Bride Cilla

If you are planning to visit wedding shows in the next few months, here are some of photos of famous wedding dresses from the exhibition at Brides the Show last autumn to give you some ideas if you want something different. These are the ones that stood out for me for one reason (beautiful dress) or another (legendary bride).

Being a short dress kind of woman, this was one I really wanted to see - Cilla Black's 'traditional' wedding dress for her church service (following her red velvet dress for her civil service) – it’s so Cilla!

Then there was the incredible Darcey Bussell. The David Austin 'Darcey' rose is named after her, and her dress was no less pretty. I saw her at the Royal Opera House in Song of the Earth, her last ballet performance, and for me this dress, with its frilled cuffs and tiny daisies, captures her English rose beauty and her warm persona.

I was too young to be excited about Charles and Di’s wedding (the only celebrities I was interested in at that time were Shakin’ Stevens and Kim Wilde), but I do remember Sarah and Andrew’s wedding. Sarah Ferguson was the person who first got me wishing I had long, red hair! I remember her grin and her vivaciousness. She was also the patron of a charity, The British Institute for Brain-Injured Children, which helped my sister when she was young. So this dress was the most ‘famous’ for me…though I can’t say it is remotely my taste! They did have a dress by another famous Fergie at the exhibition, but this will always be Fergie to me.

I may have mentioned before that I adore blue dresses (see 500 Days of Summer), so Dawn O’Porter’s beautiful, vintage dress was one of my favourites. It’s not particularly bride-like and is rather little girlish, but that’s its charm, I think.

This lavender dress is from another 80s icon, Joan Collins, who I remember for her catfight with Krystle in Dynasty in the 80s, back when Snickers was called Marathon! I love the boldness of the colour and the cut.

Finally, this dress is a guilty pleasure. I am not the princess type – I prefer dresses that you can run and outsmart villains in (a la She-Ra) – but I am partial to a bit of pink prettiness, and Portia de Rossi’s dress was very pink and very princess-like.