Sarah Jessica Parker wore a black Morgane Le Fay dress when she married Matthew Broderick in 1997. She later explained that they wanted a low-key celebration, not more attention, and said she wished she had chosen white or off-white. The real dress was not the ivory Vivienne Westwood gown worn by Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City film.
Why did Sarah Jessica Parker wear a black wedding dress?
Parker described the choice as practical rather than a fashion statement. In a 2008 interview with Glamour, she said she and Broderick did not want to draw attention to themselves: “Our logic was we didn’t want to call attention to ourselves that day, because we’re actors and we get attention all day long. It was a party for everybody else.”
She also said the decision was quick: “Matthew bought a suit off the rack and I bought the first dress I looked at. I wish I had worn white, or off-white, I should say.” Her later recollection, reported by Harper’s Bazaar in 2016 from an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, adds that she felt embarrassed to spend much time searching. “Oh, I wish it was because I was badass,” she said. “I just was too embarrassed to spend any time looking for a wedding dress. There was a store that I liked that I knew, and I just went and got whatever they had hanging.”
Those accounts point to a low-key choice and limited shopping, not a planned act of bridal rebellion. Parker’s own later regret was that she had not worn white or off-white.
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What was the dress, and what was the wedding like?
The real wedding dress was by Morgane Le Fay. Vogue España describes it as a ready-to-wear black dress with a round neckline and a full ruffled skirt. The available reporting identifies the designer and gives that broad description, but does not establish a complete visual record of Parker’s look at the private wedding.
Vogue España reports that Parker and Broderick married on May 19, 1997, at the Angel Orensanz Center on New York’s Lower East Side. Guests were reportedly told they were coming to a party; the publication puts attendance at around 100. It also reports that Broderick’s sister officiated and that the celebration included musical-theater numbers.
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How the real dress differs from Carrie Bradshaw’s
| Detail | Sarah Jessica Parker’s real wedding | Carrie Bradshaw’s fictional wedding |
|---|---|---|
| Wearer | Sarah Jessica Parker | Carrie Bradshaw, Parker’s character |
| Designer | Morgane Le Fay | Vivienne Westwood |
| Occasion | Parker and Matthew Broderick’s 1997 wedding | The 2008 Sex and the City film |
The dramatic ivory gown often associated with Parker belongs to the film’s fictional story, not her real wedding. British Vogue reported in 2023 that Carrie’s gown first appeared in Vivienne Westwood Gold Label’s autumn/winter 2007 collection, Wake Up Cave Girl. The label’s head of couture, Brigitte Stepputtis, said it was inspired by diamond cutting technique.
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