Weddings

The Best Couture Wedding Gowns of All Time

By Alice Cary and Isabella Brunner
The Best Couture Wedding Gowns of All Time

Some of the most fabulous couture wedding dresses of all time have come courtesy of Chanel. During his tenure, Karl Lagerfeld hand-picked a supermodel bride to close each couture show in a wedding gown, Devon Aoki, Alek Wek, and Kristen McMenamy among them. Current creative director Virginie Viard has since continued the tradition—actor Margaret Qualley has been a Chanel couture bride under Viard.

The Versace runway has also played host to some unforgettable bridal couture moments: Gianni put Naomi Campbell in a gilded gown for spring 1992, and Kate Moss in a crystal-encrusted minidress for fall 1995.

Maison Margiela and Jean Paul Gaultier, meanwhile, have corned the market in avant-garde couture bridal looks. See: the plastic-clad bride at Margiela’s fall 2015 show, or the couple that walked Gaultier’s fall 1998 runway.

To celebrate couture week in Paris, revisit the most unforgettable couture wedding gowns, from the 1970s to now.

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    Chanel spring 2004

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    Thierry Mugler fall 1999

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    Versace spring 1992

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    Yves Saint Laurent spring 2001

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    Givenchy fall 1988

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    Christian Dior fall 2004

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    Givenchy spring 2020

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    Balmain spring 2001

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    Chanel spring 2001

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    Lanvin fall 1973

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    Versace fall 1995

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    Jean Paul Gaultier fall 1998

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    Christian Lacroix spring 2005

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    Givenchy fall 1997

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    Jean Paul Gaultier spring 2011

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    Yves Saint Laurent fall 2000

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    Christian Dior spring 1987

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    Elie Saab fall 2000

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    Chanel fall 2003

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    Christian Dior fall 2005

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    Mugler fall 1995

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    Christian Dior spring 1999

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    Valentino fall 2020

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    Jean Paul Gaultier fall 2009

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    Yves Saint Laurent spring 2002

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    Versace fall 1997

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    Zuhair Murad fall 2019

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    Christian Dior spring 1997

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    Chanel fall 1995

Alice Cary is the senior shopping writer at British Vogue. Fashion trends articles, curated shopping edits, and commerce franchises all fall within Alice’s remit, though she occasionally writes for the Jewellery and Arts & Lifestyle sections. Alice graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2019 with a BA in fashion journalism ... Read More
TopicsWedding Planning & Advice