For brides-to-be or any reader with a fascination for couture, this is the essential guide to the best wedding dresses of modern times

Stars and brides

Some of the most inspiring wedding dresses of our time were created for fashion icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Catherine Middleton and Kate Moss.

The Brides’ Bible

The Wedding Dress is a book that takes a look at the bridal legends and designs that have transcended mere beauty to become flashpoints of fashion and style.

With examples of both elegant and extravagant dresses by the most renowned couturiers of our time, The Wedding Dress explains how and why each achieved iconic status.

Bridal couture

From the white wedding dress worn by Queen Victoria in 1840 to couture creations by Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, Vera Wang and Vivienne Westwood, The Wedding Dress examines the details of each and every design in chronological sequence.

Photographs of the dresses and the brides that wore them are accompanied by illustrations offering a 360-degree view of the designs’ unique features.

This accessible and richly illustrated book is an indispensable resource for brides, designers, stylists, wedding planners and anyone interested in the extraordinary world of bridal couture.

Eleanor Thompson served as curator of dress at the Brighton Museum and was an exhibition consultant for the Fashion and Textile Museum, London. She has lectured on fashion at the University of Brighton, the London College of Fashion, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Eleanor now lives in Seattle, USA.

This content was provided by Prestel Publishing and the book is available in hardback, at 192 pages with 165 colour illustrations, from the 17th March 2014.