12 Celebrity Brides Who Refused to Wear White on Their Wedding Day

By Shayna Seid

White for a wedding? Groundbreaking. Whether you’re a diehard nonconformist or just hoping to wear something outside of the box, fret not, many a celebrity bride has chosen to wear color and can provide inspo. Toying with black? It’s been done before, just ask SJP. If ivory is too puritanical, we suggest considering pink. It just so happens to be one of the most popular bridal color choices in Hollywood. And if you can’t land on a specific hue, do what Elizabeth Taylor did for her second wedding to Richard Burton and rock a rainbow-colored caftan down the aisle. Below, 12 celebrity brides who refused to wear white on their wedding day.

Mandy Moore

A couple of days before Thanksgiving of last year, Moore walked down a carpeted aisle at her Los Angeles backyard wedding to musician Taylor Goldsmith. She wore a custom, pink tulle, tiered Rodarte dress with a matching veil and shoes. The blush color was also seamlessly incorporated into her bouquet and the floral arrangements along the walkway. Talk about pretty in pink!

 

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Malin Akerman

Last December, Akerman wed British actor Jack Donnelly on the beach in Tulum. She wore a blush dress with a high slit by Cushnie—perfect for a tropical winter wedding. Her olive evening dress was also by Cushnie.

Photo: Courtesy of MemoryBox Photography
Malin Akerman in Cushnie at her wedding in Tulum.

Shenae Grimes

In one of the boldest shade selections, Grimes wore a custom, black Vera Wang gown to wed British musician Josh Beech in May of 2013. They tied the knot at the Boys Hall in Ashford, Kent (which is rumored to be haunted) with an intimate ceremony that included only sixteen guests.

Sarah Jessica Parker

While the black Morgane Le Fay wedding dress SJP wore back in 1997 has since become an iconic fashion statement, she has admitted recently that she regrets her decision. The ceremony was a surprise to guests, who thought they were simply attending a party at the Angel Orensanz synagogue in New York. She told the Today show that if given the chance to re-do the occasion, she’d “white it up.” “I’d wear a beautiful, proper wedding dress like I should have worn that day,” she said.

Photo: Courtesy of Leo Sorel
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.

Amber Tamblyn

For her 2012 autumn wedding to actor David Cross, the actress wore a marigold dress with a cream train. She arrived via canoe and took a barefoot stroll to her ceremony.

 

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Princess Amber arrives in style #weddinginthewoods

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Jessica Biel

Around 100 guests were invited to Biel and Justin Timberlake’s 2012 wedding in Puglia, Italy. The event took place at the Borgo Egnazia luxury hotel. The bride wore a custom, pink floral Giambattista Valli dress, and her veil was encrusted with Biel’s heirloom pearls. Valli also outfitted the entire wedding party.

 

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HAPPY VALENTINE “Our Best Moments in Love” ❤️ Jessica and Justin.

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Kaley Cuoco

On January 1, 2014, The Big Bang Theory actress married Ryan Sweeting in a custom, pink strapless Vera Wang gown. The ceremony took place in the Los Angeles area and had a fire-and-ice theme.

 

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#tbt to the best night of my entire life #nyemidnightweddingperfection

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Dita Von Teese

At her 2005 wedding to musician Marilyn Manson, the burlesque dancer wore a purple, off-the-shoulder ball gown by Vivienne Westwood with a matching headpiece. Her unconventional dress was featured in the Victoria & Albert museum’s exhibition “Wedding Dresses 1775-2014” along with wedding gowns worn by Kate Moss and Gwen Stefani.

Photo: Courtesy of V&A
Dita Von Teese’s Vivienne Westwood wedding dress.

Elizabeth Taylor

For her wedding to Eddie Fisher—her fourth time down the aisle—Taylor wore an emerald, long-sleeved dress. They married in 1959 at a Las Vegas synagogue.

Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images
Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher.

To her first wedding to Richard Burton in 1964, Taylor wore a short, yellow chiffon dress complete with floral headdress and emerald brooch. The dress was designed by costume designer Irene Sharaff.

Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images
Elizabeth Taylor at her 1964 wedding.

In 1975, Taylor wed Richard Burton again in a rainbow wedding dress in Botswana. The tie-dye ensemble was made by Gina Fratini and embroidered with feathers.

Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Gwen Stefani

Stefani didn’t fully take the plunge but instead chose a custom, white-and-pink ombré Dior wedding dress by John Galliano to wear at her 2002 London wedding to singer Gavin Rossdale.

Gwen Stefani in a custom dip-dyed and hand-painted gown, designed by John Galliano for Christian Dior.

Julianne Moore

The Oscar-winning actress wore a lilac Prada dress when she married director Bart Freundlich in a 2003 New York City ceremony.

Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images
Julianne Moore on her wedding day.

Laura Brown

The former editor-in-chief of InStyle magazine chose a dusty pink for her bridal gown hue. Her April 2022 wedding to comedian Brandon Borror-Chappell brought droves of celebrities to Hawaii. 230 guests like Brooke Shields, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Naomi Watts bore witness to Brown’s off-the-shoulder Maison Valentino dress—and, yes, it even had pockets.

 

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