The Best Movie Wedding Dresses of All Time

Updated on 05/08/20

father and bride — TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

Every bride wants to feel like a movie star on her big day—so why not look to the iconic big screen wedding scenes for inspiration? After all, the most memorable moments from our favorite romantic comedies are undoubtedly when our favorite characters tie the knot in lovely, overblown, and unexpected ways.

Whether it's the dramatic Vivienne Westwood gown Carrie Bradshaw wears while getting her heart crushed in the Sex and the City movie or Juliet's (Keira Knightley) unique sheer-and-feather white number from Love Actually, a wedding dress is always one of the most unforgettable costumes from a film. Even some of the most classic love stories featured memorable big-day looks: Julia Roberts's oh-so-'90s ball gowns in Runaway Bride and Steel Magnolias, Julie Andrews's iconic A-line dress in The Sound of Music, and Audrey Hepburn's vintage Givenchy number in Funny Face.

And brides-to-be should pay attention to the best big-screen wedding dresses for more than just nostalgia purposes—the looks can also serve as style inspiration. Bella Swan's (Kristen Stewart) silk, open-lace back Carolina Herrera creation in Twilight: Breaking Dawn is perfect for the romantic bride throwing a winter wedding, while Melanie Smooter's (Reese Witherspoon) sleeveless dress and fishnet veil in Sweet Home Alabama is fit for a southern belle's nuptials. Searching for something more non-traditional? Look to Paige's (Rachel McAdams) short pink strapless number in The Vow. Ready to take a trip down movie memory lane? Click through to see the most memorable wedding dresses in film!

01 of 23

Crazy Rich Asians

<p>wedding ceremony</p> — Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

For a wedding as over-the-top as the one in Crazy Rich Asians, an equally showstopping wedding gown was a must and Araminta Lee's (Sonoya Mizuno) colorful dress did not disappoint. However, the gown wasn't a gown at all—it was actually a jumpsuit designed by Mary Vogt with a 10-foot train and thousands of Swarovski crystals!

02 of 23

The Great Gatsby

Warner Bros./Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

It's no wonder The Great Gatsby helped incite a 1920s-inspired bridal revolution. Many recent brides have drawn inspiration for their big day from Daisy Buchannan's (Carey Mulligan) glam gown complete with art-deco details and a streamlined silhouette.

03 of 23

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Katniss's (Jennifer Lawrence) would-be wedding dress—a cruel stunt pulled by President Snow—was surely a stunner. The intricate Tex Saverio design for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was crafted from layers of organza, thousands of Swarovski crystals, and silver flames—it was the perfect, fantasy-filled number for the setting.

04 of 23

The Vow

Screen Gems/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

For their illegal nuptials in a museum, Paige (Rachel McAdams) donned a short pink vintage Betsey Johnson design as fun and flirty as her character in The Vow.

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Summit Entertainment/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

It was only a matter of time until Bella (Kristen Stewart) married Edward (Robert Pattinson) in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, and when she did, her Carolina Herrera long-sleeve silk sheath, with an open lace back, was extremely fitting for their epic romance.

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Bride Wars

20th Century Fox/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

Bride Wars proved to be double trouble—and we're not talking about the ongoing fight between Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway). With each leading lady wearing Vera Wang, not even the former besties wrestling down the aisle could stop us from loving their big-day looks.

07 of 23

The Proposal

Touchstone Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

What turned out to be a hoax for citizenship ended up in love in The Proposal—especially when it came to Margaret's (Sandra Bullock) silk 1930s-style dress that belonged to her fiancé's grandmother (Betty White).

08 of 23

Sex and the City

The crème de la crème of modern movie dresses, Carrie Bradshaw's Vivienne Westwood gown for her failed wedding to Mr. Big at the iconic New York City Library was one of many jaw-dropping designer dresses paraded throughout the Sex and the City movie.

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Mamma Mia

Universal Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) looked like a goddess in a Grecian-inspired dress, which marked the end to the tumultuous but happy musical-turned-movie, Mamma Mia!.

10 of 23

27 Dresses

Always a bridesmaid and never a bride—until, 27 "I dos" later, Jane (Katherine Heigl) finally walked down the aisle as the bride in a simple, sleeveless dress for her beachfront wedding to Kevin (James Marsden) in 27 Dresses.

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Enchanted

Unlike most movies, Enchanted opens with a wedding dress—and what a gown it is! Giselle (Amy Adams) is every bit the princess-to-be in the puffed-sleeve ball gown.

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The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Buena Vista/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) may have assumed her royal title in her home country of Genovia in the first Princess Diaries, but she truly became a princess in her regal, lace-sleeved wedding dress, which capped off the ending to the sequel.

13 of 23

The Notebook

New Line Cinema/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

The wedding may not have worked out between Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Lon (James Marsden) in The Notebook, but her classic lace long-sleeve stunner with an illusion neckline will stand the test of time.

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Love Actually

Universal/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

A quirky dress to match a quirky wedding! Keira Knightley's character, Juliet, wore a sheer, feather-adorned layered look for the Love Actually wedding, which also included a surprise choir performance of "All You Need is Love."

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Sweet Home Alabama

Touchstone Picturers/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

The Southern belle's wedding dress was simple and romantic—unlike her road to the altar in Sweet Home Alabama. But when Melanie Smooter (Reese Witherspoon) broke off her wedding to the smoky Andrew Hennings (Partick Dempsey) to reunite with her childhood sweetheart Jake Perry (Josh Lucas), the lace, sleeveless mermaid and fishnet veil she wore was everything we wanted and more.

16 of 23

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

IFC Films/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

Despite all of the hilarious family hurdles in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) made it down the aisle wearing a "frosted cupcake" dress to marry Ian Miller (John Corbett) with minimal damage.

17 of 23

The Wedding Planner

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

Fran Donolly's (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) big day in The Wedding Planner wasn't as picture-perfect as she and legendary planner Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez) planned, but her dress, a bow-tied lace Vera Wang ball gown, certainly was.

18 of 23

Runaway Bride

Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

While Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) ran away from many a dress (and groom) in Runaway Bride, an off-the-shoulder lace-embroidered gown seemed to stick for her wedding to once her arch-nemesis, New York columnist Ike (Richard Gere).

19 of 23

Romeo + Juliet

For Baz Luhrmann's take on the classic story of forbidden romance, Juliet (Claire Danes) wore a simple sleeveless button-up dress and gloves for the youthful nuptials to Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) in Romeo + Juliet.

20 of 23

Father of the Bride

George Banks (Steve Martin) may not have been ready to let go of his little girl in Father of the Bride, but bride Annie (Kimberly Williams) certainly looked ready in the picture-perfect '90s lace-and-satin ball gown.

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Steel Magnolias

TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

The ultimate Southern bride Shelby (Julia Roberts) was dressed to the nines for her big day in a bow-adorned, bustled, off-the-shoulder satin ball gown in Steel Magnolias.

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The Sound of Music

Maria Von Trapp's (Julie Andrews) wedding dress in The Sound of Music is so iconic that it went up for auction this past fall at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills. The satin A-line features a modest V-neck and buttons up the bodice.

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Funny Face

Rocking a now retro-looking dropped-waist Givenchy tulle and satin gown, Jo Stockton's (Audrey Hepburn) tea-length wedding dress stole the show—or, er, the movie Funny Face—and helped Hepburn earn her rightful place as a fashion icon.