Weddings are often huge events in movies and TV shows. They represent the culmination of everything you've watched a fictional couple go through. So it's no wonder that the costume department often goes all out on the wedding dresses. You need an amazing gown to go with an equally amazing scene.
But not every wedding gown we've seen on-screen has been a hit. Sometimes they're kind of boring or they're too over-the-top or they look dated because they're from an older production. But there have been many more great dresses than bad.
It's hard to choose from all of the content that's ever been produced, but we managed to narrow things down to our top 10 favorite wedding dresses from TV shows and our top 10 favorites from movies. Be warned: There may be some spoilers ahead since weddings typically come at the end of a series or film.
Blair on 'Gossip Girl'
Instead of a traditional white dress, Blair opted for this stunning blue gown on her wedding day with Chuck Bass. It was created by high-fashion designer Elie Saab to "feel like old-world glamour meets contemporary high fashion," Gossip Girl costume designer Eric Daman told InStyle.
Serena on 'Gossip Girl'
Like Blair, Serena also went with a somewhat nontraditional wedding dress. She still had a white skirt, but the bodice was made of a shimmering gold material that dripped all the way down the train. Dan probably didn't care what she was wearing, just that he was finally getting to marry her.
Brittany and Santana on 'Glee'
On Glee, Brittany and Santana got married to each other in a double wedding with Kurt and Blaine. No shade to the grooms, but the two women totally stole the show. Santana wore a strapless dress with a diamond belt, and Brittany went with a lacy, bohemian look with delicate cap sleeves.
Margaery in 'Game of Thrones'
The best parts of Margaery's wedding to Joffrey in Game of Thrones were when he died a terrible death — and her dress. The gown had an open back and a train made of a cascade of fabric roses connected with silvery thorn embroidery. The imagery was meant to represent House Tyrell, whose symbol was a rose.
Leslie in 'Parks and Recreation'
Leslie's wedding dress was a labor of love from her best friend, Ann. When Leslie and Ben's wedding was moved up, Anne helped finish Leslie's dress by crafting the skirt out of newspaper clippings from some of Leslie's most important moments in government. It may not be a designer gown, but it has so much meaning.
Rebecca on 'This Is Us'
Jack and Rebecca got married in 1976, and Rebecca's dress is totally of the decade. She wed her soul mate in a gorgeous, long-sleeved lace dress, which she paired with a flower crown atop her loose waves. The costume department of This Is Us has to build wardrobes from several decades for all of the characters, and this is definitely one of their best '70s looks.
Diana in 'The Crown'
Princess Diana's iconic, poofy-sleeved wedding dress was painstakingly re-created for Emma Corrin to wear in The Crown. It took the Netflix series' costume team 14 weeks to put the gown together, and they had to get permission from the original designers to do such a spot-on re-creation.
Rachel in 'Suits'
All eyes were on what Meghan Markle's character, Rachel, would wear for her wedding to Mike on Suits. People wondered if it would be a sneak peek at Meghan's actual wedding dress. In the end, the dresses were pretty different. Rachel's was V-necked with small straps and a wide skirt, but it totally suited her.
Rose in 'Downton Abbey'
Period drama wedding dresses are usually so intricate and beautiful, and that's just what Lady Rose's gown was like on Downton Abbey. Everything from the gold detailing on the fabric to the headband to the silk gloves absolutely was spot-on. The costumes on this show were just always so next level.
Olivia in 'Scandal'
For Scandal's 100th episode, the show presented an alternate reality where Olivia and Fitz got married in a dreamy ceremony complete with a stunning wedding gown. Olivia wore a gorgeous but simple off-the-shoulder dress which she accessorized with a diamond belt and pearls in her high bun.
Maggie in 'Runaway Bride'
Julia Roberts' dress in Runaway Bride was definitely very '90s (the film came out in 1999), but we still love it — rose sleeve detailing and all. And for the dress to hold up so well to extreme horseback riding? That's pretty amazing. We'd lose some of those '90s details today if we were getting married in it, but it's a wonderful snapshot of the high fashion at the time.
Bella in 'Twilight'
Kristen Stewart's character wore a white long-sleeved silk gown for her wedding to Edward in the Twilight franchise. But even though it was simple, it was classic. It actually reminds us a lot of the dress Meghan Markle wore for her actual wedding — just a little less off-the-shoulder.
Carrie in 'Sex and the City'
When it came time for Carrie to finally marry Big, she somehow managed to get a whole photo shoot out of the announcement like she was some big celeb or something. But we're not even going to question it, because it gave us this total fashion fantasy scene where she tried on a bunch of couture gowns. We honestly can't even pick a favorite.
Katniss in 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'
Katniss' stylist, Cinna, did it again when he constructed this tiered wedding dress for Katniss to show off to the citizens of the Capitol. It's definitely a little out there, what with the attached silver portions, but it was perfect for the universe that the movie was set in — over-the-top everything.
Marie in 'Marie Antoinette'
The queen who infamously told poor peasants to eat cake would of course have had a dramatic wedding dress. Her gown was reportedly white and silver and outfitted with real diamonds to show off her status. It was also accidentally made too small, so she had a hard time wearing it for her big day.
Danielle in 'Ever After'
Drew Barrymore got to play the Cinderella character in this adaptation, complete with a gorgeous wedding dress (it has fairy wings!) Honestly, we'd get married in this outfit today, so that just shows you how timeless it is. Probably didn't need the elbow ruffle, though. But everything else is perfect.
Mia in 'Princess Diaries 2'
The plot of the second Princess Diaries movie is that an outdated law mandates that Mia must get married if she wants to retain her royal title. But even though she initially thinks she'll have to marry out of necessity, she finds true love in the end — and she wears this delicate lace dress to her wedding. Iconic.
Liv in 'Bride Wars'
A movie all about a wedding has got to have a good dress. In the film, Liv's is designed by the Vera Wang, and it's gorgeous. If it weren't 2009, it probably wouldn't have the ribbon belt, but we can let that slide — especially because she didn't actually wear the belt down the aisle in the end.
Fleur in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'
The one little bright spot in the seventh Harry Potter movie was Bill and Fleur's wedding. She wore a stunning dress for the occasion, with an appliqué of two black peacocks on the bodice, and the flouncy skirt acting as their feathers. The costume designers really outdid themselves with this one.
Maria in 'The Sound of Music'
Maria got married to Captain Von Trapp while surrounded by nuns, so her dress had to be on the more modest side. But even though the high neckline isn't exactly on trend today, it was so glamorous in the film. Julie Andrews would make a paper bag look amazing, though, so she had a real leg up with this silky dress. In 2013, the costume was auctioned off for $23,000.
