Iconic ladies in gorgeous outfits on one of the most important days of their lives are like a pinterest board of inspiration for us! That important day, is their wedding day!
We bring you 10 of the most iconic brides (in our opinion) on their wedding day!
Madam Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan, born (and originally named Allah Wasai) on 21 September 1926, was a Pakistani singer and actress who worked in British India and then in Pakistan. Her career spanned more than six decades (1930s–1990s) & was renowned as one of the greatest, most influential singers of all time especially throughout South Asia and was given the title Malika-e-Tarannum which means ‘the queen of melody.‘
Fun fact: Madam Noor Jehan’s grandchildren are renowned restauranteur Sikandar Rizvi and beauty expert and salon owner, Natasha Ali Lakhani.
She was married twice, and pictured below is Noor Jehan on her second wedding day.
Her wedding outfit designer is unknown.
Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis, born Jacqueline Bouvier to Wall Street stockbroker John Vernou Bouvier III and his wife, Janet Lee Bouvier, on July 28 1929, was an American socialite, book editor.
She was the First Lady of the United States during the presidency of John F. Kennedy from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963.
A week and a half before Jacqueline Bouvier became a Kennedy, her wedding dress was famously destroyed in a Madison Avenue studio flood, which led to her turning to a little-known African-American designer named Ann Lowe for help. Lowe came to their rescue and created the famous gown for a mere $500. When Kennedy was asked who was responsible for her beautiful dress, she said it was made by a “colored woman dressmaker.” It is reported that Lowe was only mentioned by name in a Washington Post article at the time, which said “… the dress was designed by a Negro, Ann Lowe.”
(Many years later, Lowe got the acknowledgment she rightfully deserved for the iconic Kennedy dress moment. Today, some of Lowe’s works are displayed in Washington D.C.’s National Museum of African American History & Culture, and there have been exhibitions centered on her designs at the Fashion Institute of Technology.)
Fun fact: She was 31 years old when her husband was inaugurated and was the youngest first lady since Frances Cleveland.
Diana, Princess of Wales (later known as Lady Diana)
Diana, Princess of Wales born Diana Frances Spencer on 1 July 1961, was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, and the mother of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Celebrated for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Diana was also involved with London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, of which she was president from 1989. She also raised awareness and advocated ways to help people affected with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and mental illness.
Fun fact: Diana was the first Englishwoman to marry the first in line to the throne, since Anne Hyde over 300 years earlier! She was also the first royal bride to have a paying job before her engagement!
She wore an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot (7.62 m) train and a 153-yard tulle veil, valued then at £151,000 by David & Elizabeth Emanuel. It became one of the most famous dresses in the world, and was considered one of the most closely guarded secrets in fashion history.
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto born on 21 June 1953 to a politically important, wealthy aristocratic family. Her father, the PPP’s founder and leader Zulfikar, was elected Prime Minister on a socialist platform in 1973. She was also a Pakistani politician who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996. She was the first woman to head a democratic government in a Muslim majority nation and she chaired or co-chaired the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) from the early 1980s until her assassination in 2007.
She wore Faiza Samee on her wedding day.
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly born on November 12, 1929 into an affluent and influential family to Margaret and John B. Kelly Sr., a three time Olympic gold medal winner for sculling and was a Democratic nominee in the 1935 election for mayor of Philadelphia who lost by the closest margin in the city’s history. During WW2, he was appointed by President Roosevelt as National Director of Physical Fitness.
She was an American film actress who became Princess of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956.
Her wedding dress was designed by MGM’s Academy Award winning Helen Rose and was worked on for six weeks by three dozen seamstresses. The bridesmaids’ gowns were designed by Joe Allen Hong at Neiman Marcus.
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn, born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on 4th May 1929 to Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston and Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch noblewoman, was a British actress and humanitarian.
Recognised as a film and fashion icon, Hepburn was active during Hollywood’s Golden Age. She was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend in Golden Age Hollywood, and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame.
In the 1950s, Hepburn narrated two radio programmes for UNICEF, re-telling children’s stories of war. In 1989, Hepburn was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF.
Her wedding gown was a true classic which was designed by Pierre Balmain, and featured a high neck and ballgown sleeves, which she paired with classic elbow-length white gloves. The combinnation which was both innocent and sophisticated!
Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan, born on 3rd April 1965 was a Pakistani pop singer-songwriter & social activist. She started her music career at the age of 10, and became one of the most prominent singers in Pakistan and India. She enjoyed widespread popularity across South and Southeast Asia and is hailed the “Queen of Pop.”
Her singing debut was with the song “Aap Jaisa Koi“in the 1980’s which appeared in the Bollywood Indian film Qurbani. Her debut album, Disco Deewane (1981), charted in fourteen countries worldwide and became the best-selling Asian pop record up at the time. This was followed by Boom Boom (1982), Young Tarang (1984), and Hotline (1987) which was her last album with Zoheb, her brother. Her official last album, Camera Camera(1992), was part of a campaign against drugs.
Fun fact: Nazia was also a recipient of Pakistan’s civilian award, Pride of Performance. In addition to singing in films, she also engaged in philanthropic activities, and was appointed by UNICEF as its cultural ambassador in 1991.
Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger, born on 2nd May 1945, is a Nicaraguan social and human rights advocate and a former actress. She is the chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, member of the Executive Director’s Leadership Council of Amnesty International USA, and a trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust.
Fun fact: She was married to Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones.
She wore a white Yves Saint Laurent tuxedo jacket and long bias-cut silk skirt and walked down the aisle to a soundtrack of songs from the film Love Story played on a harmonium.
Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Ann Presley, born Wagner later changed by adoption to Beaulieu, born on May 24 1945, is an American actress and business magnate. She is the former wife of American singer Elvis Presley as well as former chairwoman of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE).
Fun fact: she played the role of Jenna Wade on the long-running 70’s television series, Dallas.
Priscilla wore a floor-length white silk chiffon gown. It featured an elaborate beaded neckline and sleeves filled with sparkling seed pearls.
There are rumours that Priscilla designed her iconic wedding gown herself. Other reports suggest that she actually got it off-the-rack by going to boutiques in disguise. She completed her look with a cloud-like 3-foot long tulle veil, and a statement rhinestone tiara, finished with extensive eyeliner, false lashes and pink pearl lipstick.
Reema Khan
Reema Khan known famously just by her first name, is a Pakistani Lollywood film actress, director and producer. She was one of the leading film actresses in Pakistan during 1990s and has appeared in more than 200 films since making her debut in 1990 and has been recognised by Pakistan and Indian film critics for her acting. She received a Pride of Performance Award this year on 23 March 2019.
She wore HSY on her wedding day.
After all, the biggest day of a girls life… is her wedding day! Of course times have changed now and some dream of wanting to be business moguls, entrepreneurs, artists et al, but looking back to simpler times, this was the one thing girls re-enacted and played as children too.
