What to Wear to a Courthouse Wedding, According to Brides Who Made It Look Effortless
From Dua Lipa's custom Schiaparelli to Charli XCX's Vivienne Westwood mini, today's most stylish courthouse weddings are reshaping bridal fashion and influencing how I'm approaching my own celebration later this year.
Jennifer Atilémile is the definition of a woman who does it all. A true multi-hyphenate, she is a model, writer, creative, activist, and intellectual. As an editor in residence, she gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion industry.
The courthouse wedding used to be an alternative to the old-school "establishment" religious ceremony, but now, it's one of the chicest ways to get married. There are two camps to the courthouse wedding: those who choose that moment to be their entire wedding and those who opt for the courthouse as their intimate moment before they celebrate in a main event with all their friends (your faves/cool girls/celebs). Dua Lipa had her intimate version in none other than custom Schiaparelli before her Italian celebration. Charli XCX married George Daniel at Hackney Town Hall in a Vivienne Westwood mini with her Sicilian blowout still to come. Let's talk about Sicily as the cool-girl musician's wedding-party destination in a different article.
I've got a personal stake in all of this. I'm following each detail like a hawk, even while I'm on date night with my fiancé, for any inkling or inch of the reveal of Lipa's ultimate wedding dress. My reason? I'm getting married at the end of the year, starting with the courthouse and then celebrating with all our friends at a separate event. So much of what I've seen play out as a 2026 bride has already been on my Pinterest list, and I'm watching—not so I can copy but so that I can appreciate and then make some choices on what feels most aligned with how I envision my moment.
For the Bride
The Suit
The most enduring courthouse-wedding look in fashion history is a suit, and it belongs to Bianca Jagger… well, according to my planning and Pinterest searches. She married Mick Jagger in Saint-Tropez in 1971 and wore an Yves Saint Laurent bias-cut column skirt and the ever-iconic Le Smoking single-buttoned jacket. She topped it off with a hat that hinted at a veil.
It's literally been on my Pinterest board for months, and clearly, I'm not the only one who thinks it's stunningly chic. That reference is having a full resurgence, and while the look is currently being talked about by one of the biggest pop stars of the moment, there's a reason why it's remained iconic since 1971.
Who What Wear's own Ana Escalante got married in a vintage Dior suit sourced by Studio Dorothy.
What I love most about the idea of the wedding suit is that it isn't just a one-and-done moment. It's something that can be reworn time and again, unlike a big, showstopping gown, which—don't get me wrong—I also love!
This Bernadette two-piece is a gorgeous option for a rewearable wedding suit.
The skirt is so classic.
If you're plus-sized, this 11 Honoré set would also be a very chic alternative to a traditional suit.
There's a plethora of vintage suits on the internet. One of my favorite places to look is 1stDibs.
The Hat
The detail I keep coming back to, especially in my own bridal-look planning, is whether I want to wear a veil or have a hat. The hat is more city, less traditional bridal, and reminds me a lot of one of my favorite movie montages from The Parent Trap.
After Lipa's hat moment, I'm sure that we're going to see a lot more hats in final bridal looks, especially at the courthouse.
The Unexpected Mini
Not everyone wants to wear the suit, and I did until my designer told me, "I'm not making you a suit." I'm still not sure what my courthouse look will be, but if it's not a suit, it might be a little mini. You can't go wrong. Charli XCX's Hackney Town Hall dress was an off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood mini with a corseted bodice, something that had also been on my radar even before I had a boyfriend and got engaged. I also think you can't go wrong with a slip dress.
This Dôen fringed silk dress is a cool-girl alternative to a regular slip dress.
For my plus-size brides, this Gia/IRL corset and miniskirt would be the perfect courthouse outfit.
I've got this Réalisation slip dress hanging in my closet and haven't worn it specifically because it would be the cutest bridal moment.
For the Guest
A courthouse wedding puts guests in a strange spot because it's not the traditional wedding we're used to. To be honest, I've never been invited to one because I think it's reserved exclusively for the future spouses and their immediate friends and chosen family. I don't know if there's an invitation specifying dress code, and I'm currently navigating that, but given what I'd want, there's still a dress code. It's not casual. You're not meeting friends for brunch. It's not business casual either, and it's not a cocktail garden party unless it's a mimosa brunch for the after-party.
One thing about me is that I'll give you a Pinterest board of my dress code and all the ideas you can choose from. This would be on it.
I'd break my pattern rule for this one.
I also think this suit from Flapper6 is gorgeous for a courthouse moment or a wedding itself.
The Only Rule That Really Matters
Don't wear white to a wedding that isn't yours—unless you're Lipa at Simon Porte Jacquemus's wedding, where her dress was actually designed by the groom, and the dress code is white to begin with.
At the end of the day, you can have Pinterest boards galore and be following every celeb wedding trend, but something that always gets missed is that, ultimately, the final decision for anything you plan to wear to your wedding, be it a courthouse or the whole shebang, is whatever your heart desires.
Lady Gaga, who could literally have the most extravagant wedding on the planet, said this about marrying her fiancé, Michael Polansky: "We actually talk a lot about just going to a courthouse, just the two of us, and ordering Chinese food. But knowing me, also, it could become like a circus with unicorns."
That's how I feel about ours right now. I've had a couple of fittings, and I keep seeing other people's weddings online, and the one thing I say is, "Do what feels natural to you." It's your moment, and these trends are all guidelines. So follow the suit if the suit calls you. Follow the resurgence, copy Bianca Jagger, and wear the hat. Or ignore all of it and wear the biggest dress you can find to a tiny municipal office because you love a big dress. It's your day, and nobody else's! The brides who look the best at the end of the day are the ones who looked and felt the most like themselves. That's the only thing your future self will care about.
