11 Celebrities Who Wore Iconic Oscar de la Renta Wedding Dresses
Few wedding dress designers are more prolific than Oscar de la Renta. Born Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo in 1932, the Santo Domingo fashion designer rose to international fame in the 1960s when he began dressing First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. He designed for a number of well-known fashion houses, such as Elizabeth Arden and Balmain, before launching his own eponymous label under the Oscar de la Renta name. His brand forayed into bridal fashion in 2006, and, well, the rest is history.
Over the years, plenty of celebrity brides have selected unforgettable wedding dresses from the Oscar de la Renta label. The brand's designs are known for including notable trendy details such as ruffles, bows, unique floral and lace patterns and flared skirts. Below, we look back on eleven of the most iconic Oscar de la Renta celebrity wedding dresses, worn by Joey King, Amal Clooney, Katherine Heigl and many more.
Joey King's Wedding Dress
For her ethereal destination wedding in Mallorca, actress Joey King channeled a Spanish-inspired "Great Gatsby" theme. The bride stunned in four custom Oscar de la Renta looks throughout the extended weekend celebration, including a statement strapless ball gown with oversized flower petal paillettes. "I knew instantly they were perfect," she told Vogue of her wedding dresses. "We flew to New York, had a fitting with Fernando [Garcia, co-creative director of Oscar de la Renta], and the rest is history."
She also wore a whimsical Oscar de la Renta gown for the reception, which featured sheer tulle overlay, 3D floral appliqués, exposed boning on the bodice and a tiered skirt. "I felt so sexy and romantic in this, like a fairy," she told the publication of the look. "And the best part? It's the perfect dress to dance the night away in."
Naomi Watts' Wedding Dress
As the most recent celebrity Oscar de la Renta bride, actress Naomi Watts opted for an off-the-rack lace gown to wed actor Billy Crudup at a New York City courthouse in June 2023. The surprise nuptials were understated and intimate, as perfectly represented by the bride's simple-yet-chic ensemble. Naomi Watts' wedding dress featured a sweetheart neckline, a bustier-style bodice and an A-line skirt that showed off her gold sandals. The bride's stylist, Jeanann Williams, posted a photo of the newlyweds on Instagram, and the bride shared more about her dress-shopping experience in the comments. "Awwww thanks jeans and thanks for talking me into going beyond my own closet and sending me the gorgeous dress," she wrote.
Amal Clooney's Wedding Dress
It's hard to forget the fanfare surrounding George and Amal Clooney's star-studded nuptials in September 2014. The prolific duo jetted off to Venice, Italy, for a whirlwind three-day wedding weekend, complete with a civil ceremony, canal boat rides, and a lavish palace party. The bride's wedding wardrobe included quite a few memorable outfits, including a Stella McCartney pantsuit with a wide-brimmed hat, as well as a pink and orange fit-and-flare mini dress by Giambattista Valli.
Most notably, though, was her famed Oscar de la Renta wedding dress. The creation was nothing short of spectacular: It featured an elegant bateau neckline covered in ivory tulle, as well as fourteen yards of Chantilly lace. The bodice, which had hand-embroidered beads and crystals, led into a soft A-line skirt with a long train. "George and I wanted a wedding that was romantic and elegant, and I can't imagine anyone more able than Oscar to capture this mood in a dress," Amal told Vogue ahead of the wedding. "Meeting him made the design process all the more magical, as he is so warm and such a gentleman."
Allison Williams' Wedding Dress
Just over a year after the Clooney wedding, fellow Oscar de la Renta bride Allison Williams said "I do" to entrepreneur Ricky Van Veen. The couple hosted an intimate vow swap on a ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming, complete with a guest list including famous friends Katy Perry, John Mayer, Lena Dunham, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Hanks (who also officiated). The Girls actress wore an elegant custom long sleeve Oscar de la Renta A-line gown, complete with an illusion neckline dotted with lace designs and a statement veil.
Once photos of Williams' dress began circling the internet, it quickly drew comparisons to the wedding dress of another famous bride: Kate Middleton. Williams opened up about the parallels on a Sirius XM radio show hosted by Andy Cohen—who was also a guest at her wedding. "I think it was just that I was white with brown hair and seemed slightly regal in some way, which is a huge compliment," she said. "She's my dream person. She's so elegant. I would faint in her presence."
Kate Bosworth's Wedding Dress
Actress Kate Bosworth wore not one, but two custom Oscar de la Renta frocks for her 2013 wedding to director Michael Polish. The couple swapped vows in front of just 50 guests at a secluded ranch in Montana. In a nod to their bucolic venue, the bride arrived at the ceremony in a horse-drawn stagecoach—but her gown was anything but rustic. She stepped out in a chic strapless gown with a full skirt trailed by an eight-foot train, paired with a long veil. After the ceremony, she changed into another de la Renta gown for the reception: a gauzy floral tulle dress with a draped neckline and scalloped sleeves.
Katherine Heigl's Wedding Dress
Katherine Heigl once wore nearly 30 outlandish bridesmaid gowns in the beloved wedding rom-com 27 Dresses, but have you ever seen her real wedding dress? She was, of course, yet another famous Oscar de la Renta bride. The actress married country musician Josh Kelley in a winter wonderland-themed wedding at a Utah lodge in 2007. She donned an ultra-romantic de la Renta gown, which had ruffled fabric along the neckline and a fitted bodice that led into a ruffled skirt. She paired her look with pearl drop earrings and a vintage-inspired birdcage veil.
Jenna Bush Hager's Wedding Dress
Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of President George W. Bush, tapped Oscar de la Renta for her ultra-private nuptials at her family's ranch in Texas in May 2008. The media personality wanted an "organic and natural" feel to her big day, according to People, which inspired her wedding dress style. She wore an elegant sleeveless gown with a fitted silhouette, which boasted all-over beading and embroidery and a delicate V-neckline. The bride wasn't the only one wearing Oscar de la Renta either—First Lady Barbara Bush donned a structured turquoise blue mother-of-the-bride gown from the label as well.
Elizabeth Shaffer's Wedding Dress
As the future daughter-in-law of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Elizabeth Shaffer (née Cordry) knew exactly who she wanted to create her wedding dress. In fact, she told the publication it "wasn't even a question" that she'd tap Oscar de la Renta to design the gown she'd wear to marry Wintour's son, Charlie Shaffer. The two swapped vows at Wintour's Long Island home in front of 180 guests in 2014, and the bride's gown, which took inspiration from Grace Kelly's wedding dress, certainly stole the show. She wore an embroidered A-line creation, and her shoulders were wrapped in gauzy lace-lined tulle. That lace pattern was replicated on her cascading veil, as well as the skirt of her romantic dress.
Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg's Wedding Dress
It's no surprise that Oscar de la Renta is favored by royal brides too. One of his more avant-garde wedding dress designs was front and center at the wedding of Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon, and Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg. The lavish soirée took place in October 2019 at the Cathedral of Saint-Louis des Invalides in Paris, France—a fitting location for the groom, who is the head of the House of Bonaparte. The bride walked down the aisle in a fern-embroidered de la Renta gown, complete with a corresponding custom capelet and cathedral veil. Given the ornate intricacies of the dress, it required 10 dressmakers to work for over 1,440 hours to complete the look. Countess Olympia accessorized her wedding attire with a diamond bandeau tiara, supplied by her grandmother, Margherita, Dowager Archduchess of Austria-Este, as well as diamond and sapphire earrings that were a wedding gift to her mother.
Tanya Callau's Wedding Dress
Bolivian-born model Tanya Callau married actor Alan Thicke in May 2005, and the nuptials were nothing short of extraordinary. The couple's oceanfront vow ceremony took place in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and featured an array of bright, tropical floral displays. The bride wore a strapless Oscar de la Renta wedding dress with voluminous diagonal ruffles across the skirt. A glittering tiara and a cascading veil completed her look. At the reception, Thicke's son Robin (of "Blurred Lines" fame) performed a rendition of "Let's Stay Together" for the newlyweds.
Maggie Rizer's Wedding Dress
Of course, we can't forget this Oscar de la Renta celebrity wedding dress. When model and activist Maggie Rizer wed businessman Alex Mehran in the Adirondacks in September 2010, she wore a timeless de la Renta gown. Rizer gave a close look at her wedding dress by sharing a throwback photo in 2021, celebrating eleven years of marriage. In the picture, the newlyweds are posed on a boat behind a "Just Married" sign in the middle of Lake Placid. The bride is seen wearing a strapless sweetheart dress with tulle along the neckline, which leads into a fitted bodice and extends into a full skirt with lace detailing—a staple for the Oscar de la Renta label.