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Vintage Wedding Dresses: The Maggie Gown To Match Your Favorite Eras
Dresses | March 1, 2025
There’s the T. Swift Eras Tour, and then there’s the ultimate Eras Tour: a journey through all your favorite decades to find the chicest, most beautiful style inspo for your happily ever after. So cue the montage theme music — we’ve got the perfect gallery of vintage wedding dresses to match your favorite bridal era. There’s nothing like a truly timeless silhouette to bring a vintage theme to life… Keep reading and follow us on Pinterest for all the decades and all the magic!
Vintage Wedding Dresses: 1920s
First up: The Roaring 20s. This stylish and energetic era of vintage wedding dresses is often associated with “Gatsby glamor” i.e. a fusion of jazz, the rise of silent films, and the liberation of corsets and convention. Women in this era often chose not to wear a traditional wedding style, but instead a beautiful dress that they liked that wasn’t necessarily bridal. This meant sleek, simple gowns, often straight-cut and loose with a sheath or shift-like silhouette. Strappy sleeves and drop-waist gowns were favored align with long gloves, shorter hemlines, and cathedral-length veils paired elaborate headpieces like hats, diamond tiaras, and floral crowns.
These are a few 1920s-inspired wedding dresses we love from our latest collections:
Love these throwback gowns? Read 10 Vintage Inspired Wedding Dresses and Accessories for Timeless Brides to see more!
1930s Bridal Gowns
1930s vintage wedding dresses were influenced by Old-Hollywood glamor, stately elegance, and romantic escapism. These silk and satin dresses, long sleeves, short trains, and minimalist embellishments created softer silhouettes (but more intricate gowns did start to get more ornamental as the decade went on). Veils were paired with headpieces or a small white hat, and getaway outfits made a big statement, as couples started going straight from their reception to their honeymoon. Bouquets also gained popularity in this decade, giving brides new ways to personalize their bridal look.
If you love this decade’s style, we’ve gathered a few gorgeous gowns to consider:
1940s & 1950s Dresses
Next up, the 1940s. With World War II and strict war-time rationing in place during this era, brides chose to wear formal pieces they already owned — often tailored, high-waisted tops and A-line skirts that came only to the knee. Celebrities like Ava Gardner got married in a suit, but perhaps the most glamorous highlight was when Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947… The vintage wedding dress was an ivory silk and pearl embroidered scoop neck, a standout for the era.
With the post-war boom of the 1950s, fashion swung in a more opulent direction: full skirts, fitted bodices, sweetheart necklines, and frilly, whimsical embellishments took over, with many brides taking inspiration from modern icons and celebrities like Jacqueline Kennedy and Grace Kelly. The Princess of Monaco’s wedding dress had a lace bodice and sleeves, which popularized the use of lace for 1950s brides. (Psst! Love lace? See Types of Lace to Look for in Your Winter Wedding Dress to learn more about all they different types to choose from!) Sweetheart necklines, long sleeves, buttons, and frills made for perfect style statements for the new era.
Some gowns we’re loving for this decade’s trends:
1960s and ’70s-Inspired Wedding Dresses
The 1960s was a decade of creative counterculture and experimentation in fashion. These vintage wedding dresses popularized shorter skirt lengths, three-quarter-length sleeves, shift silhouettes, and more structured fabrics. Celebrities inspired with unique, unexpected bridal styles. (Think Elizabeth Taylor’s yellow wedding dress and Sharon Tate’s short babydoll dress in 1968.) The full skirts of the 1950s were replaced by A-line and shift silhouettes, formal coat dresses and fur-trimmed jackets became a staple for cold-weather brides, and high necks and capped sleeves came back into style.
Renaissance-inspired vintage wedding dress trends like high collars and big bell sleeves continued to trend into the 1970s, with silhouettes becoming more billowy, bohemian, and organic. Ethereal sleeves, wrist cuffs, and high necks became a staple of 1970s wedding style. Ribbons and hats took the place of veils, floral motifs embellished flowing cotton dresses… Think “flower child” of the 1960s with a fresh upgrade for the 70s.
Vintage Bridal Gowns: 1980s
The 80s summed up in a phrase? More is more. Princess Diana’s iconic bridal look set a new standard for puffy sleeves and big trains. (Check out similar styles from Our Favorite Celebrity Wedding Dresses for Women’s History Month!) Lace trim and over-the-top headdresses also had a major moment. Voluminous gowns were a must, as well as opulent bows and bridal accessories.
Here are vintage wedding dresses that caught our eye for 80s trends:
1990s & Early 2000s Wedding Dresses
After the opulence of the 80s, 1990s bridal fashion began to diversify and modernize. Lace, bows, and full skirts were still on trend, but soon came a new wave of softer, more organic silhouettes and relaxed “grunge” vibe. There’s plenty to choose from in the trends: Romantic off-the-shoulder and unique halter-style gowns, some fuller lace gowns, sheath silhouettes, beachy vibes, and retro 1950s throwbacks were all having their 90s moment.
The early 2000s vintage wedding dresses were marked by the rise of “Vera Wang bridal” — strapless bodices, spaghetti strap gowns, and simple, non-embellished bodices with straight necklines were everywhere. Asymmetrical details, one-shoulder gowns, cut-out backs, and low-back cowl dresses were also huge in the early 2000s. Check out our blog, Vintage Trends From The Early 2000s, for even more inspo!
Here are a few styles to emulate the moment:
We’re head over heels for all the bridal eras! We can’t wait for you to find the perfect vintage wedding dress for your celebration. Schedule your bridal appointment at one of our Authorized Boutiques today to try your fav gowns on IRL! Happy shopping, brides!
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