The Best Movie Bridal Vibes
I am a sucker for a movie wedding. It’s such a great touchpoint in a film — a situation ripe with unity and fun and love, but that also presents an opportunity for people to pine over their romantic interest and look hot as hell. I wanted to pull together a few of my favorite bridal moments in cinema (including some input from friends on Instagram!) just to have some fun — and maybe to encourage you to watch all the rom coms I love again 😝. Without further ado, here are some immaculate bridal vibes in movies according to moi.
Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride
Julia in Runaway Bride is giving us EVERYTHING. Multiple weddings. Multiple lewks. Multiple horses. The still on the right from her failed marriage to Detective Elliot Stabler is a forever favorite of mine — an iconic moment for all of the girls who sweat and fret. Of course when she is finally ready to embrace who she is — and marry Richard Gere, thank god — she looks unbelievably flawless, with a perfectly tousled blow out and romantic hillside vibes.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley in Father of the Bride
Father of the Bride wasn’t actually a big part of my childhood movie repertoire — I was too busy watching the immaculate film that is Grease 2 for the 180th time. That said, I discovered its magic once I started working in weddings as a young twenty-something, and I feel a nostalgic obsession with Annie Banks (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) because her look is not dissimilar from my mom’s when she married my dad in 1989.
That era was giving us DRAMA in bridal fashion. BIG veils. LAYERS of fabric. There is a small part of me that wants this energy back for the 21st century — but until Big Bird veils make a comeback I will just be rewatching this movie over and over.
Shari Headley in Coming to America
Shari Headley is one of the most beautiful humans to grace this earth, and this particular look is another favorite of mine from the ‘80s (when fashion was fashion, ya know?). First of all: color. I am always down for gowns that aren’t white or ivory, and this not only was pink but had glitter and sparkle for days. Second of all: VOLUME. When you’re becoming a literal princess it really is important to take up the entire room with fluff. I don’t make the rules.
Samara Weaving in Ready or Not
It’s not often that horror movie bridal fashion makes it onto favorites lists, but Ready or Not is one of my favorite movies of the last five years (and both Samara Weaving’s original bridal look — and the, ahem, edits she has to make to survive her new in-laws’ murderous games — are stunning). Our main character Grace (Weaving) starts out in the most classic of gowns, and by the end that gown is no longer white if you catch my drift — it’s perfect symbolism for her character’s journey. This movie has some gore but if you at all like a comedy-horror, I cannot recommend it enough.
Maya Rudolph in Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids is one of my favorite rom coms in that it does not actually involve romantic love so much as it does platonic sisterhood. While Maya’s character’s actual wedding gown (post-ruffles) is so beautiful, I’ll always be partial to the dress that she wore while she sh*t in the street. This is why floof is so important — you never know when you’ll need a makeshift tent!
Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama
One of my favorite rom com tropes is when our leading lady works a very specific rom-com job (e.g. cupcake bakers, interior designers, bookstore owners, and architects). In this case Melanie Smooter is a fashion designer, and her sleek and classic look for her (failed) marriage to McDreamy is so soft and elegant. I’m starting to note that many of these marriages are not actually the true end game, but no matter! 😂 I particularly love her simple bouquet with that delicate satin ribbon. I don’t often think fondly of fashion from 2002 but this hits.
Cailee Spaeny in Priscilla
I was not originally intending to include any movies in the 2020s on this list, but I would be remiss not to talk about my love for Cailee Spaeny’s bridal look in 2023’s Priscilla. This gown is a recreation of Priscilla Presley’s actual wedding gown, but they added some modern touches to it and some bolder lace patterning— and alongside Cailee’s perfect glam I just can’t imagine a more beautiful bridal vibe. Big hair, bigger dreams.
I know I missed about 1,000 other gorgeous bridal moments — off the top of my head I know I would like to play the Crazy Rich Asians water aisle scene on repeat — but would love to hear your favorites, too! Feel free to drop a comment down below.