Throughout history, the fashion world has been witness to a diverse array of extraordinary wedding gowns. Each one-of-a-kind design has garnered attention, whether it’s for its breathtaking sophistication, daring originality, astronomical cost, or sheer unconventionality.
We’ve curated a stunning collection of 20 one-of-a-kind wedding dresses for your inspiration. If you’re craving more wedding excitement, take a nostalgic trip back in time to uncover rare and intimate snapshots of celebrities on their special day, or brush up on essential wedding protocol to ensure you’re a gracious guest at your friend’s upcoming nuptials.
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1840: Queen Victoria
Ever before ask yourself why numerous bride-to-bes use white? Thank Queen Victoria. In 1840, she walked down the aisle to marry Prince Albert wearing a white wedding dress that triggered a fad, making white the go-to shade for brides.
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1928: Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn chose an abnormally luxuriant dress to claim her vows in for her wedding to Ludlow Ogden Smith in 1928. The lotion tinted velvet outfit with v-neck embroidery was auctioned off in 2004, to name a few products from her estate.
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1937: Wallis Simpson
Wallis Simpson was an American socialite who planned to wed the British King Edward VIII. Due to her non-royal condition and very first marriage that ended in divorce, the king was forced to abdicate his throne in order to wed her. Though you can’t inform below, Wallis wore a refined, blue dress to their wedding, which none of Edward’s household attended.
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1937: Ingrid Bergman
When Swedish-born actress Ingrid Bergman wed Petter Lindström in 1937, the bride-to-be’s straightforward crepe dress was of typical style for the years. Her real showstopper? The captive Juliet cap that she wore on top of her pin curls and veil.
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1945: Bette Davis
In maintaining with custom, Bette Davis did not use white for her 3rd marriage, which was to William Grant Sherry in 1945. Rather, the new bride went with a plaid match dress and a veiled level hat.
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1945: Shirley Temple
When previous kid celebrity Shirley Temple wed Army Corps sergeant, John Agar, in 1945, it was an occasion that all of America intended to witness. Her gown, an unabridged tarnish gown with brief sleeves, got on par with the style of the moment, yet the uncommon beaded neck line and matching headpiece were much from regular.
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1945: Lauren Bacall
Although Lauren Bacall is an old-Hollywood starlet known for her sultry appearances, she skipped the huge white dress and used an off-white skirt match and black natural leather belt for her wedding event to Humphrey Bogart (who likewise occurred to be 25 years her elderly).
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1947: Josephine Baker
During her fourth wedding celebration to Jo Bouillon, Josephine Baker allow her style beam with a gown decorated with flowers and a belt.
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1949: Rita Hayworth
After her marriage to director Orson Welles finished, ’40s movie celebrity Rita Hayworth captured the interest of Prince Aly Khan. The two married in 1949 on the French Rivera in an extremely advertised event. Rita selected a light blue, pleated dress and matching wide-brimmed hat for the celebration– a design that was soon reproduced by several throughout the United States.
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1951: Ava Gardner
For her 1951 wedding to Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner used a moiré silk dress with an equipped corset, a box pleated neckline, and chiffon cap sleeves. As it was the new bride’s 3rd marriage, she chose against using a veil and instead equipped with a double-strand pearl choker.
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1951: Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis decided on an intimate affair in the house in Greenwich, Connecticut. For the ceremony, Janet used a mid-length, short-sleeved fit, a formed headscarf, and a white embroidered Juliet cap.
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1952: Elizabeth Taylor
While she wore several gowns for her several marital relationships, Elizabeth Taylor’s first unusual outfit was this easy suit for her 1952 wedding to her second spouse, Michael Wilding.
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1954: Marilyn Monroe
When Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio in San Francisco on January 14, 1954, she didn’t put on white. Actually, she used something nobody would certainly’ve anticipated: a delicious chocolate brown gown that struck simply below her knees, plus a matching coat.
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1955: Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford’s fourth marital relationship, to Pepsi exec Alfred Steele, was everything about simplicity. Both chose to run off in Las Vegas and the bride-to-be put on a straightforward and sophisticated black dress with a fancy white orchid pin.
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1957: Natalie Wood
For her initial marital relationship to Robert Wagner in 1957 (both would certainly remarry in 1972), Natalie Wood selected a modern look that consisted of a white bustier mixed drink gown, a shoelace hood, and ballet apartments.
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1958: Jayne Mansfield
The ’50s bombshell chose a wedding dress with a fitted mermaid design, to match her shapely number, when she married body home builder, Mickey Hargitay.
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1959: Dorthy Dandridge
Although you can not see the bottom, this sensational shoelace dress was really midi-length. The gorgeous silk hat completed her appearance.
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1959: Elizabeth Taylor
It wasn’t simply the seeker environment-friendly dress Taylor used to her wedding to Eddie Fisher that made it via the gossip mills. The marital relationship in its entirety was one of Hollywood’s largest detractions, given that Fisher was married to Taylor’s close friend, Debbie Reynolds, when both initial obtained together.
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1959: Brigitte Bardot
For her 2nd wedding, the French actress tossed tradition out the window and (although you can not tell right here) used a pink gingham shirtwaist gown by Jacques Esterel to her wedding celebration to actor Jacques Charrier.
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1960: Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt was the embodiment of course at her wedding event to John William McDonald.