What 12 US first ladies' wedding dresses looked like

Talia LakritzSep 18, 2020, 00:53 IST

From left to right: Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Michelle Obama.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images, Bachrach/Getty Images, Obama For America/Handout/Reuters

Martha Washington's gold silk damask wedding gown is on display at Mount Vernon.
Laura Bush bought her two-tone wedding dress straight off the rack in 1977.
Melania Trump's Dior wedding gown held 1,500 crystal rhinestones and pearls.

In addition to championing important causes and hosting formal dinners, many US first ladies become fashion icons while in office.

Before they even reached the White House, their wedding dress choices spoke to their impeccable senses of style.

Here's what 12 first ladies wore on their wedding days.

Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington in 1759 in a gown made from gold silk damask fabric.

George and Martha Washington's wedding. Junius Brutus Stearns/Library of Congress

Frances Folsom wore a gown of ivory satin when she married Grover Cleveland in 1886.

An illustration of President Grover and Frances Cleveland's wedding. DEA/ICAS94/Contributor/Getty Images

Eleanor Roosevelt wore a long-sleeved satin gown covered in Brussels lace and accented with tulle.

Eleanor Roosevelt's wedding dress. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Bess Wallace married her childhood classmate Harry Truman in 1919 wearing a gown made of white georgette and faille.

A wedding photo of Harry Truman and Bess Wallace Truman. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Mamie Doud married Dwight Eisenhower in 1916 in a beaded gown with scalloped ruffles.

Dwight Eisenhower and Mamie Doud Eisenhower on their wedding day in 1916. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier wore a wedding dress designed by Ann Lowe, a Black seamstress who did not receive credit for her work in her lifetime.

A bridal portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy. Bachrach/Getty Images

In 1934, Lady Bird Taylor married Lyndon Johnson in a spur-of-the-moment ceremony.

Lady Bird Johnson in 1934. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Betty Bloomer Warren married Gerald Ford in a blue satin dress in 1948.

A portrait of Gerald and Betty Ford on their wedding day. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Barbara Pierce married George Bush in 1945. They spent 73 years together, making them the longest-married presidential couple in US history.

George Bush and Barbara Pierce Bush on their wedding day in 1945. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Laura Welch wore a two-toned tan dress she bought straight off the rack when she married George W. Bush in November 1977.

Laura and George Bush's wedding day. CM/SV/Reuters

Michelle Robinson wore an off-the-shoulder gown when she married Barack Obama in 1992.

Michelle and Barack Obama on their wedding day in 1992. Obama For America/Handout/Reuters

Melania Knauss married Donald Trump in a satin Christian Dior gown that held 1,500 crystal rhinestones and pearls.

Melania Trump in her wedding gown in 2005. Gary I Rothstein/Reuters

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