Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s courthouse wedding was not your average registry office affair. It was the happy couple’s second wedding for one. On 16 May, the day of the lunar eclipse, when the earth’s shadow turned the moon the colour of fire, Kravis tied the knot in Santa Barbara, with little fanfare, save for a newlyweds’ photo shoot in a convertible. It was fun, flirtatious, and filled with love – and interesting fashion.
The bride wore Dolce. A strappy ivory mini that hugged her famous Kardashian figure and was detailed with a single heart. A micro veil, which really came into its own during that post-ceremony car bonnet editorial, highlighted Kourtney as an individual bride, one who won’t get sucked into the world of frou-frou gowns, thank you very much.
We should have seen it coming. This is a couple who wed (unofficially) in front of an Elvis impersonator in Vegas after the Grammys. Wearing matching leather jackets (Kourtney’s studded Saint Laurent, Travis’s emblazoned with “What Are You Staring At A**hole” on the back), the warm-up wedding was all tattoos, roses and rhinestone crucifixes. In lieu of a dress, Kardashian wore a vintage Versace byzantine cross bustier – an item that has become one of her signatures in the first series of The Kardashians. With her hair swept back into a no-fuss ponytail (this was pre-bob) and sunglasses negating any fussy make-up, Kourtney looked every inch the rock‘n’roll bride.
The reality TV star and Poosh entrepreneur has been drawn towards the goth girl end of the fashion spectrum since she got together with Travis, her longtime friend, in January 2021. There’s more Rick Owens, Balenciaga and Junya Watanabe in her closet now than, say, Yeezy and Gucci. She wears Just Love skeleton onesies instead of bodycon; leather over athleisure and distressed denim. And judging by every smiling (and snogging!) couple’s snap she shares, she feels right at home in Travis’s world. Tumbling tulle would have looked totally at odds with a woman whose bridal mani included chunky silver crosses tacked to her nails.
Arguably, original, unconventional bridal looks are some of the most memorable. Sixties brides Yoko Ono, Jane Fonda and Audrey Hepburn also married in minidresses – Yoko with knee-high socks and lace-up pumps, rather than stilettos. Kourtney’s short veil even had shades of Bianca Jagger’s wispy 1971 version that wrapped around her wide-brimmed hat and later got packed away to let her fabulous headwear – and that famous suit – do the talking. The message? Intricate lace is not a bride’s only passport to chic big-day dressing.
Mr and Mrs Barker have yet to reveal whether larger celebrations are in order. But judging by their engagement (watch The Kardashians to see the flower-filled beachside proposal play out), their late-night chapel nuptials and the Cali courthouse ceremony, there will be more off-kilter glamour to come, paving the way for the rest of their lives together. Going their own way looks good on these two.
This article was originally published on Vogue UK.
