We're Still Not Over These Onscreen Bridal Looks

Every time I watch a wedding scene in a show or movie, there are a couple of thoughts that inevitably cross my mind. First, how are they able to afford a wedding like that with the job that they have? And this is usually followed by how I’ll never be able to find love like that because in real life you mostly have to settle for ‘Nic Pic dea’ comments on your Instagram. But one thought that remains behind is how breathtaking most of my favourite onscreen brides look on their big day.

Self-confession time: I’m obsessed with brides. Minimal brides, OTT brides, modern brides, traditional brides, runaway brides (especially them). Here are our picks for the most memorable on-screen brides, because we know a good bride when we see one!

Best onscreen bridal looks

Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl

Blair got married twice on the show. For her first wedding with the Prince of Monaco, she wore a white Vera Wang gown. While she looked pretty, the look came nowhere close to the very high bar that Queen B had set for herself. In the sixth season, however, we got the much-awaited moment when Blair wore the crème de la crème of wedding dresses, an ice blue gown by Elie Saab while getting married to the love of her life, Chuck Bass, and she looked like a dream. She paired it with matching earrings, and her favourite accessory, a headband. She wouldn’t be Blair if she didn’t make a statement through her wedding dress. So, in typical Blair fashion, she ditched the classic white gown and went for ice blue. Queen B is nothing if not iconic.

Heer Kaul from Rockstar

The movie might not have given us the happy ending that we deserved, but it did give us this dreamy Kashmiri bride look on Nargis Fakhri. It’s not every day that we see a Kashmiri bride on the big screen, least of all one that looks so heavenly, so it’s only fitting that we obsess over it. Heer paired her red lehenga with a taranga (traditional Kashmiri headgear), and for jewellery, she wore a passa, kundan necklaces and dejhoor (traditional Kashmiri earrings). Saying that she looked gorgeous would be an understatement. We get it, Jordan. We get it.

Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl

At the end of the final season of Gossip Girl, Serena finally tied the knot with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dan. While her choice of groom did not sit well with a lot of fans, one thing that was unanimously agreed upon was that she looked like a vision in her white and metallic strapless wedding dress by Georges Chakra. Serena has always had a ‘party girl’ aesthetic, so we’re not surprised that she decided to throw in a splash of gold to her wedding dress as well. She wore her hair up, and skipped the veil. While we may not be on board with Serena’s other life decisions, one thing we approve of is this look.

Kalindi Puri from Veere Di Wedding

Kareena Kapoor as Kalindi had us in a chokehold when she walked down the aisle in Veere di Wedding. She wore a vintage Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla lehenga, with an off-shoulder blouse, gold haathphool, and a simple pearl necklace by Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas Jewellers. She wore a red bindi to go with the red beads on her blouse and wore her hair in a delicate updo decorated with flowers. Not to forget, a string of baby’s breath flowers as a dupatta? Genius. Rhea Kapoor, take a bow.

Monica from Friends

We couldn’t help but ugly sob as Monica walked down the aisle to marry Chandler in this simple, sleek white dress. Our Mondler heart was so full! She wore her hair down, wore a long veil and carried a bouquet of red roses. This outfit looks like every minimal bride’s dream. It’s one of those dresses that stand the test of time, and always remain timeless. This dress, might I add, looked much more flattering on her than the dress that she originally wanted to wear, and her having to give that one up might have been a blessing in disguise.

Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and The City

If you’re going to get stood up at the altar, it might as well be in a Vivienne Westwood dress. Or better yet, this Vivienne Westwood dress. For her (soon-to-be-called off) wedding with Big, Carrie Bradshaw wore a very avant-garde ivory strapless corset gown with a pointed bust and a voluminous skirt. She paired it with a teal fascinator, dainty studs and red lips. OTT brides, take notes.

Rachel Green from Friends

Speaking of wedding dresses that never made it to the aisle, next is Rachel Green from theFriendspilot. I would be remiss not to include her in a list of memorable brides. Fictional brides will come and go, but Rachel as a bride in the first episode of Friends will not be iconic. The image of Rachel bursting into Central Perk, in her wet hair, as a bride in the opening scene of Friends has been etched in our memories forever, and it has got very little to do with her look per say. It is a key moment on the show and made a base for her character growth in the seasons to follow. She wore an embellished off-shoulder gown with a layered pearl necklace, a voluminous veil and a pearl crown (a pearl crown!). Today’s girlies would never! (And rightfully so) Is the crown a little strange? Yes. Is she rocking it? Also Yes.

Alizeh from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

We were all left awestruck as Alizeh walked in looking like a Christmas tree for her Nikaah with Ali. She looked like every Muslim bride's dream in her gold and red Manish Malhotra lehenga, kundan necklace, matching earrings, a nath and a passa. She added a pop of green to her outfit with her jewellery. There is a certain old-world charm about her look and we are here for it. Ayaan breaks into Channa Mereya after looking at her as a bride. Well, can you blame him?

Cece Parekh from New Girl

Cece’s second wedding dress, AKA my Roman Empire, had to make it to the list. For her wedding to Schmidt at the end of the fifth season, Cece paid homage to her Indian roots while wearing a white wedding dress. She perfectly marries Indian and Western cultures with this beautiful strapless gown. There are traditional Indian motifs in champagne colour embroidered all over her dress, and she also wears Indian jewellery. She wore a traditional Indian dupatta as a veil over her head, which had a red border since Indian brides traditionally wear red. The show’s top-notch representation of South Asian characters also extends to South Asian fashion. Given that the portrayal of Indian characters in Western shows and movies, especially in terms of fashion has always been tacky, (cases in point: Padma and Parvati Patil’s tacky Yule Ball outfits inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Kelly Kapoor’s outfit in the Diwali episode ofThe Office) this look took it up a notch (several notches).

Donna Paulsen from Suits

Pro tip: Always wear amazing outfits while going to attend a wedding, it might just end up being YOUR wedding. In a strange turn of events, Donna and Harvey end up getting married at what was supposed to be Louis’ wedding. While stealing Louis’ thunder is typical Harvey, wearing a breathtaking dress on her wedding is typical Donna (even if she might not have known it was going to be her wedding dress). Donna wore a black strapless Monique Lhuillier dress with cute little dandelions all over it and looked as stunning as ever. We’re never getting over this proposal and the spontaneous wedding that followed. Somebody please pass the tissues.

So ladies—if you have found your guy in finance, trust fund, 6'5, blue eyes, and are looking to get married soon, make sure you revisit these characters for some major inspiration.