Amazing Wedding Dresses from Around the World

Here's what brides from different countries and cultures wore on their big days. Spoiler alert: Each outfit was uniquely breathtaking.

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Meg Smith

See More of Our Favorite Wedding Dresses

Have you ever wondered what brides around the world wear on their wedding days? As you can imagine, many of their wedding dresses aren't anything like what's considered "traditional" in the United States: a long, white gown. In order to spotlight some of these amazing designs, we rounded up a number of stunning photos showcasing bridal attire from different cultures and countries. The resulting collection is equal parts fascinating and breathtaking.

Stateside, we're quite familiar with floral lace and airy tulle, but other bridal fabrics reign supreme across the globe. These include everything from woven Fijian masi to patterned Ghanaian kente. Popular materials aren't the only things that differ depending on where you're from, either. Americans typically wear neutral shades like ivory or champagne. Meanwhile, many other nations—from Bulgaria to Cambodia—incorporate bright colors into their wedding outfits. These differences—and others—make international bridal attire beautifully diverse. That's exactly why we're so excited to show you an array of examples. We've included nuptial ensembles from Africa, Asia, and beyond—some of which were worn in their native countries, and some of which were worn at weddings right here in the U.S. In turn, some are fully traditional, while others are modern but culture-inspired.

First up is this Indian bride's Manish Malhotra gown, which featured vibrant hues and intricate embellishments. Though she lives in California, she always knew she'd honor her heritage on the big day. "Growing up, I had seen traditional Indian weddings and had always envisioned myself in an outfit like that," she shared with us.

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Chinese Wedding Dress

Erich McVey

Many Chinese couples include a tea ceremony in their wedding festivities. This bride wore an intricate Yefta Gunawan dress and a stunning Rinaldy Yunardi headpiece for the event. Both pieces were done in red—the traditional bridal color.

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Ghanaian Wedding Dress

NewGenn Photography

Pistis designed this glowing bride's kente (a patterned fabric made in Ghana) wedding dress.

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Fijian Wedding Dress

Kama Catch Me

This Fijian bride looked beautiful in a traditional masi wedding dress. "Masi is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree," explains the photographer, Gitte of Kama Catch Me. According to her, it's "highly valuable" and used for special celebrations.

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Korean Wedding Dress

Cly by Matthew Photography

For this Korean ceremony, the bride stepped out in an elaborate The Hanbok hanbok—a traditional, formal form of attire.

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South African Wedding Dress

Love Made Visible

See More Colorful Wedding Dresses We Love

Tamara Chérie created this South African bride's custom dress, who included a shweshwe pattern as part of the modern-meets-traditional design. Shweshwe is a type of printed fabric popular in the country.

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Cambodian Wedding Dress

Luna de Mare Photography

This pink-and-gold ensemble was just one of many traditional outfits the Cambodian bride wore on her big day.

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Japanese Wedding Dress

Kristine Foley Photography

Learn All About Shopping for a Vintage Wedding Dress

To honor her culture, this bride donned a kimono, a traditional robe-like garment. Hers was made by The Kimono House using vintage fabric.

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Malaysian Wedding Dress

Weddings by Qay

"This dress was inspired by the contemporary Malaysian kebaya design," shares the photographer, Qay of Weddings by Qay. (Kabayas are garments worn in Malaysia and the surrounding region.) The bride's pretty white outfit (by Hatta Dolmat) also had some Western influence.

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Bolivian Wedding Dress

Max Bukovski

Bolivian wedding attire is gorgeous and colorful, as this traditionally-dressed bride went to show.

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Indian Wedding Dress

Kat Braman

Read Up on Common Indian Wedding Traditions

Indian brides often wear lehengas, a traditional type of dress with impressive embroidery. This bride got hers from Binari Art.