In the past, a wedding dress’s opulence would demonstrate a family's wealth. A well-off bride would be swathed in precious stones, a long train and a veil, as well as costly embroidery, to decorate her dress and set the tone for the entire marriage ceremony.
In the 1960s, women opted for mini, 'baby doll'-style dresses and backcombed their hair for more volume. Breaking stereotypes was the most extravagant thing about wedding dresses at the time.
These days, brides have been known to opt for the more exotic option of shorts or dressed all in black. However, the traditional wedding dress is still a popular choice having remained a classic choice.
Check out Sputnik's gallery to chart how wedding fashion has evolved throughout the century.
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© AP Photo
Princess Isabel Alfonsa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (L) after her wedding with Polish Count Jan Kanty Zamoysk on 9 March 1929; Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz (C) before her wedding with the last German Emperor and King of Prussia Wilhelm II, on 1 November 1922; political figure Soong Mei-ling (R) with her husband, Generalissimo and President Chiang Kai-shek on 1 December 1927.
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© AP Photo
Princess María de las Mercedes of the Two Sicilies (L) with her husband Infante Juan of Spain on 12 October 1935; English socialite Nancy Beaton (C) with husband Sir John Smiley on 18 January 1933; Miss Dorothy Mary Dennis (R) after her wedding with Leonard Hutton, cricketer and captain of the English national team, on 16 September 1939.
3/10
© AP Photo
Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark (L) after her wedding with King Peter II of Yugoslavia on 20 March 1944; Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill (C) with husband, Lieutenant Edwin Russell on 15 May 1943; the future queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II with her husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on 20 November 1947.
4/10
© AP Photo
Actress Elizabeth Taylor (L) with Conrad Hilton Jr. on 6 May 1950; Jacqueline Kennedy (nee Bouvier) (C) with the future President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy on 12 September 1953; Actress Grace Kelly (R) after her wedding with Prince of Monaco Rainier III on 19 April 1956.
5/10
© AP Photo
Swedish Actress Britt Ekland (L) with husband, British actor Peter Sellers on 19 February 1964; Japanese artist Yoko Ono (C) after her wedding with musician and member of The Beatles, John Lennon, on 20 March 1969; English actress Amanda Barrie (R) with husband, actor Robin Hunter on 19 June 1967
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© AP Photo
Daughter of Italian aristocrat, Olympia Aldobrandini (L) with her husband (Baron) David de Rothschild at their summer 1974 wedding in Normandy; Actress Lynda Carter (C) with her husband, producer Ron Samuels on 28 May 1977; human rights advocate Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías during her wedding with British rock musician, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, on 12 May 1971.
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© AP Photo
Diana, Princess of Wales (L) after her wedding with Charles, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, on 29 July 1981; American journalist Maria Shriver (C) before her wedding with actor and future governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, on 26 April 1986; actress Janet Jones Gretzky before her wedding with Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky on 16 July 1988.
8/10
© AP Photo / Mike Alexander / Armando Franca / Elizabeth Ellis
Singer Mariah Carey (L) marries producer Tommy Mottola on 5 June 1993; Infanta Cristina of Spain (c) after wedding with Spanish handball player Iñaki Urdangarin on 4 October 1997; American businesswoman Karen Waldbillig Kasich and American politician John Kasich on 22 March 1997.
9/10
© AP Photo / Louis Lanzano / Brett Coomer / Luca Bruno
(On the left): A model demonstrates a dress from Vera Wang’s spring collection in Bridal Week New York on 17 April 2008; Yekaterina Dmitrieva Malenchenko (C) poses near a cardboard figure of her husband, Russian cosmonaut and Hero of Russia, Yuri Malenchenko after a wedding ceremony that was held via satellite link on 10 August 2003; Italian designer Antonio D'Amico (R) with a French model during a show in Milan on 26 September 1999.
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© Photo : Martin Meissner / Rajanish Kakade / Frank Franklin II
Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge (L) after her wedding with Prince William, Prince of Cambridge, on 29 April 2011; Indian actress Priyanka Chopra (C) with her husband, musician Nick Jonas, on 20 December 2018; a model demonstrates clothes by Lebanese designer Reem Acra during the Bridal Week in New York on 11 April 2019.
