On Saturday, July 25, Emma Roberts married actor Cody John at a private residence in Idaho. And just one week before, Vogue went along with Emma for the final fitting of her Monique Lhuillier custom wedding gown and archival after-party dress.
It was a true family affair at Monique Lhuillier’s Los Angeles bridal salon. Along with the designer herself, Emma was joined by her stylists—and bridesmaids—sisters Brit and Kara Elkin, who helped her along the journey of crafting her wedding wardrobe with assistance from Vanessa Powell. She was also accompanied by her mother Kelly Cunningham, sister Grace Nickels, cousins Charlotte Long and Daphne Merrymen, and friends Ally Gasparian and Lily Kershaw present for the big reveal.
Emma arrived at the salon in a bridal white Anna October set, styled with a Fanci Club cardigan and Self-Portrait bag as her “something blues.” The bride immediately shared that she loved working with Lhuillier and her stylists to craft a garment from scratch. “I didn’t really know what I wanted,” Emma explained of the design process. “I just knew that I wanted it to feel very vintage-inspired. I’m obsessed with antique books and treasure hunting, and I love collecting old ephemera, so I really wanted that to shine through in the dress.” The colour of the dress was an important factor for the bride, as she didn’t want to wear a pure white shade down the aisle. Instead, she worked with Lhuillier to create a custom fabric colour for a tea-stained effect. “I kind of wanted to look like a ghost—a little antique ghost doll,” she said.
Brit and Kara echoed how wonderful their collaboration on the look was. “It felt like three friends who would just sit and have fun and brainstorm and get creative and then create something together,” said Kara. Emma noted that when they began working with Lhuillier on the style, “the synergy was so there.” One reason why Emma was feeling the pressure? “I’ve been married in a movie before, and I tried out wedding dresses for that, which feels so weird. So now, it’s the real deal.”
For the main wedding dress, Lhuillier decided to work with silk chiffon to help give the gown the “ethereal, romantic, and vintage-inspired” feel the bride was looking for. The style required using 25 yards of fabric dyed to a custom colour that the designer named “antique rose,” a nod to Emma’s middle name. The fabric was draped across an intricate corset with boning that remains lightly revealed through the silk chiffon. Meanwhile, a layered skirt with a slit in the fabric brought flowing movement to the garment, and a draped bustle allowed for flexibility as the bride moved into the reception.
Lhuillier also added a removable shawl accented with ecru French lace to the design, giving the gown an asymmetrical neckline and a dramatic train. A chapel-length veil was also created in antique rose-dyed silk tulle, as well as a delicate lace voilette that covers the bride’s eyes and could be pushed back to look like a lace headband. In all, “this gown took nine months to make, and I would say it took close to 1000 hours to complete,” notes Lhuillier. When Emma first tried on the entire ensemble with Lhuillier, she exclaimed: “I feel like an elfin fairy.”
Emma’s entourage gathered for the bride to make her big reveal in her wedding gown. The moment she stepped out, almost everyone began to wipe tears from their faces. Shocked, Emma responded, “Are people actually crying? Guys!” Her mother ran to give her a big hug and simply said, “Stunning. Absolutely stunning.” The bride gave the rest of her guests hugs and popped a bottle of Dom Pérignon for a toast.
“It feels very Emma,” noted her cousin Charlotte Long. “The first thing I thought was she looks like a doll—and she’s obsessed with dolls. It’s very fitting for her.” Her bridesmaid Ally Gasparian added, “She’s all of our dolls. It was perfect.” After hearing the reactions of all her party, Emma explained, “I said I wanted to like look like a ghost and they made it beautiful.”
Lhuillier then helped Emma show off all the convertible elements of the ensemble to the group. “The beauty of this dress is it keeps transforming throughout the night,” the designer noted. “There are five looks in this dress.” One of the biggest reveals was that once the lace shawl is removed, a strapless neckline is revealed. “Isn’t that so cool?” Emma said. The group’s response? That her fiancé Cody was going to cry non-stop when he saw the look. “He wouldn’t care if I wore jeans,” says the bride. “But he’s gonna definitely die for this.”
The second dress Lhuillier designed for Emma was actually an archival style from her fall 2004 collection—a two-piece look with a black corset top in Chantilly lace and a tea-length, hand-cut skirt made from layered silk organza. “I love the idea of wearing black for the after party,” said Emma. “We love doing something that’s a little unexpected. This looks like it could be totally vintage from 100 years ago, or from now. This is going to be so fun in Idaho at the after party.”
Finally, as Emma showed off the “boudoir saloon” look to her friends and family, they erupted in screams and had her do a spin. “This is your vision,” Kara said. “You sent us so many inspos of the early 2000s like this.” And when Lhuillier shared the look is also a two-piece, her friend Ally automatically asked to borrow it after the wedding. “Yes, of course Al,” replied Emma. “Now we have to get there and have a party!”
Director Julie Goldstone
Director of Photography Tamara Santos
Editor Evan Allan
Producer Chase Lewis
Producer, On Set Gigi Chavarria
Associate Producer Marisah Yazbek
Camera Operator Caleb Harris
Assistant Camera Carolina Colombo
Gaffer Kevin Chiu
Audio Gloria Marie, Gray Thomas-Sowers
Production Assistants Marquis Wooten, Fernando Barajas
Production Coordinator Tanía Jones
Production Manager Kristen Helmick
Line Producer Jen Santos
Assistant Editor Andy Morell
Post Production Coordinator Holly Frew
Supervising Editor Kameron Key
Post Production Supervisor Alexa Deutsch
Talent Manager Phoebe Dishner
Executive Producer Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Digital Video Romy van den Broeke
Senior Director, Programming Linda Gittleson
VP, Video Programming Thespena Guatieri
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
