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Though Elizabeth Taylor walked down the aisle eight times, only once did she do it in a “traditional” bridal gown. Taylor’s first wedding, to Conrad “Nicky” Hilton in 1950, when the actor was a studio darling, came courtesy of MGM, and her elaborate gown with its nipped-in waist was a bespoke creation by costume designer Helen Rose.
Just two years after that, Taylor would forgo the fuss to marry her next husband, Michael Wilding, in a prim skirt suit, holding a sweet and low-key posy of flowers. It was on the occasion of her third marriage to Mike Todd, however, that Taylor showed signs of the dramatic diva she would ultimately become. For their wedding in Acapulco, Mexico, she wore swathes of white silk-chiffon with a glamorous hood.
That was also the last time she would wear white on her wedding day. Taylor’s five subsequent weddings saw the Academy Award-winner opt for a changing color palette and silhouettes that adhered to trends of the day. As a new authorised biography, Kate Andersen Brower’s Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon, charts Taylor’s rollercoaster romantic life, revisit the screen siren’s many wedding looks.
May 6, 1950
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Elizabeth married Conrad Hilton at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, wearing a traditional full-skirted, seed pearl-encrusted white wedding gown. The 18-year-old bride worked with costume designer Helen Rose — who also designed Grace Kelly’s wedding gown — to create an MGM-funded dress that drew inspiration from the one she wore onscreen in Father Of The Bride, and is said to have taken 15 people three months to make. It was auctioned in 2013 for £122,000.
February 21, 1952
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To marry the English actor Michael Wilding, who was 20 years her senior, at Claridge’s in London, Taylor called upon Helen Rose once again but went against bridal tradition, choosing an A-line suit over a gown. She carried a posy of flowers that matched the blooms in her hair, and a modest pearl necklace.
February 2, 1957
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At 24, Elizabeth married her third husband, Mike Todd, in a small wedding ceremony at City Hall in Acapulco, Mexico. For the occasion, the bride wore a white silk-chiffon gown with a dramatic sweeping hood. The pièce de résistance, however, was her emerald-cut diamond engagement ring, which she affectionately nicknamed her “ice skating rink” for its elaborate size and carats. Bridesmaid for the day was her best friend Debbie Reynolds who attended with her husband — and Elizabeth’s future spouse — best friend of the groom, Eddie Fisher. The marriage would come to a tragic end as Todd was killed in a plane crash in March the following year.
May 12, 1959
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Having converted to Judaism, Taylor married her fourth husband Eddie Fisher – the best friend of her late third husband Todd – at Temple Beth Shalom in Las Vegas. She wore another hooded dress, but this time opted for a deep green style that was fitted at the waist with a full skirt. On her wrist, the bride wore a bracelet given to her by Fisher in lieu of an engagement ring.
March 15, 1964
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Taylor first married her Cleopatra co-star, Richard Burton, in Montreal in the spring of 1964. Again subverting wedding traditions, the actor chose to wear a knee-length yellow empire-line dress by Cleopatra’s costume designer, Irene Sharaff, with an elaborate ponytail by Alexandre de Paris laced with orange blossom. The couple had yet to select an engagement ring, so Taylor wore a Bulgari brooch given to her by the groom.
October 10, 1975
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Taylor and Burton would wed for the second time in Botswana in 1975. This time, Elizabeth wore an ombré dress by the British designer Gina Fratini, and piled her hair on top of her head in a feather-adorned up-do. The dress sold at auction in 2011 for $62,500 (£47,000).
December 4, 1976
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For perhaps her most private wedding, Elizabeth and senator John Warner exchanged vows on Warner’s estate in Virginia. The bride wore a matching cashmere coat and turban-style hat, while the groom wore a simple suit and striped tie.
October 6, 1991
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The actor married Larry Fortensky in a celebrity-filled celebration at Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch. The bride – photographed here with the groom in May 1992 – wore a bespoke, lemon Valentino lace gown featuring a lace tiered skirt. Picture rights for the nuptials were sold to People for $1 million (£758,000), and the funds were used to launch the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation.
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk
