What happens when famous queer women say yes to the dress (or suit)? A seamless blend of old and new that’s just plain sexy, that’s what. When queer folks tie the knot, the fashion is always on point, whether it’s traditional gowns with full skirts in fairy-tale white, hip and stylish suits with an elegant touch, or anything and everything in between. Here are ten celesbian wedding outfits that will blow your mind and inspire you to say “I do” – some newly-minted, others we’re still talking about over a decade later.
Samira Wiley
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Let’s face it, the Handmaid’s Tale actress would look stunning in a paper bag. But for her 2017 wedding to TV writer Lauren Morelli—the two women met while working on Orange Is the New Black—Samira Wiley went all out in an empire waist ball gown in pure white. Christian Siriano, a former Project Runway winner and a favorite of celebrities like Leslie Jones and Selma Blair, designed both Wiley’s princess dress and Morelli’s caped lace pantsuit. In a photo for Martha Stewart Weddings, the brides gaze at one another with pride: a modern-day fairy tale for the ages.
Portia de Rossi
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Three months ago, Arrested Development actress Portia de Rossi and talk show host and lesbian icon Ellen DeGeneres celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. Not only was this the highest of high-profile gay weddings, but both brides’ outfits were also timelessly on point. Zac Posen designed it all: Ellen’s sheer white shirt, vest, and pants, and Portia’s dreamy fairy gown, a pale pink halter top complete with a slightly darker pink tulle skirt that’s the stuff of six-year-old and adult fashionista dreams. The couple’s glowing faces completed the look, while Portia is the picture of a Shakespearean fantasy—from her simple glam updo to her festival of pink fluff.
Cynthia Nixon
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Cynthia Nixon is basically a unicorn: a child actress who transitioned to a successful career post-puberty, and as if creating an iconic TV character weren’t enough, she also recently ran for governor of the state of New York. In 2012, Nixon wed education activist Christine Marinoni in a private rooftop ceremony—the couple were engaged in 2009 but wanted to wait until their marriage would be New York-legal. When a shot of the wedding was released, Sex and the City fans were enamored with Nixon’s Carolina Herrera gown, which was presented on runways in white. Second-time bride (and first-time queer bride) Nixon opted for a gorgeous mint green. In a sweet prom-like move, Marinoni’s tie was also green.
Deidre Downs Gunn
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When a beauty queen comes out, it’s a big deal. When she marries another woman, it’s an even bigger deal. Deidre Downs Gunn, 2005’s Miss America—who is now an ob-gyn specializing in infertility and reproductive endocrinology—made headlines earlier this year when she married her partner, attorney and writer Abbott Jones, in Birmingham, Alabama. Both brides wore dresses: Jones opted for a ballgown with a bow in the back, while Downs Gunn went more form-fitting, in a LianCarlo-designed frock with intricate lace detail, with her dark hair in an elegant chignon. Downs Gunn’s eight-year-old son walked her down the aisle, and the happy couple used the adorable hashtag #DrandMrsAmerica.
Tig Notaro
Tig Notaro wears many hats: comedian, producer, cancer survivor and wife. For her 2015 wedding to actress Stephanie Allynne, whom she met on the set of the comedy In a World, Notaro donned a striking black suit and shiny, snazzy shoes. All the better for hometown comfort, the ceremony (held in Pass Christian, Mississippi) boasted stars like Sarah Silverman and Alicia Silverstone, coastline vows, and po’boys for dinner. Six weeks after the ceremony, the star—now the mother of twin boys with Allynne—posted a black-and-white photo of the kiss on her social media with the caption, “Have I mentioned that I got married? I’m the one on the left.”
Beth Ditto
Singer Beth Ditto makes no apologies for her music, body, or sexuality: a role model for every queer girl above a size two who felt like she never fit in. Ditto’s 2013 wedding to Kristin Ogata reflected her DGAF lifestyle: barefoot on the Hawaiian island of Maui and (in a move that certainly had many gasping) a short dress! Naturally, Ditto looked incredible in the Jean Paul Gaultier design, complete with low, cleavage-baring neckline and epic tulle skirt. Though the pair are now separated, the image of Ditto and Ogata (in a suit with fitted shorts) walking down the aisle hand in hand and bedecked with leis, is one for the celesbian album.
Del Martin
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Lesbian activist Del Martin passed away in 2008 at age 87, but her wedding to longtime partner Phyllis Lyon made history. Earlier that year, Martin and Lyon’s marriage became California’s first legal gay union: a hard-won victory for the couple of 55 years. They attempted to marry in 2004, only to have their license invalidated a few months later. Martin and Lyon were among the original plaintiffs in an ensuing lawsuit, and once the new ruling was in effect, then-San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom invited them back to the courthouse. Martin wore a mauve suit, her hair an ethereal cloud of white and her face the loving and triumphant expression of someone whose relationship has finally been validated.
Jenny Shimizu
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Actress and former Calvin Klein model Jenny Shimizu is best known stateside for her relationship with Angelina Jolie in the ’90s. But she’s still kicking, and she’s hotter than ever. Only days after Jolie married Brad Pitt in Paris, Shimizu wed socialite Michelle Harper in New York. Though the pair married at city hall, they dressed to the nines: Harper in a vintage off-white gown with a long train, and Shimizu in a black three-piece suit. The wedding took place during New York’s 2014 Fashion Week, but on Instagram, Shimizu referred to her nuptials as “the show that really matters.” Agreed.
Chely Wright
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Out country singers aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, but Chely Wright broke the mold. In 2010, the CMA winner openly discussed her sexuality in front of a national audience on The Today Show, and she’s been advocating for LGBTQ+ equality in Nashville and beyond, ever since. Wright’s 2011 wedding to partner Lauren Blitzer was a down-home affair at a private home in Connecticut, featuring Blue Smoke barbecue at the reception. Both were in full femme glory on their wedding day, with breathtaking strapless ivory gowns. Though Blitzer opted for an updo, neither bride wore a veil because, as Wright told the press, “We like our hair too much!”
Melissa Etheridge
Big congrats to Melissa Etheridge and her partner who married yesterday 🙂 http://t.co/9IXu3V0nxK #EqualMarriage pic.twitter.com/lP8HvTIug2
— When Sally Met Sally (@SallyMetSally) June 1, 2014
“So blessed” is how the iconic out-and-proud musician described herself on Twitter after marrying actress and producer Linda Wallem in the spring of 2014. Etheridge came into the relationship with children from previous relationships—twins with actress Tammy Lynn Michaels and two older children with director Julie Cypher—and all four offspring participated in the flower-laden outdoor wedding in Montecito, California. The first public shot of the wedding shows the brides arm in arm, with Etheridge proudly sporting a comfy-looking gray suit and a fun ascot in pink and light purple. Her hair is flowing, her expression content and excited all at once, completing the flawless wedding-day look for a woman who paved the way.
So what exactly are the rules for celesbian wedding wear? Simple: there are none.
