she know yields to her chosen one.”
Sure, white is fine and dandy, but what about brides who choose not to wear white, or even ivory or cream? There are so many other colours to choose from. Many celebrities have chosen to eschew tradition when it comes to walking down the aisle, opting for a gown with a little more impact and individuality.
Enjoy this list of colourful and bold dresses chosen by celebrity brides.
20 Avril Lavigne Chose Black As A Bride
Would it surprise anyone to know that Avril Lavigne wore a black gown to her wedding? While she opted for traditional white for her nuptials to Sum 41 singer and guitarist Deryck Whibley, the raccoon-eyed pop singer went to the dark side for her July 2013 wedding to Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger.
The black gown was designed by Monique Lhuillier, The Daily Mail reports, and accessorized with a crystal headpiece and her signature dark smoky eye. Kroeger, rocking the same Goth vibe, chose an all-black suit for the occasion. The couple has since separated.
19 Gwen Stefani Got Dip-Dyed
No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani was never shy about admitting her desire to get married and have children, despite having somewhat of a tough rocker persona. In 2002, she fulfilled those plans, and wore a surprisingly traditional wedding gown - until you got to the bottom of it, that is!
The dress was a custom dip-dyed and hand-painted dress by John Galliano for Christian Dior, Observer reports. John Galliano for Christian Dior dress was a simple ivory color, with a voluminous and one-shoulder neckline, but it was at the hem where the colour really popped. In true Gwen fashion, she opted for a hand-painted hot pink on the hem of her skirt, making what could have been ordinary much more extraordinary.
18 Jessica Biel Chose A Cotton-Candy-Coloured Confection
Another actress who preferred pink when it came to her bridal dress is Jessica Biel. The girliest of girly dresses, this frothy pink and white creation, designed with a princess-like silhouette was custom made for Mrs. Justin Timberlake and her Puglia wedding by design house Giambattista Valli.
While the colour was unexpected, the shape of the gown was flattering and gave it that fairy princess vibe the actress was clearly going for.
Biel had expressed that she wanted a dress with "romance, romance, romance.
Kind of whimsical and dramatic," as Hello magazine report. Mission accomplished!
17 Julianne Moore's Lilac Look
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the decidedly low-key nuptials of Oscar winner Julianne Moore. Back in 2003, for her second wedding (this time to director Bart Freundlich), Moore chose to wear a slim-fit, sleeveless, lilac Prada gown for the ceremony, as The Knot reports. It was held in New York. Considering how hot the city is in summertime, Julianne's airy choice makes a lot of sense! Her husband chose a similar vibe for his own attire, with an ivory suit and coordinated tie and shirt.
16 Reese Witherspoon Looked Perfect In Pale Pink
A bridal shade that perfectly suited the actress who made pink a major thing back when she starred in Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon chose a lighter hue for her 2011 wedding to talent agent Jim Toth.
Designed by Monique Lhuillier, Reese's dress was a pale pink with a strapless sweetheart neckline and a darker blush satin sash defining her tiny waist. Reese's beautiful look complemented the relaxed, feminine vibe of the dress, thanks to her minimal makeup and loose hair.
15 Kristen Bell Chose Classic Black
A couple that's anything but ordinary, Kristen Bell and Dax Sheppard have defied expectations to become one of Hollywood's strongest and most supportive couples ever. Proving how down-to-earth they are, these two skipped the lavish ceremony in October 2013 and opted for a simple courthouse union instead.
Fitting for the surroundings, the Good Place actress kept things minimal with a black trouser-and-top combo, low heels and a statement necklace. No extravagant makeup or dramatic updos here! Dax, while he wore a tux, still managed to keep things casual with sneakers. Oh, and the whole thing only cost $142!, as Pop Sugar reports.
14 Poppy Delevingne Was Totally Boho-Chic
While Poppy Delevingne might not be quite the household name, you definitely know her sister, model Cara, and that's good enough for us! Poppy is also a model like her little sis, and in 2014, she celebrated her wedding to James Cook twice, wearing two different dresses! The first was a traditional white gown, but it's the second look that you see here which we're really excited about.
The bohemian-style floral Pucci dress was worn by Poppy in Marrakech, and it gets a little bonus luck and love due to the fact that it was designed by Poppy's friend Peter Dundas, who is an Emilio Pucci designer. As Refinery29 reports, the dress had a plunging neckline and pastel floral embellishments, making it absolutely dreamy.
13 Emily Ratajkowski Was Major In Mustard
Another celeb who opted for a courthouse wedding over a cliffside (or equally expensive) affair), model Emily Ratajkowski surprised everyone when she revealed that she wed at City Hall on her Snapchat - and in a $200 Zara pantsuit, no less!
When asked about her choice to wear the mustard yellow suit and wide-brimmed black hat, Emily admitted that she was never into the idea of wearing white to a wedding, explaining,
“I'm not a pure woman. I'm a woman with a lot of character and experience and life,”
she said, as Fame10 reports. Emily saw the mustard yellow and knew it was the one!
12 Chrissy Teigen Rocked It In Red
Rather than stick to just one or two dresses for her wedding, model, cookbook author and Twitter provocateur Chrissy Teigen chose to rock three gowns for her 2013 wedding to singer John Legend!
Never ashamed about her desire for more, Chrissy confessed to E! News that every time she went to Vera Wang for a dress fitting, she would spot another gown she adored, and eventually incorporated three - including this tiered red number - into her nuptials! While this one was kept for her reception, she did opt for a standard frothy white number (also from Vera Wang) for her trip down the aisle.
11 Alison Pill Went Low-Key In Yellow
Next to pink, yellow might be the colour of choice for celebrities who don't want to wear white on their big day. Case in point: actress Alison Pill.
In May 2015, Alison wed her actor husband Joshua Leonard wearing a vintage-style yellow dress that featured delicate sleeves and a ribbed bodice. The whole event seemed pretty low-key for the two, who documented everything on Instagram, from getting their marriage license (possibly the least romantic part of the whole thing) to Alison showing off her cushion-cut engagement ring alongside her new wedding band after the reception.
10 Dita Von Teese Was Pretty In Purple
Dita Von Teese, as a burlesque dancer, wasn't going to play the wallflower in her 2005 wedding to shock rocker Marilyn Manson. Nor was she going to wear basic white, something that could have blended in with the dancer's ivory skin. Instead, she went big - really big.
The extravagant purple taffeta gown was designed by Vivienne Westwood (a favourite in the rock music community). It had a nipped-in waist for the dancer, an off-the-shoulder neckline and was accessorized with a tricorn Stephen Jones hat.
The gown was so impressive that it ended up going on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum, as Metro reports. (Gwen Stefani's gown was also displayed.)
9 Piper Perabo Stunned In Silver
We love the idea of wearing metallic for a wedding, and actress Piper Perabo knocked it out of the park! For her 2014 New York City wedding to longtime boyfriend Stephan Kay, the Coyote Ugly actress chose a Michael Kors creation that might look familiar - JLO and Naomi Campbell were spotted in the same sequin style with animal print at various occasions, Bridal Guide reports.
Featuring a high neck and long sleeves, the modesty of the dress is offset with the animal print pattern and a bright yellow veil. It's not a colour many could wear, but Piper pulls this one off easily for a look that's beautiful and full of warmth.
8 Shenae Grimes Went Goth
Thanks to the shades of black and grey and the gorgeous ballgown silhouette, actress Shenae Grimes transformed what could have been a moody look into something much more wedding-friendly for her 2013 wedding to musician Josh Beech.
Designed by bridal heavyweight Vera Wang, the low-cut halter-neck dress had a full skirt and lace bodice, as Hello reports. Shenae wore her hair up in a chignon and carried a bouquet of red roses.
7 Amber Tamblyn Wore Yellow
Actress Amber Tamblyn would be the first to admit that her wedding dress decision wasn't ordinary when it came to her October 2012 wedding to actor David Cross.
“There's nothing really traditional about me,”
Amber explained to Us Weekly when discussing her dress. The unusual creation was marigold in colour with a cream train. While the designer of the dress is unknown, we do know that the actress went barefoot and wore flowers in her hair after arriving via canoe to the woodland area for what was decidedly a laid-back ceremony that was undoubtedly unforgettable.
6 Kaley Cuoco Was Pretty In Pink
While her marriage to Ryan Sweeting didn't last far past their 2013 New Year's Eve wedding (the pair split in 2016), we'll always remember Kaley Cuoco's bubblegum pink bridal gown!
The classic Vera Wang confection featured a strapless sweetheart neckline and full skirt, and Kaley really brought home the princess vibe thanks to long, loose blonde waves and a big bouquet of flowers in various pink hues.
Although Kaley looked stunning in this pink wedding gown, she opted for something more traditional in her recent wedding to equestrian Karl Cook - a white, custom-designed 1920s style gown that took 400 hours to create!
5 Sarah Jessica Parker Looked Stylish In Black
Leave it to Sarah Jessica Parker, the star of the show that influenced fashion for years, to turn heads in something totally chic, daring and utterly unexpected!
Prior to Sex and the City becoming a cult hit in 1998, Sarah wed actor Matthew Broderick in 1997 and really did that “all-black, NYC” thing proud with this Morgane Le Fay dress, but while we see it as cool and cutting edge, Sarah looks back at her bridal look with less fondness.
“I just was too embarrassed to spend any time looking for a wedding dress,"
she admitted, as Redbook reports. "There was a store that I liked that I knew, and I just went in and got whatever they had hanging.”
4 Mandy Moore Was A Blushing Bride
The most recent Pink Lady to make it on our list, we have actress/singer Mandy Moore, who hinted before her big day that she wasn't going the traditional route, telling People she was “kind of confident that it's not going to be the stereotypical white wedding dress, because it just doesn't feel the most me.”
Instead, Mandy opted for a blush-coloured tulle Rodarte gown, as Cosmopolitan reports, with subtle metallic-colored polka dots throughout, which was a customized alteration from the runway style, made exclusively for the This Is Us actress - and making her look like an absolute dream!
3 Kat Von D Was Regal In Red
When it's your wedding day, it's go big or go home, right? That was certainly the ethos for tattoo artist, makeup maven and TV personality Kat Von D, who gave us major Maleficent vibes with her regal red creation during her June 2018 wedding.
The red gown seems to be a custom design by Adolfo Sanchez, Glamour reports. It featured long sleeves with pointed shoulders and a high ruffled neckline. However, it was the veil that was truly insane. Cathedral-length, embroidered with lace and crystals, the veil had to be carried by two Latex-clad attendants, as Revelist reports. And, of course, the whole look was finished with a horned headpiece.
2 Dianna Agron Dazzled
This could be our favourite wedding look of them all, because Glee actress Dianna Agron looks incredible in this nude bedazzled chiffon Valentino dress (that cost a cool $20,000, as Glamour reports).
For her October 2016 wedding to Mumford & Sons banjoist and guitarist Winston Marshall in Morocco, the actress eschewed the traditional white for something that was more in keeping with their surroundings. The gown came straight off the runway and, rather than top the look with a veil, flower crown or jaunty hat, Dianna chose a crown of silver stars instead.
1 Cynthia Bailey's High-Fashion Heavy Metal
While a Real Housewife on a list of celebrities might be debatable, we couldn't ignore this extravagant dress that was totally unique, and so we had to include Cynthia Bailey, who wore this couture Rubin Singer gunmetal creation for her Atlanta wedding to Peter Anthony in 2010.
This dress isn't exactly traditional, but Cynthia slayed it! The multi-tiered skirt grabbed a lot of focus, but we couldn't stop looking at the oversized bow at her neck, which served to highlight her incredible chandelier earrings!
References: Time, Daily Mail, Observer, Hello, The Knot, Pop Sugar, Refinery 29