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Wedding dress
The V&A holds a stunning collection of wedding attire, spanning five centuries and featuring key designers. Extravagant, demure, edgy, elegant, pure white, bold colour – these ensembles are as varied as the brides and grooms who wore them.
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Highlights include a 17th century royal wedding suit, vibrant outfits from Africa and Asia, plus an array of accessories, including lace veils and silk slippers. The undeniable stars, however, are the wedding dresses themselves. The extensive collection of iconic white gowns perfectly encapsulates the changing moods of both fashion and society, from the late 18th century to the present day.
Collection highlights
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Wedding Dress, designed by Pam Hogg, 2012, UK -
Man's wedding suit, designed by Mr. Fish, 1967, London, England -
Photograph, Lafayette Photography, 1910, United Kingdom. Museum no. LAF.6728. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Wedding dress and headdress, designed by Wendy Ramshaw, early 1962, UK -
Wedding dress and petticoat, about 1851, Britain -
(Detail) Wedding dress, 1841, England -
(Back) Kimono, 1980 – 2000, Japan -
Ring, 1650 – 1799, Europe -
Female Wedding outfit, designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, 2015, Bolpur, India -
Photograph, 1916, England -
Wedding dress, early 1938, UK -
Wedding ensemble, designed by John Bates, made for Jean Varon, 1966, UK -
Fashion design, designed by Val St. Cyr, made for Elizabeth Handley-Seymour, 1916 – 18, London, England -
Pair of shoes, made for Peter Robinson Ltd., 1914, London, England -
Page boy's suit, about 1894, England -
Wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, 1933, London, England -
Wedding hat, manufactured by Paul Walser Ltd (Reslaw), 1947, UK -
(Detail) Wedding dress and shoes, made for Stern Bros, by Francis O'Neill, 1890, New York, US -
Panorama of a Fashionable Wedding, The Illustrated London News Ltd, 1855, London, United Kingdom. Museum no. NAL 172935. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Features
Dresses of character
Every dress has its own story, making bold personal statements about their wearers' lives
The Victoria connection
Queen Victoria is credited with popularising the white wedding dress, which came to symbolise romantic propriety and purity
Shopping for the dress
A fascinating insight into the changing approach to acquiring that most special of outfits
Wedding colour
The colourful wedding dresses in our collection make bold statements about the lives and attitudes of the different women who wore them
Old, new, borrowed, blue
Discover the significance of this superstitious little rhyme
Floral accessories
Bringing with them associations of freshness, vivacity and endless cultural coding, flowers have featured in bridal designs and rituals throughout history
Designing for the bride
Gareth Pugh, Pam Hogg and Philip Treacy discuss bespoke bridal commissions
Caring for vintage wedding dresses & veils
Our conservation experts provide some top tips on caring for and treating your vintage wedding dress
Brooches for bridesmaids
A 19th century guide to gifts for bridesmaids
Gifts for groomsmen
Canes, stock pins or cufflinks – a groomsmen gift guide
How was it made? Diamond ring
See a diamond ring take shape
Groom wear
We hold a number of culturally valuable pieces of groom wear, including the wedding suit of King James II
Header image: Background image: Wedding Dress and veil, Pam Hogg, 2012, UK. Museum no. T.5-2014. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London Wedding Dress and veil, Pam Hogg, 2012, UK. Museum no. T.5-2014. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London