A saying in Hollywood is “Always the bride, never the bridesmaid”: you’re big, you’re fabulous, you’re important, and you deserve the spotlight. However, there have been plenty of times when famous names appeared next to the bride just to support her and the happy couple.
Celebrities like to say they’re just like us, and this list is a good example. Whether it’s Rihanna, Miranda Kerr, or Taylor Swift — these ladies might have been the most famous members of the wedding, but they weren’t the most important. Of course, they were still stunning in their gorgeous dresses.
Taylor Swift
In 2017, Abigail Anderson got married in Martha's Vineyard. Pretty normal so far. Her best friend, Taylor Swift, was there to help her out as a bridesmaid, which probably got a bunch of people raising their eyebrows.
The floor-length burgundy gowns the bridesmaids wore were quite the sight. This wasn't even Swift's first time as a bridesmaid – another friend, Britany Maack, had the famous singer as her maid of honor. Taylor also apparently has a habit of crashing random weddings so she can do some performances, which surely made them nights to remember.
Rachel Bilson
Rachel Bilson has never become a bride herself, but the “O.C.” star still has plenty of wedding experience. She could have been headed right to the red carpet when she got dressed in a flattering floor-length pink gown. It's the kind of dress that every bridesmaid dreams of.
Her friend was quite a bit more eye-catching in her wedding gown, but Bilson was still second-best. Bilson was also a bridesmaid at her brother's wedding in 2016. While Bilson was a hot item with Hayden Christensen for a few years and even got engaged and have a child together, the couple separated in 2017, so Bilson is still unmarried.
Emma Roberts
There's no better wedding for the bridesmaids than when a fashion designer gets married. Designer Kara Smith got married in 2015 to photographer Nick Walker. One of the lucky bridesmaids who got to wear the stunning sleeveless gown with lace detailing and a plunging neckline was none other than actress Emma Roberts.
Her short blonde 'do was perfect with the dress. Roberts has been engaged to actor Evan Peters, but they never made it to the altar. After the split, Roberts has been with actor Garrett Hedlund. The two now have a son together.
JoJo Fletcher
Before marrying Jordan Rodgers, JoJo Fletcher got a preview to walking down the aisle as a bridesmaid for a friend's wedding. It took place in the British Virgin Islands, which doesn't get much better when it comes to wedding destinations.
She wore a champagne Watters dress. She looked beautiful as a bridesmaid, giving us all just a clue of her bridal look plans.
Miranda Kerr
With a sheer white dress and a very Bohemian flower crown, Miranda Kerr could have been the bride at her brother's wedding, but he isn't interested in gals. He and his partner James Wright had their small ceremony with only one bridesmaid, Kerr, who just so happened to be a supermodel.
Even though the ceremony went off with just one hitch (haha, we couldn't resist!), the marriage didn't last very long. Hopefully, Kerr's own marriage to Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel will be more successful. It's been going on since 2017, and the pair have a pair of sons. She also has a son, Flynn, from her previous relationship with Orlando Bloom.
Paris Hilton
When young heiress Nicky Hilton got married to James Rothschild at Kensington Palace, proud older sister Paris Hilton was there and looking beautiful in a light blue gown. Paris, of course, didn't outshine her sister. “It's her wedding, so whatever she wants me to wear, I will.” Now that's a good older sister.
Paris noted that Nicky has great taste, so anything she wanted her sister to wear for the wedding was bound to look good. It wasn't Paris's first time as a bridesmaid, but those other weddings were a bit more private. Nicky herself was a lovely bride in a Valentino lace gown with an elaborate train.
Sofia Vergara
Right before Sofia got to enjoy her own wedding to Dungeons and Dragons superfan and actor Joe Manganiello, she acted as a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding. She wore a yellow dress bereft of straps, which complemented her perfectly.
For her own wedding, Vergara kept to her Colombian roots and eschewed having bridesmaids. As she said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” all of her many cousins were her friends, so there was no way to have all the bridesmaids she wanted — so she had none. The event when she and Manganiello exchanged vows is reported to have cost nearly four million dollars.
Eva Longoria
It doesn't matter what Eva Longoria wears – she makes it look like a million dollars. Longoria got to get dressed up in this seafoam green vision of loveliness when her old friend Alina Peralta got married in Spain. She and the other bridesmaids got to rock a strapless Jenny Yoo dress that was beautiful without being ostentatious, accented with bedazzled belts and bracelets.
Though Eva was once married to former NBA player Tony Parker, she's now with Mexican businessman José Bastón. They met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend and got married in 2016. The two now have a son, Santiago Enrique Bastón.
Rihanna
With the help of a lavender Badgley Mischka gown with plenty of silver accents, Rihanna was there to help her assistant celebrate her Hawaiian wedding. The wedding took place on April twentieth, and the wedding party was photographed, celebrating the “holiday” in style.
After her problematic and public relationship with Chris Brown, Rihanna has stayed pretty private, at least private as far as pop singers go. In 2020, we learned that she had broken up with Saudi billionaire Hassan Jameel – they had been dating in secret since 2017. The pair was notoriously private, so we'll probably never find out why the relationship ended.
Rachel McAdams
McAdams knows plenty about weddings, being one of the queens of the romantic comedy. She was able to put her experience to use when her sister Kayleen asked McAdams to be her maid of honor. She looked great next to her sister, showing off in a light blue halter dress. She was even caught on camera shedding a tear when her sister said her vows.
Rachel hasn't had the chance to walk down the aisle just yet – aside from the aforementioned movies – but she's been in a long relationship with Hollywood screenwriter Jamie Linden for a while now.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Asking SJP to be part of your wedding is a big risk. The actress and fashion icon could always end up upstaging you. However, when her friend Melinda Relyea asked her to stand for her, Parker fit right in with her orchid-hued, strapless dress.
Parker and Relyea have been friends since Parker was on “Sex and the City,” when Relyea was Parker's assistant. She then became the vice president of Parker's production company Pretty Matches for twelve years. The lovely wedding went perfectly.
Vanessa Hudgens
Not only does this wedding have a famous bridesmaid, but it also has a famous bride! Hudgens stood as a bridesmaid in Ashley Tisdale's wedding in 2014 to Christopher French, and everybody looks fabulous. Hudgens wore a floor-length gown with a matte-pink color and a braid to crown the look.
This was not a public wedding — guests met at a secret location and then shuttled to the venue. Security was tight, and phones weren't allowed. Hudgens is still good friends with everybody from “High School Musical,” including Zac Efron, whom she dated for five years.
Mila Kunis
We may never get to see what Kunis's own wedding to fellow “That 70's Show” cast member Ashton Kutcher was like. But at least we got to see her walk down the aisle as a bridesmaid in her brother's wedding.
She set the happy couple up — the bride was Kunis's ballet dance instructor when she filmed 2010's “Black Swan.” In a blush pink gown, Kunis looked the right amount of bridesmaid, along with a pair of shiny heels and some classy jewelry. We also got to see Kutcher, dapper in a simple black suit.
Jennifer Lawrence
In the span of just a few years, Lawrence became one of the biggest actresses in Hollywood, but when she appeared at her brother's wedding, she put her star away and stood aside. Wearing a yellow J. Crew dress, she might not have been dressed in high fashion, but she and the rest of the bridal party all looked great. The event even got featured in Martha Stewart's Real Weddings.
The couple chose the bridesmaid dresses to be simple and classy. Despite the bride and groom accidentally choosing to get married on one of Kentucky's rainiest days ever, it still went wonderfully.
Jessica Simpson
One of the main rules of getting dressed for a wedding is the only one who gets to wear white is the bride. However, Jessica Simpson's sister Ashlee opted to dress her bridesmaids in the important color since her 2014 wedding with Evan Ross was on Labor Day.
The beautiful, bohemian ceremony took place at Diana Ross' Greenwich estate, and Jessica wasn't the only star attending. Still, this great event was more focused on the children: Jessica's daughter Maxwell carried the flowers, while Ashlee's son, Bronx (from her marriage to Pete Wentz), got to walk his mother down the aisle.
Katharine McPhee
The former “American Idol” contestant not only had her own dream wedding, but she was also able to help her older sister get hers back in 2012. As the maid of honor, she wore a light pink gown with a plunging neckline and a decorated waist.
The singer was incredibly excited about the wedding, tweeting during the lead-up. McPhee walked down the aisle for the second time in 2019, when she married producer David Foster in the Church of Saint Yeghiche in West London. The two met when Foster mentored the singer during “American Idol,” but they didn't start dating until 2017. We might not have pictures of her wedding dress, but no doubt she looked lovely.
Lady Gaga
Since she was instrumental in bringing the happy couple together, it's no surprise that Lady Gaga got to be part of the wedding party for her friends Tim Stewart and Sarah Nicole Tanno. For the wedding, Miss Gaga wore lots and lots of pink. It went perfectly with the sunset wedding on the beach.
Each bridesmaid wore whatever color and style of dress she wanted, as long as she didn't look better than the bride. The pop sensation never made it down the aisle despite her numerous engagements; her current relationship with Michael Polansky still has a chance. No matter who it's with, her wedding is going to be a party.
Pippa Middleton
It was impossible for Pippa to upstage her sister — since Kate Middleton was about to marry a prince — but she wasn't far from it. She wore a form-fitting cream dress with a scooped neckline, which later earned her the moniker “Your Royal Hotness.”
Pippa, a former event planner, had her own wedding in 2017 to hedge fund manager James Matthews. They wed at St. Mark's Church in Berkshire, which is quite close to where the Middleton's grew up. Both Middletons also got to appear at their uncle's wedding as flower girls.
Selena Gomez
Gomez knows she is her friends' go-to maid of honor. She was the MoH for her friend Courtney's wedding in February of 2019, and a few months later, she had the same role in her cousin Priscilla's wedding. For that second event, Gomez stunned in a black off-the-shoulder gown with an elegant front slit. A little bit of jewelry and some loose curls made the look perfect.
It's no wonder people keep asking Gomez to help them out – she goes above and beyond. She bought her cousin her dream wedding dress and also flew all the other bridesmaids to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a bit of fun. How sweet!
Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley looked lovely in her short plum-colored dress, but the dress didn't make it very long. She was a bridesmaid at her brother's 2011 wedding in Scotland, and she announced to “The Daily Mail” that she was the worst bridesmaid in the entire world.
She managed to spill multiple drinks down her dress...as well as an ENTIRE PLATE OF CURRY. She then went to the bathroom to try and clean herself, where the dress got stuck in the door and ripped the whole way down her back. Honestly, it seems like something out of a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. Don't worry, Keira, that's not even close to being the worst bridesmaid ever.
Naomi Watts
We all know that the biggest faux pas possible at a wedding is to show up wearing white. But more and more often these days, the bridesmaids are joining the bride in white. Actress Naomi Watts is one such maid of honor, wearing a white eyelet dress to help marry off her friend Emma Cooper at Emma's wedding in Australia.
Watts has been busy in the love department — she attended the wedding with her boyfriend Liev Schreiber, whom she met after breaking up with Heath Ledger in 2005. She and Schreiber separated after eleven years. In 2017 Watts started dating actor Billy Crudup.
Kate Bosworth
Kate looked ready for the red carpet when she got dressed up in a silky black gown and an all-white bouquet. She was one of four bridesmaids at the wedding of her friend Jacqui Louez, which took place at a beach in Sydney, Australia, in 2008.
The two women have been friends since 2005, when Louez worked as a personal assistant for Bosworth on the set of “Superman Returns.” It wasn't too long before Bosworth got to have her own wedding to director Michael Polish, whom she started dating in 2011. They two are now married, Bosworth is a stepmother to Polish's daughter, and she's looking forward to being a mother herself.
Jessica Biel
Before she walked down the aisle toward the waiting Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel got to practice the wedding life as a bridesmaid. To help her “7th Heaven” co-star Beverly Mitchell get married in Italy, Biel wore a smooth brown gown and carried a bundle of white roses.
The two friends have stayed in touch since their show, despite how different their lives are. Mitchel returned the favor by being there when Biel fell in love with Timberlake. In 2015 the two friends revealed they were both pregnant, and they ended up giving birth just three months apart.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
It seems like it's impossible for these two child stars to be separate in anything. For their friend Cassie Coane's wedding, both twins appeared as bridesmaids — though it seems like they didn't have a choice since there were a total of eighteen bridesmaids. That must be some kind of record, right?
The private ceremony in the Hudson Valley in New York must have been packed. There were plenty more it-girls present at the bridal party, who all got to pick their own bridesmaids' dresses, granting at least a floral theme. They weren't your typical dresses – Mary-Kate chose a kimono frock, and Ashley wore a black and white flowing dress.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Gellar and her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., are still going strong, but Sarah has had another chance to take on the wedding aisle when she appeared as a bridesmaid for her friend's wedding in Santa Monica. The knee-length pink frock is certainly a little less fancy than some of the other bridesmaid dresses on this list, but it still looks great.
Gellar's first date with her husband was actually an accident — they were to meet some mutual friends for dinner, but the friends never showed up. Sarah and Freddie went on their own, and it's been true love ever since.
Serena Williams
The best bridesmaid dresses are cute, comfortable, and simple enough to let the bride shine. When tennis great Serena Williams appeared at her sister-in-law's wedding, she wore a pale teal dress that, apparently, retails for a grand total of $129. Serena was able to add her own personal touch to the look with some comfy sneakers that no doubt made her queen of the dance floor.
According to everyone who was there, however, it was Serena's daughter who stole the show — the two-year-old flower girl matched her mom and took her job quite seriously, making her mama proud.
Cara Delevingne
While Cara is quite okay with strutting her stuff when it comes to the catwalk, being a bridesmaid is a bit different. In 2014, she appeared at her older sister's wedding to Edward Grant. Wearing a simple-yet-elegant navy blue dress and a messy bun, she looked good enough to make her sister proud. The chilly day required a little more clothing at a few moments, so she added a large tan coat when needed.
When her other sister, Poppy, got married, Cara went for something unconventional with a light, white dress that somehow didn't outshine the bride.
Kirsten Dunst
She played the fool as a bachelorette in the movies, but this actress is always ready to be a sweet part of someone's wedding. She was a bridesmaid for her childhood friend Cindy McGee in 2017, which took place in Italy. The blushed pink gown she wore was pretty without being too pretty, and she complimented it with a small bouquet of green, white, and light pink flowers.
She and Cindy were quite close — Kirsten's parents even flew overseas for the event. It's possible McGee will be a part of Dunst's wedding to "Fargo" co-star Jesse Plemons, whom she started dating in 2016.
Emily Ratajkowski
With a simple caption of “Bridesmaids (bouquet emoji),” supermodel Emily Ratajkowsi showed off her thigh-length peach dress that she donned for her friend's wedding. Instead of holding the rings or minding the bride's train, Em's job was extra-special — she designed the bridesmaid dresses!
There's nothing like someone who knows all about fashion to get people looking their best. The mini dress comes from the Christy Dawn collection, and it's available for a relatively affordable two-fifty. Ratajkowski accessorized with some matching shoes and a simple bun hairdo. Sometimes simple is best, and she knows it.
Dianna Agron
Before Agron had the chance to marry ex-Mumford & Sons banjo player Winston Marshall in October 2016, this actress was able to help with the bridesmaids' duties at her friend's wedding. All of the bridesmaids walked down the aisle in dresses of their own choosing, and Agron chose a four-hundred-dollar Anne Dress from Reformation.
She stunned the guests with her casual beauty, but she made steps not to overshadow the lady of the day, eschewing most accessories and keeping her hair in a simple tumbledown style. She was just happy to be able to help celebrate her friend's big day.
Jeisa Chiminazzo and Alessandra Ambrosio
If you aren't deep in the supermodel scene, these names might not ring a bell, but they're all big on the catwalk. For Brazilian model Ana Beatriz Barros's wedding, she snagged all of her favorite friends for the bridesmaid duties, making this wedding event something no one will be able to forget.
These international supermodels took the chance to show off their legs in a fun photo that also had the bride and groom.
Brittany Snow
When “Pitch Perfect” stars Anna Camp and Skylar Astin got hitched — in real life — their friend and co-star Brittany Snow was there to make sure everything went smoothly. Snow and all the other bridesmaids wore mismatching pale-pink gowns by Theia for the event, and while the dresses all had differences, they all seemed to circle around the bride's wedding gown design.
All four of the bridesmaids — and the bride herself — looked lovely. The wedding photographer must have been overjoyed to be able to take snapshots, both posed and candid, of such big names.
Lauren Conrad
From engaged reality TV star to businesswoman to bridesmaid, Lauren Conrad seems to be able to do it all. She got to live the bridesmaid life thanks to her partner in business, Maura McManus, getting married. The event turned into an impromptu “Laguna Beach” reunion since Lo Bosworth was also there as a bridesmaid.
Conrad has been married to William Tell – not the archer – since 2014. The two have a pair of sons together: Liam was born in 2017, and Charlie was born in 2019. Lauren is working hard designing new fashion for everyone.
Lottie Moss
When Lottie Moss got dressed up as a bridesmaid to support her half-sister, supermodel Kate Moss, at her wedding in 2011, it meant something big for Lottie. She had a small modeling career at the time, but the pictures of her dressed in her beautiful gown jump-started it.
She's the tallest bridesmaid to Kate's left, bearing a serious expression yet looking perfectly angelic. She likely didn't expect it to help her so much, but it certainly did.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
It should come as no surprise that actress Maggie, as well as her actor brother Jake, both appeared at the wedding party of their father. The Gyllenhaal patriarch, a director, married Kathleen Man, a filmmaker/professor who has helped co-produce some of his films.
The wedding was a destination to the beach, so while Maggie didn't get to wear a beautiful gown, she did get to enjoy a flowing flower dress and a pretty purple lei as she looks on at her father's happiness.
Beyoncé
With what at first glance appears to be an innocent selfie, the Queen of the Beehive announced that she was actually being part of Kelly Rowland's wedding party. She's all glammed up, but we never got to see the full dress.
Of course, the styled hairdo, jewelry, and fancy outfit we get a peek at aren't too out of the ordinary for Beyoncé, but they have a distinct bridesmaid flair. It must have been hard for one of the most glamorous women on the planet to not outshine the bride, but we're sure that she was able to stick to her role.
Nicole “Snooki” Polizi and Deena Cortese
Cameras couldn't wait to capture every moment of Jenni “Jwoww” Farley's wedding to Roger Mathews (her now ex-husband) in 2015. Farley's “Jersey Shore” castmates Snooki and Deena were part of her large wedding party and managed to keep the fights to a minimum.
For their walk down the aisle, the bride glowed in a huge white dress with a long train, while the bridesmaids wore form-fitting purple dresses. They each had their choice of with or without straps, and each had the opportunity to make their little bit of style unique and fun. And fun it certainly must have been with all those big personalities present.
Nina Dobrev
Canadian actress Nina Dobrev got her first chance to be a bridesmaid when she joined “Dancing With the Stars” Julianne Hough's wedding in 2017. She was just one of several bridesmaids to stand next to Hough, as the picture shows us.
The strapless blush pink gown, covered with floral appliques, is the perfect bridesmaid's dress to help her friend celebrate. Dobrev has had plenty of guys hanging on her arm, from Orlando Bloom to Liam Hemsworth to her current beau Shaun White, but none of them has been lucky enough to make it to the altar with her.
Hailey Bieber
Hailey Rhode Baldwin Bieber, the wife of pop idol sensation Justin, appears here in a slim black dress and serious expression in order to support her sister Alaia Baldwin's wedding in 2017. The large wedding party has gorgeous gals of every stripe, and while the bride is, of course, glowing, it's hard to ignore Hailey's model instincts to stare down the camera and make it hers.
We can only assume that the serious expression was due to her still being in the midst of planning her own wedding.
Georgia-May and Elizabeth Jagger
These daughters of Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger both got to show off their best looks in Vivienne Westwood gowns in order to help get their mother, Jerry Hall, down the aisle.
Jerry spent nine years in a common-law marriage to Jagger, from 1990 to 1999, and then in 2016, she wedded Rupert Murdoch. The dresses her daughter wore wrapped around them like togas, highlighting each of their best features. Some nice hairdos and a few simple bouquets, and they're ready for the big event.
Victoria Beckham
She's probably ready to let this picture of her sink into history, but long before she became Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham (then Victoria Adams) got to dress up as a bridesmaid at the tender age of eight.
The outfit she's rocking in this photo definitely isn't the kind of thing most brides will subject their bridesmaids to anymore, and thank goodness: ruffles, frills, baggy sleeves, flower crowns, poofed-up collars. Hopefully, Victoria has been able to cover up this memory with some more updated fashions, and hopefully, she made better choices when she planned her own wedding.
Jessica Alba
For her friend's picturesque wedding in Beverly Hills (that's where you want to be) in 2010, actress Alba got gussied up in a navy dress with an asymmetrical neckline. Her signature smoky eyes cut through the crowd, but the simplicity of her outfit set her firmly in the bridesmaid category.
It's no doubt she got plenty of people asking for a dance, but if her own husband Cash Warren was there, they might not have had much of a chance. Cash was also part of the proceedings, taking the spot next to the groom as the best man.
Christina Hendricks
Here's a first for the list: Instead of appearing as a bridesmaid for “Mad Men” co-star Michael Gladis, he named her a “grooms woman.” She appeared on the groom's side of the altar during his wedding to actress Beth Behrs, but she wore the same style of dress that all of Beth's side wore. It was a Joanna August wrap dress with a pleasant tan color.
Of course, any dress that Hendricks wears is going to pop thanks to her flaming red hair and bright eyes. Hendricks had been married to Geoffrey Arend for ten years, and we wonder if she's looking for her next chance to dress up for the aisle.
Britney Spears
Even for someone who is so used to taking center stage, it's important to be able to step back and let someone else be in the spotlight. Such was the case when pop superstar Britney Spears appeared at her sister Jamie Lynn's wedding in 2014.
Jamie Lynn looked wonderful in a lace wedding gown, and older sister Britney was there to help in a slim gray bridesmaid's dress. Jamie Lynn was married to businessman Jamie Watson – the same first name, that must be fun.
Brooklyn Decker
The goofy picture we see here — our favorite is the bridesmaid on the far right — features the famous model and Carolina Panthers fan, Brooklyn Decker. She wasn't there to support another famous name, just having some fun with her friends and the groom.
All of the bridesmaids are grinning and gassing for the camera in above-the-knee teal dresses that look perfect for a warm summer wedding. The 'maids are all mugging, but the groom is looking up at the sky.