Wedding Belles

In honor of my sister's upcoming nuptials (this weekend!), I'm sharing some of my favorite and most memorable celeb wedding dresses.  Choosing the perfect gown can be tricky.  I know from searching for my own dress and from helping my sister look for her's that there are lots of bad ones out there!  But, when you are a celeb and have every resource at hand (and designers willing to custom make something), there's no excuse for not getting it right.  

Let's start with some of the most iconic wedding dresses.  The first one that comes to mind is Grace Kelly's dress that she wore to wed Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956.  Nicole Richie's dress was undoubtedly inspired by that one, as the top is almost identical, but the bottom is a different material.

L: Grace Kelly in Helen Rose
R: Nicole Richie in Marchesa

Kate Middleton's dress was also a nod to Grace Kelly's, with long lace sleeves and a full skirt.  I don't know that I would have picked this dress if I could have worn anything in the world, but she did look timeless, elegant and royal.  In America, the Kennedy's are royalty, and Jacqueline also wore an exquisite, unforgettable gown to her 1953 wedding to JFK. 

L: Kate Middleton in Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
R: Jacqueline Bouvier in Anne Lowe

Sometimes the simplest silhouettes can make the biggest statements.  The gowns below are some of my favorite sheath dresses.

L: Jennifer Aniston in Lawrence Steele
C: Carolyn Bessette in Narciso Rodriquez
R: Kate Moss in John Galliano

The most universally flattering silhouettes are the mermaid and fit-and-flare, as Hilary Duff and Khloe Kardashian wore.  I think Khloe started the whole trend with the embellished, colored sashes.   Even though those are my favorite silhouettes, I'm obsessed with Ivanka Trump's A-line dress with those incredible lace sleeves. 

Hilary Duff, Khloe Kardashian, Ivanka Trump all in Vera Wang

Apparently one of the perks of being the daughter of a former US President is getting to buy a fabulous wedding gown.  Chelsea's was very extravagant for her formal wedding, while Jenna's was simple, yet detailed, for her farm wedding.

L: Chelsea Clinton in Vera Wang
R: Jenna Bush in Oscar de la Renta

Even if your dress is amazing, it doesn't always mean the marriage will work out, as these two couples sadly found out.  Katie Holmes' off the shoulder gown was gorg and Jessica Simpson looked like the quintessential beautiful Southern bride.  

L: Katie Holmes in Armani Prive
R: Jessica Simpson in Vera Wang

Cindy Crawford is always a bombshell and chose to wear a baby-doll dress to her beach wedding to Rande Gerber.  I mean, she's just hot, so she can wear whatever she wants to wear.  Megan Fox also had a beach wedding, but chose to wear a traditional strapless dress and long veil to her wedding to David Silver Brian Austin Green.

Cindy Crawford  in John Galliano
Megan Fox in Armani Prive

Some celebs like to go the non-traditional route and add a little (or a lot) of color to their dresses.  Anne Hathaway's and Gwen Stefani's looks were more ombre, while Reese Witherspoon and Jessica Biel went full-on pink with their dresses.  While I could never have pulled it off (or wanted to), Gwen is a rock star and I thought this dress was so perfect for her.  I also thought Reese got it right, as even though her dress was different,  it was still pretty and sweet.

TL: Anne Hathaway in Valentino Couture
TR: Reese Witherspoon in Monique Lhuillier
BL: Gwen Stefani in Christian Dior
BR: Jessica Biel in Giambattista Valli

These stars chose to take it to the extreme, especially Sarah Jessica Parker and Shenae Grimes, who wore black dresses.  Julianne Moore wore lavender and Blair Waldorf (ok not a real person, I know) wore baby blue to marry Chuck Bass.

L to R: Sarah Jessica Parker in an off-the-rack dress , Shenae Grimes in Vera Wang, Julianne Moore in Prada, Leighton Meester in Elie Saab.

I'm not really a fan of her dress as a whole (way too ruffle-y), but I still think Katherine Heigl was one of the most stunning brides ever.  I loved her hair and makeup, and cute birdcage veil.

Josh Kelley and Katherine Heigl

Now all of this wedding dress talk is making me want to have another wedding.  Well, not really, but can I just get another dress?!