The most famous retro wedding dresses of our time should never be imitated, but you can use the wedding dresses of Mia Farrow, Princess Diana, Princess Grace and others as inspiration for your own iconic wedding dress.
Princess Grace: Princess Grace’s wedding gown “was made from antique Valenciennes rose point lace, twenty-five yards of silk taffeta and ninety eight yards of tulle. Her veil was covered with appliquéd lace lovebirds and thousands of seed pearls.”
If that’s a little too dramatic for your wedding, check out this modern-day option reminiscent of Princess Grace’s wedding dress. Oleg Cassini’s collection for David’s Bridal has a lot of lacy, romantic wedding gowns. You can go with or without Grace Kelly’s lace bolero:
American Royalty Jackie Kennedy’s dress may not have evoked her sleek, every day style… but her off-the shoulder, lace dress became a wedding dress icon in its own right. This Monique Lulliher is a modern-twist on Jackie’s off-the-shoulder lace gown.Lace has been replaced with sweeping lines and a more sleek (but still pretty full) skirt.
Mia Farrow’s 60’s Glam dress embodied the fashion of the time when she married Frank Sinatra. Recreating her short, modern dress is easy with a shift silhouette. This Etsy wedding dress is perfect for a low-key, maybe courthouse or garden wedding. If you are looking for a little more fancy, check out this beaded lace sheath wedding dress from David’s Bridal.
Princess Diana’s wedding dress is the ultimate in 80’s royal elegance and extravagance. Unless you are getting married to royalty, you may opt not to copy this look exactly. Instead, choose an element you like and work with that. Princess Diana’s dress had a rose-adorned collar, like this dress from J-Crew. Or you could opt for a big, full skirt. This wedding dress by Christina Wu has “princess” written all over it.
Audrey Hepburn’s wedding dress showed off one of the most iconic silhouettes of her time. This short-but-sweet wedding dress sold on Etsy riffs of the traditional look with a unique twisted neckline.
If you’re looking to someone like Lucille Ball for inspiration for your wedding dress… Consider that the comic genius of the 1950’s also opened doors when it comes to fashion. She wore a controversial sweetheart neckline that was considered very, very sexy at the time … but today you will just look like a fun, lovely bride in this wedding dress sold on Etsy.
Other tips:
To create a retro wedding dress style, consider these tips: White dresses haven’t always been en vogue. In fact, white wedding dresses are a relatively modern creation. To be truly retro, pick a pale pink, peach or blue wedding gown.
Silhouette matters more than actually being vintage (a-line, full skirt for the 50’s, sleek and long for the 30’s, poufy and princessy for the 80’s, simple and straight for the 70’s). Vintage wedding dresses in good condition are hard to come by. If you want a retro look, consider a new wedding dress with a retro silhouette.
