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celebrity black wedding dresses

9 celebrities with unconventional black wedding dresses: From Ellen Pompeo to Avril Lavigne

These brides look beautiful!

Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
October 6, 2021
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christine quinn© Photo: Netflix

Not all brides choose to wear white on their wedding day – we've seen a bold purple shade on Victoria Beckham and a pretty pink gown on Kaley Cuoco – but the colour black is actually increasing in popularity. Just look to Ellie Goulding to Ellen Pompeo for proof!

According to research by Design Bundles, online searches for black wedding dresses increased by 233% in September 2021, making it the most Googled style of wedding dress in the UK. Of course, that's helped by the fact that designer Vera Wang's described them as "sexy" during a chat with Harper's Bazaar.

So what celebrities have chosen the unconventional shade? Perhaps one of the first people that comes to mind is Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn, who chose a Gothic-themed black wedding dress when she married Christian Richard on their $1million wedding day. Her dress was designed in collaboration with Galia Lahav and featured a sparkly sequin skirt and sheer lace bodice, which she paired with signed Christian Louboutin heels.

Keep scrolling to see more stars wearing black on their big day...

SEE: 11 celebrity brides with coloured wedding dresses

WATCH: 9 of the most stunning celebrity weddings

kristen bell wedding© Photo: Instagram

Kristen Bell

Who needs a dress at all when you have a chic trouser and top set? Kristen Bell chose an all-black outfit for her nuptials with Dax Shephard at The Beverly Hills courthouse in October 2013.

avrillavigne wedding© Photo: HELLO!

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne was among those who broke away from the traditional white wedding gown when she married her ex-husband Chad Kroeger in a Chateau near Cannes. Their 2013 nuptials followed a gothic theme, and the bride looked striking in a black dress from Monique Lhuillier, which she paired with black roses.

ellen pompeo© Photo: Getty Images

Ellen Pompeo 

For her small wedding in New York's City hall in 2007, Grey's Anatomy actress Ellen Pompeo wore a little black dress by Yves Saint Laurent that she bought in Paris the previous summer.

"I get to dress up all the time. I completely understand women wanting a wedding, because most people don't get to dress up in gorgeous dresses and have their hair and make-up done" she told Allure Magazine. "I, however, am fortunate enough that I get to put on beautiful dresses and make-up and jewels all the time."

SHOP: 25 of the best diamond engagement rings from Vera Wang, Tiffany and more

shenae grimes wedding dress© Photo: Instagram

Shenae Beech

90210 actress Shenae Grimes married British model Josh Beech in 2013 in a small unconventional ceremony just outside London. Shenae wore a black Vera Wang gown from the designer's fall 2012 collection, complete with a fitted bodice, plunging neckline and layered black and grey tulle skirt.

ellie goulding and caspar jopling© Photo: Getty Images

Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding's stunning long-sleeved bespoke Chloé wedding dress designed by Natacha Ramsay-Levi was not her only bridal outfit. She opted for five stunning wedding looks when she tied the knot with Caspar Jopling, including a strapless black gown – but it's not clear when she chose to wear it over her wedding weekend. The dress featured a full skirt and a belt tied at the waist, and she styled her hair half up and half down with a pretty plait. "My beautiful dark twisted fantasy," the Starry Eyed singer wrote.

PHOTOS: Celebrity wedding dresses 2021: Gwen Stefani, Ariana Grande, more

cheryl cole wedding© Photo: Getty Images

Cheryl Cole

Girls Aloud singer Cheryl and her ex-husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini wore matching outfits as they celebrated their marriage at a private party in London after tying the knot in Mustique. Cheryl sported a design by British couture duo Ralph & Russo, who told Vogue, "The play on fabrics and simple silhouette is what really makes this gown so striking. The sumptuous, rich velvet and duchess silk bodice contrasted with a delicate, sheer silk-chiffon skirt brought an element of fun to the overall look whilst still being romantic.

"Cheryl's choice of black for a wedding celebration was so unexpected but I love the fact that she surprised everyone."

tina turner wedding dress© ©Florian Kalotay (Pourunefois.ch)

Tina Turner

Tina Turner didn't take a traditional approach when it came to choosing her bridal outfit – in fact, she spotted her bold dress at a catwalk show in Beijing. "I thought, 'I gotta have that, even if I never wear it,'" she told HELLO!. "Then I thought, 'I know, that will be my wedding dress!'" 

She tied the knot with German music producer Erwin Bach at their home in Switzerland in 2013 wearing a Giorgio Armani striking green taffeta dress embellished with Swarovski crystals.

sarah husband© Photo: Getty Images

Sarah Jessica Parker 

Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker wore a black ruffled Morgane Le Fay gown when marrying Matthew Broderick in 1997. The actress supposedly chose to wear black at the time so as to not draw attention to herself, but she has since admitted that she regrets taking the unconventional route on her wedding day. If the couple were to renew their vows she said she would "wear a beautiful, proper wedding dress, like [she] should have worn that day."

SEE: Wedding guest outfit ideas for autumn 2021: From chic dresses to jumpsuits and trouser suits

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