Did you know that wedding dolls can make an appearance during the celebration of a couple’s nuptials? Whether they’re featured in the decor, stylishly perched atop a delicious cake, or added to a special collection in the couple’s home after the celebration – wedding dolls have a unique place in the hearts of married people all over the world. They’re whimsical, romantic, and most of all – totally adorable.

Wedding Doll Traditions

Weddings are all about the traditions. Every family will celebrate their special day in a different way, practicing traditions from their own cultures, or borrowing from others. For a touch of whimsy on their wedding day, a bride and groom may add a pair of special dolls to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Wedding Dolls as Decorations

There’s no doubt about it – dolls are cute. A bride and groom may choose to adorn their dinner tables with adorable dolls, or place them in the back window of the getaway car after they’ve said “I do”. These dolls can come in all shapes and styles, and are generally intended to coordinate with the rest of the décor. This adorable bridal doll decorated an Australian couple’s car in the 1930s, a tradition that became popular worldwide in the 1960s. It wasn’t uncommon to see a fancily dressed Barbie on the hood of the couple’s car as they sped off to their honeymoon. Today, couples generally decorate their cars with flowers or streamers – but some will definitely still use dolls.

Wedding Dolls as Gifts

Not sure what to get the couple who already has everything? Some guests opt for the gift of matching wedding dolls, customized for the bride and groom. This is an especially thoughtful gift if they’re wearing special cultural attire, as was the case for this couple. Their Korean wedding dolls are oh-so-cute in their traditional fancy robes (a Korean wedding dress is called a hanbok), and they can display these gifts in their home for years to come.

The bride and groom aren’t the only ones receiving gifts during a wedding celebration. Dolls make excellent gifts for flower girls and junior bridesmaids as a special way to say “thank you” for participating in the event. Royal Flower Girl Lottie was inspired by the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, and she’s sure to be the perfect playmate for the flower girl in your life.

Wedding Dolls as Cake Toppers

As the story goes, a proud father secretly placed a pair of romantic figurines atop the cake he lovingly baked for his daughter’s wedding as a surprise – and the cake topper was born. Over the years, the style of the figurines changed to include the adorable kewpie dolls of the 1930s. These adorable dolls were made of celluloid,  an early plastic that was soft but could withstand children’s play (unlike its ceramic and porcelain cousins). Today, people still use figurines – and sometimes dolls – to add whimsy to their wedding cakes.

Collectible Celebrity Wedding Dolls

When Barbie hit the toy market in the 1950s, fashion dolls became highly collectible items. Wedding dolls are an integral part of any toy collector’s stash, with their elaborate gowns and stylish hairdos. Mattel released more than 50 bridal dolls over the years, with many toy companies following suit. The most special wedding dolls included those modeled after famous or fashionable brides throughout the years.

Queen Victoria

For the bride who kicked off the white wedding dress craze in the 1800s, there are tons of Queen Victoria wedding dolls out there for collectors to snag. If you can’t find a vintage doll for your collection, there are plenty of historical sewing patterns for fashioning your favorite doll a wedding gown worthy of a Queen.  

Princess Diana

The iconic wedding dress of Princess Diana has taken shape in a variety of different doll forms, from a Barbie boxed set with her husband-to-be Prince Charles, to the coveted Danbury mint porcelain.

Princess Catherine (Kate Middleton)

Did you know that a pair of wedding dolls started it all here at Lottie Dolls? A boxed set of the fabulously dressed Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton hit the shelves in the summer of 2011, along with a singular doll of Princess Catherine in her stunning royal wedding dress. The launch of this doll set Lottie Dolls creators, Arklu, on a path of inspiring girls everywhere with their signature doll collection. All thanks to this Royal Wedding!    

It’s Always a Nice Day for a Doll Wedding

Not everyone is a doll collector or looking for a gift for a special day, but plenty of kids fancy a fun doll wedding now and then. Perfect for playing on a rainy day, you can gather the gang together and make it a whole family affair with food, decorations, and a full wedding party.

Here are some key elements of a proper doll wedding (but feel free to use your wild imagination!)

• Select your participants. My favorite wedding as a child occurred between my stuffed rabbits, dressed to the nines. They remained married for nearly seven years, which is a lifetime in rabbit years.
• Delegate responsibilities. Who will oversee the cake, the flowers, the décor? The DRESS?
• Plan the party. My five-year-old daughter insists that a doll wedding requires paper heart banners cut out of construction paper, with romantic words written on each one. Feel free to steal this idea for your real-life weddings as well (I think she’s on to something). If the weather is nice, you can use greenery and flowers from outside – or bring the celebration into the garden for some all-natural décor.
• Cook a special meal or bake a cake. Who says you can only have pretend food at a pretend wedding? Any excuse for cake is a good one, so whip up your favorite kind and serve it to all your guests. You’ll have plenty of leftovers once the wedding is over, and everybody needs some cake once in a while!