Ellie Goulding had four, Serena Williams had three, and Meghan Markle had two. The diktat is clear: these days, it’s all about an outfit change on your Big Day.

After all, it’s all good and well wearing the wedding dress of your dreams in which to say ‘I do’, but once your feet hit the dancefloor at that reception, what use is a floor-length laced gown to dance the night away in? Do away with restrictive materials and stifling structures and do as the insiders do: embrace the wedding outfit change, as championed by a clutch of our favourite stars.  

Indeed, it’s no surprise that wedding outfit changes are on the rise, given that searches for bridal partywear have peaked in recent months. According to fashion platform Lyst, searches for mini bridal dresses have spiked by 170% and embellished pants and rhinestone heels have similarly increased by 37% and 31% respectively. But your second wedding dress needn’t be short and sweet; instead, take a leaf out of Bieber’s dress and opt for a maxi slip dress, if you prefer.

In case you’re in need of a touch of bridal inspiration for that all-important outfit change, we’ve rounded up some of those that the It-crowd intelligentsia have nailed with aplomb. From Serena Williams’ dazzling display of a trio of drool-worthy dresses to Meghan Markle’s highly sought-after second Stella McCartney halterneck gown. There’s a little second wedding get-up for even the most discerning of brides. 

Serena Williams

Tennis supremo Serena Williams is no stranger to serving a sartorial ace, and that went for her wedding day in 2017, too. Having said ‘I do’ in a dazzling custom Alexander McQueen gown fit for a princess, Williams then ripped up the rulebook for the rest of her celebratory day. After her wedding ball gown came an intricately beaded and feathered Versace gown for her first dance at her celebration in New Orleans, which was followed by yet another Versace number in a shorter, sassier cut that made it perfect for late-night dancing with family and friends.

Hailey Bieber

For her wedding to Justin Bieber in South Carolina in 2019, Hailey Bieber sported a trio of show-stopping dresses. For the ceremony, she employed the services of her friend Virgil Abloh, creative director at Off-White, to craft a one-of-a-kind gown, but for the after party, well that was another story. Her second outfit change took the form of a thigh-split silk Ralph + Russo dress, which she wore with Tiffany & Co. jewellery and Jimmy Choo sandals, while the last came by way of bridalwear maven Vera Wang, who custom-made the model another ankle-grazing slip-style dress which she decided to pair with box-fresh Air Force 1s. Stylish bridal comfort done right. 

Samira Wiley

For her 2017 wedding to her screenwriter partner Lauren Morelli, Orange Is The New Black actor Samira Wiley wore a voluminous two-piece courtesy of Christian Siriano, which she slipped out of and into a decidedly slinkier two-piece by the same designer for her evening ceremony. 

Meghan Markle

It’s the follow-up wedding dress that spawned a thousand copies, Meghan Markle’s show-stopping high-neck Stella McCartney dress, which she accessorised with Princess Diana’s bobby-dazzler of a topaz ring, prompted a sharp uptick in searches for copycat dupes following the Sussexes’ nuptials. To take her beauty look from daytime to nighttime, the former Suits actor swept her hair off her face and allowed the form-fitting silhouette of her dress to do the talking. 

Priyanka Chopra-Jonas 

It was the seemingly never-ending nuptials that spanned continents; from America to India to Europe, but not once did Priyanka Chopra-Jonas show signs of sartorially waning while on, what became, her wedding tour in 2019. For the first of three receptions after her Indian ceremony, the Bollywood actor sported an ornately-beaded gold lehenga choli by Falguni Shane Peacock for the party, which was held at the Taj Palace in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, for her Christian ceremony, need we remind you of her utterly breathtaking Swarovski-adorned Ralph Lauren dress, which took a total of 1,826 hours to complete? If you’re unsure of how to nail your outfit change at your wedding, take a leaf from Chopra-Jonas’ book and simply remember that more is always more. 

Images: courtesy of Getty Images.