The Most Iconic Bridal Beauty Looks Of All Time

Brides on the hunt for the ultimate in aisle-worthy beauty often find themselves scouring the internet (and Pinterest), eager to glean ideas from weddings past. Be it celebrity, royal or simply iconic, brides throughout history set the bar for the do's and don'ts in wedding hair and makeup. To streamline your bridal beauty planning, we've rounded up the best of the best throughout the ages–from the royals best tiaras and the bold lips we loved and the most groundbreaking celebrity wedding hair.

Ingrid Bergman wed Petter Lindström in a caged juliet cap and pin curls in 1937. Photo: Getty

For her controversial 1937 wedding to Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, Wallis Simpson donned a halo shaped hat rather than a veil, which she paired with her soft blue gown and a stunning diamond and sapphire brooch at her neck. Photo: Getty

At the age of 16, Marilyn Monroe (who then went by her given name, Norma Jeane) married Jim Dougherty in 1942. Her coiffed hair and traditional veil were a classic choice for the first of her three wedding days. Photo: Getty

Elizabeth Taylor, arguably the queen of weddings and inventive bridal styling, opted for classic and traditional when she wed Conrad Hilton in 1950. The bride paired her look with an encrusted tiara and a full, fingertip-length veil. Photo: Getty

For her 1951 wedding to Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner embodied the classic, coiffed trends of the time–appearing polished and the best version of her on-screen self. A bit of a break in tradition, Gardner opted to skip the veil for her third marriage. Photo: Getty

Before Bardot became the quintessential blond bombshell we all remember, she wed her first husband, Roger Vadim, in a winter wedding with a short haircut, minimal makeup and a circular cap, to which her appliquéd veil was attached. Photo: Getty

Elizabeth Taylor began her love of bridal hair flowers with her curly crop for her wedding to British actor Michael Wilding in 1952. Photo: Getty

For her wedding to JFK, Jackie O opted for a natural yet polished look to complement her Ann Lowe portrait-neckline gown. She accented her look with an all-lace veil tucked into a soft juliet cap with fabric flower appliqués. Photo: Getty

For her wedding to Mel Ferrer, Audrey Hepburn completed her mock-neck look, designed by Pierre Balmain, with a flower crown of white roses. It appears that Hepburn ushered in this Coachella-credited trend that's become ubiquitous in modern-day boho bridal–despite hers being anything but hippie. Photo: Getty

For her best known nuptials, her elopement to baseball great Joe DiMaggio in 1954, Monroe kept it simple and dressed like the best, most recognizable version of her on-camera persona: blond as can be, a pin-curled bob and enviable lashes. Photo: Getty

For her iconic wedding to Price Rainier of Monaco in 1956, Grace Kelly wore a red-hued lip, a floral-adorned crown and veil and natural, yet defined, eye-liner. Her look, while undeniably classic, was also incredibly fashion-forward and continues to be a source of bridal beauty inspiration.

Photo: Getty

Marilyn's final walk down the aisle, this time with playwright Arthur Miller, was the perfect combination of fashion-forward and timeless. Monroe opted for her classic look, paired with an atypical chin-length veil to complement her body-con, cocktail-length dress.

Photo: Getty

Related article: This Oligarch Daughter's $10 Million L.A. Wedding Featuring Lady Gaga Is Insane

No stranger to bridal beauty, Elizabeth Taylor opted for bombshell glamour and effortless, voluminous waves for her 1957 wedding to Michael Todd. Photo: Getty

In keeping with stars dressing for their weddings the way they would on-screen, Brigitte Bardot looked like the ultimate beach-blond bombshell for her 1959 wedding to Jacques Charrier. The starlet made her eyes (via a wide liner) the focal point, and kept hair breezy and her lip a natural shade of just-bitten pink. Photo: Getty

For her fourth marriage to Eddie Fisher in Las Vegas after the death of Michael Todd (Fisher was the best man in Todd and Taylor's wedding and the father of Carrie Fisher), Elizabeth Taylor opted for a bridal headscarf in the same unconventional hue as her dress, winged liner and a mauve-meets-pink lip. Photo: Getty

Elizabeth Taylor's first (of two) weddings to Richard Burton–which took place nine days after her divorce from Eddie Fisher–resulted in some of the most iconic bridal hair to date. Case in point: her unbelievable fresh-flower adorned, extra-long twisted ponytail for their vow exchange in 1964. Photo: Getty

Mia Farrow wed Frank Sinatra in Dior–and in an easy, gamine pixie cut that has come to epitomize the best in chic, sweet and mod bridal hair. Photo: Getty

Liza Minelli's wedding, just one year after Farrow's, followed suit in regard to the short crop she donned, but Minnelli chose to go in a different direction with her makeup. Rather than barely-there, the singer and actress chose a cat wing liner that felt like a sultry contrast to her super-conservative wedding gown. Photo: Getty

When Priscilla and Elvis Presley wed, the young bride set the tone for the best in rock-and-roll bridal vibes: short dress, big hair, whimsical tiara and a voluminous veil–paired with wide, winged eyeliner. Photo: Getty

Hepburn wed Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti in a city hall wedding in Switzerland, setting the bar for all civil ceremonies going forward. The actress opted to work with friend and designer Hubert de Givenchy for this look, which included white tights and ballerina flats. The sweet and chic look prompted an ease with her makeup, and a mod fringe, paired with a headscarf to match. Photo: Getty

If there is a bridal trailblazer throughout history worth noting, its Bianca Jagger. This bride set trends in almost every aspect of her bridal style–from wedding day suiting, to no-makeup makeup to veil-topped (wide-brimmed) bridal hats. Photo: Getty

The Charlie's Angel donned an all-American version of Bianca Jagger's wedding day look for her 1973 nuptials to Lee Majors–sporting a similar wide-brimmed hat (an iconic shape for the '70s) with her signature coif and a more bohemian flair. Photo: Getty

Berenson is the ultimate bohemian bride with her off-the-shoulder neckline, smoky bronze eyeshadow and bronzed complexion and a collection of tropical blooms in her side-swept beach waves. Photo: Getty

Princess Diana wore what is arguably the most over-the-top wedding gown in history–and as a result, she kept her beauty look simple, young and fresh. Her hair, which was also kept polished but low-key to balance out her gown's monarch-length train, was capped with a true tiara (this one actually has royal heritage unlike the others we've seen until this point!) and an equally dramatic veil. Photo: Getty

The legend wore not one, but three, hair accessories for her marriage to Norwegian businessman Arne Næss Jr., pairing silk hair flowers with a dainty tiara, a traditional veil and bold, smoky eyes that didn't ditch the disco liner for the aisle. Photo: Shutterstock

For her wedding to Tommy Motola, Mariah Carey sported quintessentially '90s beauty–case in point: the perm, the shaped brows and the mauve lip color. Photo: Getty

For her wedding to superstar footballer David Beckham, Victoria Beckham channeled equal parts princess and posh spice, sporting the short crop she donned during her music career heyday to complement (rather than compete) with her larger than life Vera Wang ball gown.


Photo: Instagram

Related article: Royal Hairstyles Through The Years

Meet the ultimate in bridal braids. Gwen Stefani made braids edgy-meets-classic for her 2002 wedding to rocker Gavin Rossdale. Photo: Getty

For her wedding to Ellen Degeneres, Portia de Rossi went pure romance–opting for a nude lip, a mussed, textured chignon (completed with an embellished hair comb) and a neutral-toned, understated smoky eye. Photo: Getty

Rather than channel her on-stage style, Beyonce's look for her 2008 wedding to Jay-Z was glamorous and undeniably classic. Queen Bey went dramatic with her lashes and smoky shadow, but kept her lip color nude and opted for a slicked back updo rather than anything too whimsical and textured. Photo: Courtesy

Gisele's easy-going bridal style was most apparent in her beach waves for her 2009 wedding to NFL superstar Tom Brady. The supermodel accented her easy, breezy look with minimal makeup and a white rose tucked behind her ear. Photo: Getty

Lara Stone's after party look for her 2010 wedding included buffed liner and lashes for an edgier, downtown vibe and morning-after waves. Photo: Getty

Leave it to Kate Middleton to set the standard for a new generation of classic wedding dressing. The Duchess wore her hair half-up for her wedding to William, and sported rosy cheeks, bold lashes and porcelain skin all aimed at accenting her heirloom tiara and veil, which was made from a denser chiffon rather than a sheer net. Photo: Getty

The supermodel showed us how to nail bohemian bridal–from her soft, easy hair texture to her minimal makeup–in her 2011 countryside nuptials to Jamie Hince. Photo: Getty

Amal Clooney's bridal beauty look was all about ease and polish. Rather than change what works, this bride chose the best version of her everyday look for her wedding to George Clooney. Photo: Getty

For her third wedding to Kanye West, Kim reinvented the staple half-up look and gave it a bit of edge, with a center part, sleek sides and a bit of volume at the crown. She capped off her bridal look with bold lashes. Photo: Getty

Poppy Delevingne's English ceremony required elements of the classics, with a romantic touch. Rather than have her hair sleek, the bride softened polished waves with a bit of texture, and moved her part off-center to give her look some movement around the embroidered, strict, bold-shouldered neckline of her Chanel Haute Couture gown. Photo: Getty

Solange went all natural for her bridal hair and balanced the ease of it all with bold brows and a red lip. Photo: Getty

Nicky Hilton's English wedding required odes to royals of the past, loads of lace and super polished hair. The bride wore a sleek, pulled back knot at the nape of her neck with a deep side part and a soft pink lip. Photo: Getty

This royal wedding was more glamorous than we'd seen previously from Kate and Diana when it came to bridal hair. Princess Sofia opted for a sleek center part, slicked back into a double looped chignon, which sat at the nape of her neck rather than below her crown. Her tiara, unlike most, included a touch of color–which made her super-traditional look that much more fashion forward. Photo: Getty

Pippa Middleton took notes from her sister's classic take on bridal beauty–but up'd the ante on romance. The bride's mussed updo included some texture, ease and effortlessness, making the inclusion of a tiara more dreamy than it was glamorous.

Photo: Getty

Related article: The Best Summer Weddings of 2017 According To Instagram

From: Harper's BAZAAR US