A royal wedding dress is not just a wedding dress but a piece of fashion history, as is the case when former “Suits” star Meghan Markle marries Prince Harry in the most buzzed about wedding of 2018. In honor of the happy occasion, take a look at our list of some of the most beautiful and unique wedding dresses worn on television in the last 25 years.
-by Amanda Spears
Played by: Karyn Peterson
“Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way: Parts 1 and 2,” Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2 (1993)
Hilary received the dress as a sweet-16 present, but she never made it down the aisle. Instead, she watched her fiancé die in a bungee-jumping accident on TV. Afterwards she dyed the dress black so she could mourn appropriately.
Played by: Jennifer Aniston
“The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate,” Season 1, Episode 1 (1994)
One of TV’s all-time biggest hits started when Rachel left her fiancé at the altar and moved in with a friend Monica (Courteney Cox). The dress and veil scream ’90s.
Played by: Fran Drescher
“The Wedding,” Season 5, Episodes 22 and 23 (1998)
Fran was known for being loud and over-the-top, but she picked an elegant and stunning dress for her wedding to Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy).
Played by: Cynthia Nixon
“The Ick Factor,” Season 6, Episode 14 (2004)
Miranda would never be caught dead in a ballgown for her special day. So this suit was perfectly suited to the character and beautiful at the same time.
Played by: Lauren Graham
“The Perfect Dress,” Season 6, Episode 11 (2006)
Lorelai never made it down the aisle in this dress, which she was supposed to wear for her wedding to Luke (Scott Patterson) in season 6. But the couple wouldn’t end up getting married until the 2016 Netflix revival of the series. That’s a shame because this dress was so beautiful with its blush tone throughout.
Played by: Vanessa Williams
“A Nice Day for a Posh Wedding,” Season 2, Episode 7 (2007)
Only a true diva could pull off this glam look! Wilhelmina was marrying publishing mogul Bradford Meade (Alan Dale) in a dress designed by Vera Wang, who also had a cameo in the episode.
Played by: Jayma Mays
“Mash-Up,” Season 1, Episode 8 (2009)
A replica of Princess Diana’s wedding dress. But it’s not that practical if you’re a commoner without anyone to help you maneuver that train.
Played by: Tina Fey
“Mazel Tov, Dummies!” Season 7, Episode 7 (2012)
Most girls do dream of being a princess on their wedding day. Lemon wanted to be Princess Leia.
Played by: Jemima Kirke
“She Did,” Season 1, Episode 10 (2012)
Jessa’s marriage to older man Thomas-John (Chris O’Dowd) didn’t last very long, but the dress perfectly fit the bohemian wedding. The dress was actually found in Kirke’s mother’s vintage boutique.
Played by: Amy Poehler
“Leslie and Ben,” Season 5, Episode 14 (2013)
Leslie and Ben (Adam Scott) decide to move up their wedding by several months, forcing them to scramble to sort out the details. Leslie’s best friend Ann (Rashida Jones) knows just how to finish her dress: by using all the most important documents, fliers, and newspaper clippings from her life and career.
Played by: Emily VanCamp
“Exodus,” Season 3, Episode 10 (2013)
The dress is beautiful and simple, but that veil elevates it to stunning. It’s definitely a fairy-tale look, though Emily’s intentions were decidedly less pure: she was marrying Daniel Grayson (Joshua Bowman) as part of her revenge plot against his evil family.
Played by: Adelaide Kane
“The Consummation,” Season 1, Episode 13 (2014)
“Pulling Strings,” Season 4, Episode 9 (2017)
The first a white wedding in which Queen Mary chooses to wed Francis II instead of Sebastian de Poitiers.
The second was an ornate golden dress fit for a queen when she married Lord Darnley after Francis’s death.
Played by: Kaley Cuoco
“The Matrimonial Momentum,” Season 9, Episode 1 (2015)
“The Conjugal Conjecture,” Season 10, Episode 1 (2016)
Penny and Leonard eloped in season 9, when Penny was modern in pink instead of the traditional white. Then they had a second ceremony in the season 10 premiere, when Penny was more traditional in white but still fun and modern. The best part of the look — she got to wear flats!
Played by: Laura Carmichael
“Christmas Special,” Season 6, Episode 9 (2015)
If anyone deserved a happy ending it was Lady Edith after years of living in her older sister’s shadow. She finally got it in the series finale when she was married in a spectacular dress.
Played by: Claire Foy
“Wolferton Splash” Season 1, Episode 1 (2016)
“The Crown” created an exact replica of then-Princess Elizabeth’s real-life wedding dress, which along with all of the other intricate costumes involved in that royal wedding helped the series win the Emmy for Best Period/Fantasy Costumes.
Played by: Gina Rodriguez
“Chapter Forty-Four,” Season 2, Episode 22 (2016)
Jane was simple and understated for her wedding to Michael (Brett Dier), but still a show-stopper.
Played by: Hannah Simone
“Landing Gear,” Season 5, Episode 22 (2016)
The perfect combination of a traditional sari and a Western wedding dress. It featured intricate gold beading.
Played by: Kerry Washington
“The Decision,” Season 6, Episode 10 (2017)
For the 100th episode Olivia Pope wonders what her life would’ve been like if she hadn’t helped fix the election in Fitz’s favor years ago. Yes, the wedding in this episode was a fantasy, but that dress was gorgeous, and it was as close as viewers ever got to an Olivia/Fitz wedding.
Played by: Rachel Brosnahan
“Pilot,” Season 1, Episode 1 (2017)
The audience saw several flashbacks to Midge’s wedding in the pilot episode of the Amazon streaming series, and this dress established her outgoing and effervescent personality from the beginning.
Played by: Mandy Moore and Chrissy Metz
“I Call Marriage” Season 1, Episode 14 (2017)
“The Wedding” Season 2, Episode 18 (2018)
Completely different dresses for mother and daughter in different time periods, but they each looked beautiful on their special days: Rebecca when she married Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Kate when she married Toby (Chris Sullivan).
