A definitive ranking of the best Disney wedding dresses

Because this is super important dammit.

disney wedding dresses
At the end of The Little Mermaid, King Triton finally grants Ariel her wish and turns her into a human so she can marry Prince Eric. Swoon. There is a brief transformation stage where she is wearing a glittering gown (which we love), before it turns into a full blown wedding dress, not too dissimilar to Princess Diana’s, thanks to those puffy sleeves.
Penny Goldstone
By Penny Goldstone
published

Because this is super important dammit.

There are wedding dresses. And then there are Disney wedding dresses, and you know which ones are more fabulous.

So we thought it was about damn time we stopped everything we were doing and did a definitive ranking of the best Disney princess wedding dresses ever.

It was a tough choice if we’re completely honest, with so many magical gowns on offer, but we powered through.

Who can forget Ariel’s transformation from mermaid to bride at the end of The Little Mermaid?

Of course, there’s also Cinderella and her Prince Charming on their wedding day, and then there’s Jasmine’s crop top and harem pants scenario.

Sleeping Beauty’s colour-changing ballgown is also arguably one of the most amazing dresses to ever appear on screen, and we’re still outraged no one has created it IRL.

And that’s just the old school Disney movies. Flash forward a little and you’ve got your Princess Tianas, Rapunzels and Giselles upping the style ante with coloured wedding dresses and magical accessories.

So grab a cuppa and keep scrolling, because you’re about to waste a lot of time on this (it’s all worth it though, we promise).

10. Robin Hood

10. Robin Hood

Ok, so this isn’t for everyone seeing as it’s a bit old school. Robin Hood is set in the Middle Ages after all. But there’s a certain charm to the simple silhouette and high neck.

Ok, so this isn’t for everyone seeing as it’s a bit old school. Robin Hood is set in the Middle Ages after all. But there’s a certain charm to the simple silhouette and high neck.

9. The Princess and The Frog

9. The Princess and The Frog

Who knew a green wedding dress could look so appealing? Tiana and her prince, both transformed into frogs, are about to marry, when true love’s kiss (of course) turns them back into humans. We like that the dress is a little nod to her animal form though.

Who knew a green wedding dress could look so appealing? Tiana and her prince, both transformed into frogs, are about to marry, when true love’s kiss (of course) turns them back into humans. We like that the dress is a little nod to her animal form though.

8. Tangled Ever After

8. Tangled Ever After

Who needs super-long hair when you have a cool tiara and a white horse to ride on? Not Rapunzel, that’s for sure.
(Image credit: ©2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Who needs super-long hair when you have a cool tiara and a white horse to ride on? Not Rapunzel, that’s for sure.

7. Up

7. Up

We can’t really write about Carl and Ellie without sobbing like utter babies, so we’ll just leave you with Ellie’s simple yet beautiful gown. Just like its owner *sob*.

We can’t really write about Carl and Ellie without sobbing like utter babies, so we’ll just leave you with Ellie’s simple yet beautiful gown. Just like its owner *sob*.

6. Enchanted

6. Enchanted

Giselle’s dress in Enchanted is so over the top it’s actually fabulous. Good work Amy Adams.

Giselle’s dress in Enchanted is so over the top it’s actually fabulous. Good work Amy Adams.

5. Sleeping Beauty

5. Sleeping Beauty

Right, so we’re not actually sure this counts as a wedding dress, we just assumed Aurora married Prince Philip at the end of the movie, and as such we’re including it. Because you can’t beat a dress that changes colour.

Right, so we’re not actually sure this counts as a wedding dress, we just assumed Aurora married Prince Philip at the end of the movie, and as such we’re including it. Because you can’t beat a dress that changes colour.

4. Aladdin

4. Aladdin

Only Princess Jasmine could rock a crop top and harem trousers on her wedding day. We love her statement jewellery too.

Only Princess Jasmine could rock a crop top and harem trousers on her wedding day. We love her statement jewellery too.

3. Cinderella the movie

3. Cinderella the movie

Come on, we couldn’t not include this absolute beauty. Designed by costume designer Sandy Powell for the 2015 live action movie starring Lily James, the dress was inspired by the 19th century and the 1950s. We love the delicate explosion of colour.
(Image credit: ©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Come on, we couldn’t not include this absolute beauty. Designed by costume designer Sandy Powell for the 2015 live action movie starring Lily James, the dress was inspired by the 19th century and the 1950s. We love the delicate explosion of colour.

2. Cinderella

2. Cinderella

One of the first ever Disney princesses to walk down the aisle, Cinderella has a bit of a soft spot in our hearts. The 1950s style featured an off-the-shoulder top and full skirt, worn with a simple veil. No patch on the glittering ballgown courtesy of Fairy Godmother though.

One of the first ever Disney princesses to walk down the aisle, Cinderella has a bit of a soft spot in our hearts. The 1950s style featured an off-the-shoulder top and full skirt, worn with a simple veil. No patch on the glittering ballgown courtesy of Fairy Godmother though.

1. The Little Mermaid

1. The Little Mermaid

At the end of The Little Mermaid, King Triton finally grants Ariel her wish and turns her into a human so she can marry Prince Eric. Swoon. There is a brief transformation stage where she is wearing a glittering gown (which we love), before it turns into a full blown wedding dress, not too dissimilar to Princess Diana’s, thanks to those puffy sleeves.

At the end of The Little Mermaid, King Triton finally grants Ariel her wish and turns her into a human so she can marry Prince Eric. Swoon. There is a brief transformation stage where she is wearing a glittering gown (which we love), before it turns into a full blown wedding dress, not too dissimilar to Princess Diana’s, thanks to those puffy sleeves.

1. The Little Mermaid

1. The Little Mermaid

At the end of The Little Mermaid, King Triton finally grants Ariel her wish and turns her into a human so she can marry Prince Eric. Swoon. There is a brief transformation stage where she is wearing a glittering gown (which we love), before it turns into a full blown wedding dress, not too dissimilar to Princess Diana’s, thanks to those puffy sleeves.

At the end of The Little Mermaid, King Triton finally grants Ariel her wish and turns her into a human so she can marry Prince Eric. Swoon. There is a brief transformation stage where she is wearing a glittering gown (which we love), before it turns into a full blown wedding dress, not too dissimilar to Princess Diana’s, thanks to those puffy sleeves.

1. The Little Mermaid

1. The Little Mermaid

At the end of The Little Mermaid, King Triton finally grants Ariel her wish and turns her into a human so she can marry Prince Eric. Swoon. There is a brief transformation stage where she is wearing a glittering gown (which we love), before it turns into a full blown wedding dress, not too dissimilar to Princess Diana’s, thanks to those puffy sleeves.

At the end of The Little Mermaid, King Triton finally grants Ariel her wish and turns her into a human so she can marry Prince Eric. Swoon. There is a brief transformation stage where she is wearing a glittering gown (which we love), before it turns into a full blown wedding dress, not too dissimilar to Princess Diana’s, thanks to those puffy sleeves.

Penny Goldstone
Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.

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