Gabrielle Union Shares Never-Before-Seen Pic of Herself Shopping for Her Wedding Dress in 2014

On the day of the Met Gala, stars are typically spending the first Monday in May getting glammed up and handling last-minute alterations for the annual fashion affair. But Gabrielle Union once used the time right before fashion's biggest night to go wedding dress shopping.

While in New York City back in 2014, the Bring It On actress hit up the famed Kleinfeld Bridal boutique to find a gown for her then-upcoming nuptials to NBA player Dwyane Wade.

On Tuesday, Union, 47, shared a throwback photo of the trip to her Instagram Stories, the pic reappearing in her feed thanks to the Timehop app.

In the shot, Union posed in a crystal-and-pearl-embellished strapless ballgown with a full skirt — designed by Dennis Basso. The dress is the same gown she would wear months later, in August 2014, for her marriage to Wade.

Next to Union in the snapshot was pal Deirdre Maloney, godmother of Union's 1-year-old daughter, Kaavia. Both were all smiles when the picture was taken, Union raising one of her hands in celebration while the other held onto a bouquet of white lilies.

The star accessorized her wedding day look with a sparkling headband and a flowing veil.

Hours later, Union would hit the red carpet at the fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute dressed in something entirely different.

For the event, the Being Mary Jane star sparkled in a two-piece Prada ensemble that featured a cropped top fully covered in Swarovski crystals and a fringe skirt for the 2014 theme honoring designer Charles James.

She paired the head-turning look with black sandals and statement drop earrings, wearing her hair up in an intricate braid.

This year, Union along with other A-List stars did not attend the Met Gala, seeing as Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art postponed the event indefinitely due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This year's function, celebrating the theme "About Time: Fashion and Duration," was supposed to be hosted by Louis Vuitton's Creative Director, Nicolas Ghesquière, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Emma Stone and Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Anna Wintour.

As for Union's wedding gown, she previously told PEOPLE that she collaborated on the gown with both Basso and her stylist, Jason Bolden.

It was one of two they designed for her big day. The other was a fitted beaded gown with a high slit.

"Dennis, Jason and I worked together to choose the perfect fabric, silhouettes and finishing details for not just one, but two gowns," Union said in 2014.  "The two looks are near opposites and play off one another. Dennis Basso was able to capture both my unassuming and womanly sides through his sketches."

Basso told PEOPLE that when the actress came in to brainstorm her dream dress, all ideas went out the window once she began test-driving the gowns in the store.

"Like most brides to be, Gabrielle came in with her stylist Jason Bolden with a clear vision," Basso said at the time. "But everything changed when she tried on gowns! Together [we all] decided that she wanted to be surprising. She came in wanting sexy, and to accentuate her amazing figure, but that evolved."

Unlike most brides, though, Union wanted to be sure to be on the same style level as her super fashion-forward groom. "She talked about Dwayne being so fashionable and really wanting to parallel that with her gown," Basso explained. "We looked at swatches, took measurements, even considered what flowers she would carry. It was an amazing collaboration."

Source: Read Full Article