Sequins and embellishments go hand-in-hand with Dolly Parton, but before becoming known for her maximalist fashion choices, the country music singer chose a very simple wedding dress.
Dolly eloped to Ringgold, Georgia with her partner Carl Dean when she was just 20, which left her little time to choose her dream bridal gown.
For the intimate ceremony on 30 May 1966 – which was witnessed only by her mother, the preacher and his wife – the Good Lookin' Cookin' author chose an understated white sleeveless dress with a fitted bodice. Instead of a traditional floor-length gown, Dolly surprised in an A-line skirt that fell to her knees, showing off her ivory pumps.
She completed her low-key bridal outfit with matching gloves and a short veil fastened into her curled blonde bob. Meanwhile, Carl cut a dapper figure in a black suit and a white shirt as he smiled in the rare unearthed photo.
Rebellious wedding
Dolly later admitted that she had intended to have a bigger wedding, but she was forced to change her plans after she signed a contract. Fearing the increased publicity, the Islands in the Stream hitmaker went against the advice of her record label and wed Carl secretly.
"We had planned a wedding, and the reason we went to Ringgold is because I didn't want it in the Tennessee papers that we got married. I had just signed a contract and the record label wanted me to wait for a year to get married because they spent all of this money. So I went that weekend and got married," she admitted during an interview with Monica Pearson.
She further elaborated to People: "I never really felt like I had the wedding that we really wanted.
"We’d already sent out invitations and so I thought, 'I ain’t waiting!' We went that same weekend to Ringgold, Georgia in a little church. I had a little white dress and little flowers, and my mom went with me," Dolly explained.
Wedding dress regrets
The couple met aged 18 and 21 outside their local laundromat on the first day the singer moved to Nashville in 1964. They tied the knot two years later and renewed their vows at their home on their 50th wedding anniversary.
Dolly told People she planned to make up for her understated first bridal look during her second wedding celebration.
"I'll have a beautiful wedding dress, 'cause I didn't have a big long wedding dress when we got married, and we've got a suit for him, so we're going to dress up and take a bunch of pictures," she explained.
Marriage confession
Speaking of the secret behind their long-lasting relationship, the Dolly Parton's Heartstrings star said: "I always say 'Stay gone!' and there’s a lot of truth to that. I travel a lot, but we really enjoy each other when we’re together and the little things we do."
The Jolene singer also placed a high importance on humor.
"We both have a warped sense of humor. And I think humor, honestly, is one of the best things when you’re married like that. Even if you have a problem, if you have a great sense of humor, if you say something you can’t take back [you] usually have some crazy way of getting out of it," Dolly said in an interview with ET Canada.
MORE: Dolly Parton's confession about her 57-year marriage to Carl Dean will surprise you