WEDDING BELLES

Regardless of whether Jennifer Aniston beats her ex-husband Brad Pitt to the altar again, romantics adore a perfect match. And, as a sumptuous new book proves, any Hollywood wedding is glamour all the way.

What we like to remember most about the weddings in Hollywood movies are the glamour and romance. The beautiful women and the handsome men, the larger-than-life diamonds, the lavish furs, shimmering silks and satins and, of course, the opulent sets. Then there are the dresses. What could have been more romantic than the bridal gown Givenchy created for Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 hit, Funny Face? Or the gown that Pierre Balmain designed for her when she married Mel Ferrer? For her second marriage (she was a movie star after all), Givenchy stepped in and dressed her in a pale pink mini dress with matching headscarf.

Humphrey Bogart weds Lauren Bacall in 1944 – one of Hollywood’s most enduring marriages

Arguably, the most spectacular Hollywood wedding was the royal marriage of Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, while the most insouciant was Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner’s second marriage when they both wore denim. Like their mere mortal counterparts, the bride’s choice of gown and trousseau, both on and off‹ the screen, invariably reŒflects the economic climate and the prevailing fashion. From the sensuous and luxurious bias-cut drapes of the 1930s to the rationdriven understated wedding costumes of the 1940s.

Raquel Welch and Patrick Curtis post-wedding in Paris, 1967

The more prosperous 1950s saw a return of the big wedding and the traditional white dress. While the Sixties revolution meant anything went – from mini dress to Victoriana. By the 1980s, the economic boom gave birth to the ‘meringue’. Whatever the decade, film stars will always want to shine. But, as Louis B Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer said to all his star brides: ‘Make it big. Do it right. Give it class.’ As this collection of photographs shows, they didn’t let him down.

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III in the Palace of Monaco, 1956

Do you have a special wedding memory? If so, why not share it with us by writing to the Letters editor, 39-40 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ER, or emailing us at letters@lady.co.uk

Weddings And Movie Stars by Nourmand and Marsh is published by Reel Art Press, £49.95. Lady readers can order it at the special price of £30, inc p&p. Visit www.reelartpress.com and quote ref: TheLadyWeddings