Hollywoodicon Marilyn Monroe had her fair share of lovers. The infamous blonde bombshellmarried not once but three times in her short life.
The termsex symbol was basically invented to describe the model-turned-actress.Unfortunately none of her marriages lasted long and she was three timesdivorced before she died in 1962 at the age of 36.
High School Sweetheart
Marilyn Monroe (then Norma Jeane) married her first husband in 1942 when she was 16. The Los Angeles Police officer, James Dougherty, announced in an interview that they were getting married to prevent her from going into an orphanage but that they were also very much in love.
The young beauty had a tough life up until this point. She had dreamt of being an actress from the age of five to escape from her real life in orphanages and foster homes.
Marilynwas an unknown brunette who wore a traditional girl-next-door floor length gownto her nuptials. The A-line dress featured long sleeves and lace detailing onthe skirt. The modest wedding dress was coupled with a short veil and half-upcurled hairstyle that was very typical of the 40s.
Thecouple apparently had an idyllic marriage and Marilyn was an endearinghousewife until James enlisted in the Merchant Marines in 1943. Meanwhile,Marilyn caught the eye of a photographer as she was working and she scored herfirst modelling gig. Her popularity grew, and her husband got further away. Shesigned to a modelling agency and became a very popular pin-up girl. Desperateto learn the craft of acting, she threw herself into the film industry to watcheveryone at work.
As Jameswas against her having a career, Marilyn decided to file for divorce in 1946.
Infamous Elopement
Marilyn spent twelve years husband-less. Then, she met baseball player Joe DiMaggio in 1952. The couple first met after DiMaggio saw a photo of Monroe, and asked the photographer to set the two up on a date. Marilyn wasn’t too keen on meeting Joe, as she expected him to be the typical baseball-playing “jock”. However, Joe exceeded her expectations and the two quickly fell in love.
Theymarried on January 14th 1954 in an informal wedding ceremony in SanFrancisco.
In contrast to her glamorous onscreen image (and first wedding dress) Marilyn opted for a low-key chocolate brown skirt suit. The demure outfit featured a cute white fur Peter Pan collar and button down detail.
Shecarried with her a small bunch of orchids. Her understated appearance wasperfect for their informal elopement at San Francisco City Hall. Marilyn lookedabsolutely radiant. It’s clear to see that she was bursting with excitement onher wedding day.
They honeymooned in Japan, and Monroe travelled to Korea to perform ten shows in just four days for over 60,000 servicemen – which conquered her fear of performing in front of large audiences.
Monroeand DiMaggio divorced 274 days later. She allegedly cited “mental cruelty” asher reasoning. However, rumour has it that Monroe and DiMaggio never reallyfell out of love. It was said they had planned to remarry in August 1962, sadlythe month of Monroe’s death.
TheYankee never stopped trying to win her back. Apparently he had fresh rosesdelivered to her grave twice a week until his own death in 1999.
Monroe’swedding outfit was sold at auction in 1998, fetching $33,350. Her wedding ringwas also sold. The 35-diamond band was missing a diamond, to symbolise theunfilled promise of the couple’s love.
Third and Final
While thedivorce was being finalised, Marilyn was having relationships with Joe, MarlonBrando and playwright Arthur Miller. The affair with Miller became big news asher divorce finalised at the same time as he left his wife. Her studio tried toconvince her to stay away, as he was under scrutiny from the FBI.
Sheofficially changed her name to Marilyn Monroe shortly before they wed on June29th 1956 at Westchester County Court in New York. A few days later, theyfollowed their civil ceremony with a Jewish one, at the home of Millers’Hollywood agent, Kay Brown. The intimate at-home Jewish ceremony that lastedfour minutes, and with that Monroe converted to Judaism.
The rings were inscribed with “Now is forever” and Marilyn was given away by her acting teacher Lee Strasberg.
Monroeadorned a mid-length gown oozing effortless glamour and sophistication. Thedress was figure-hugging and nipped in at the waist to accentuate the starsfeminine figure. It featured sheer, gathered sleeves and a low scooped neck.She also wore white wrist length gloves to complement.
Theblonde bombshell’s hair was pinned into curls and her veil was playful andshort, just covering her hair and face. Her bridal look was full of understatedcharm, perfect for their intimate nuptials. Her natural beauty shined throughand she was clearly ecstatic during the celebrations from the images that wehave.
Marilyn’s Curtain Call
Miller encouragedMarilyn to take the role of Sugar Kane Kowalczyk in Some Like It Hot, and this became her biggest hit. It is consideredone of the best films of all time, and Monroe won a Golden Globe for herefforts.
Duringthe latter half of their marriage, there were heavily publicised affairs fromboth Monroe and Miller. Marilyn suffered multiple miscarriages and her healthwas going downhill rapidly. She started to rely upon barbiturates. Duringfilming for The Misfits, written byMiller, she needed to take a week’s hiatus to detox in hospital. As soon asfilming finished, the pair filed for a quick divorce. Miller married the setphotographer he had been having an affair with. Monroe’s health continued totumble.
Her lastrole, in Something’s Got To Give, sawher swimming naked in a pool. She invited photographers after filming and didnot wear the skin coloured body stocking she was offered. This was seen as sucha bold move, and she would have become the first mainstream star to appear nudein a Hollywood film.
However,her poor health lead to her leaving the project and the film was never finished.She died of an overdose on August 4th 1962, aged just 36, leavingbehind quite a legacy.
We hope you’ve gained some inspiration from these iconic bridal looks from the infamous Hollywood movie star, Marilyn Monroe. Take a look at the bridal boutiques on our website to have a go at replicating any of these outfits.
