34 Stars Have Played The Role Of Bridesmaid In Real Life
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride? How about, always a celebrity, sometimes a bridesmaid. From gal-pals and castmates to siblings, plenty of stars have walked down the aisle to help their friends and family celebrate their nuptials.
The tradition of bridesmaids can be traced all the way back to the Bible, according to Wedding Wire, who noted that Jacob's wives, Leah and Rachel, were accompanied to the wedding by the brides' maids. They've also served as a sort of protection detail throughout history. You've heard of the bride's family offering cows and treasures as part of her dowry. Way back in times of ancient Rome and feudal China, brides often had to travel miles to their wedding, per Reader's Digest, and the bride's maids went along for security.
In fact, that's where the tradition of the bridesmaids wearing the same dresses came from, too. Hanne Blank, author of "Virgin, the Untouched History," noted (via Reader's Digest) that the purpose of the matching outfits was to "confuse evil spirits or those who wished to harm the bride." These days, it's more about creating fabulous photos and memories with friends.
13 famous friends have played the role of bridesmaid
Stars often have friends who are also stars, and sometimes, they ask them to don matching dresses and serve as bridesmaids in their weddings.
When Sarah Hyland married Wells Adams, she asked acting gal-pals Vanessa Hudgens, Ashleigh Newborough, and Ciara Robinson to be in her wedding party, as shared in Cosmopolitan. Vanessa Hudgens was also a bridesmaid in actress Kim Hidalgo's wedding to Brant Daugherty, along with Ashley Tisdale and Samantha Droke (per People). Nina Dobrev was a bridesmaid in Julianne Hough's wedding to Brooks Laich, and shared a fun photo on Instagram.
Friends who share the same careers often share wedding celebrations, too. Singer Ciara married Russell Wilson, and had fellow songbirds Kelly Rowland and La La Anthony as her bridesmaids, according to Hello!. In her wedding to Juan David Borrero, Victoria's Secret Angel and supermodel Jasmine Tookes asked fellow lingerie model friends Lais Ribeiro, Shanina Shaik, Kelsey Merritt, Sara Sampaio, and Josephine Skriver to all be bridesmaids, with a wedding feature on The Knot.
14 stars have been bridesmaids in castmates' weddings
Work friends can become close friends, especially when working long hours, day after day. It's no surprise then that castmates have also been bridesmaids.
When "Riverdale" star Vanessa Morgan married pro baseball player Michael Kopech, co-star Madelaine Petsch was one of her six bridesmaids, with the wedding featured on The Knot. Beverley Mitchell married her beau Michael Cameron in Italy, and the duo who played her sisters on "7th Heaven," Jessica Biel and Mackenzie Rosman, were both in the wedding party, as seen on Just Jared. The "Pitch Perfect" Barden Bellas are a close-knit group of friends, and Us shared that Anna Camp, Kelley Jakle, and Chrissie Fit were all bridesmaids in fellow Bella Brittany Snow's wedding to Tyler Stanaland.
Even if official scripts aren't involved, the stars who appear on our TV screens still become besties. When "Dancing With the Stars" dancer Witney Carson married her long-time boyfriend, ET revealed her dancing friends Emma Slater, Lindsay Arnold, Brittany Cherry, and Jenna Johnson were all part of the bridal party. The "Jersey Shore" gang is also close, and Jennifer "JWoww" Farley, Deena Cortese, and Samantha "Sammi Sweetheart" Giancola were all bridesmaids in Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi's wedding to Jionni LaValle, according to E! Online. A year later, Snooki, Sammi, and Deena served as bridesmaids at JWoww's wedding to Roger Matthews, according to People.
7 celebrity siblings have been bridesmaids
It's not unusual to ask your sister to be a bridesmaid in your wedding, or for a bride to ask one of her fiancé's siblings to stand up in her wedding party. The same is true for sisters who also happen to be famous.
Blaine Lawrence married his sweetheart, Carson Massler, with his sister Jennifer Lawrence in bridesmaid attire, with the wedding featured in Martha Stewart Weddings. Keira Knightley attended to Kerry Nixon when she married the star's brother, Caleb, while Miranda Kerr looked lovely in her brother Matthew's casual wedding to James Wright, as reported in People.
Sometimes, there's more than one famous family member at the wedding, too. At the nuptials of Paige Howard and Tim Abou-Nasr, her sister, Bryce Dallas Howard, stood up as a bridesmaid, while dad Ron Howard was the officiant, per People. Emily Blunt was the bridesmaid at her sister Felicity's wedding to Stanley Tucci, noted Women's Wear Daily. The two met when Emily introduced them at the "The Devil's Wear Prada" premiere (via People). At the wedding of Kimberly Ryan and Ross Arne Naess, Harper's Bazaar reports both sister Tracee Ellis Ross and sister-in-law Ashlee Simpson donned bridesmaid dresses.