When Nicole Kidman married Keith Urban in 2006, she opted for a custom-made ivory silk organza gown with romantic puff sleeves that contrasted with the more military-looking high collar. The dress, designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga, is now one of the highlights of Love Is ... Australian Wedding Fashion, an exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney that traces the history of Australian wedding style though more than 60 outfits

The exhibition features Australia's oldest surviving wedding dress, a high-waist ‘Empire’ style muslin gown that is believed to have been worn to the Government House Ball in 1822 by Ann Marsden, the daughter of a prominent figure in then colonial New South Wales, along with several colored dresses from the end of the 19th century, which were in fashion at the time for economical and practical reasons as they could be worn again. Amongst the colored dresses are an elegant deep purple silk taffeta dress, which is believed to have been worn in 1887 by Janet McDonald, and a brown silk taffeta dress worn by Jane Anne Frazer at her wedding in 1881.

As Curator Glynis Jones leads visitors through decades of fashion from the looser-fitting flapper silhouettes of the 1920s to the shorter style of the 1960s, the exhibition offers an opportunity to explore the evolution of bridal fashion.

The spotlight is also shone on wedding outfits worn by a range of well-known Australians. These include shoe designer Terry Biviano’s curve-enhancing J'Aton couture gown, along with designer Collette Dinnigan's own wedding gown design, model Bambi Northwood-Blyth's bohemian gown by Roberto Cavalli and socialite and fashion writer Kate Waterhouse's slinky silk and tulle dress by Vera Wang.

The exhibition runs until April 22, 2018.