Victoria and David Beckham Finally Address Their Infamous Purple Wedding Outfits: “What Were We Thinking?”

It’s been just over 24 years since Victoria and David Beckham tied the knot, but their over-the-top nuptials, held at the sprawling Luttrellstown Castle outside of Dublin, is still one of the most iconic celebrity celebrations to date. While some of the elements from the former Spice Girl and retired soccer star’s July 1999 big day still hold up—the bride’s dramatic Vera Wang ball gown, for example, is a silhouette that’s been reimagined time and again, as has her cascading bouquet—there are a few details that were definitely products of the '90s. The pair’s infamous purple reception outfits are the first thing to come to mind—and, as it turns out, David was a little puzzled by that choice, too, he revealed in Beckham, the pair's new Netflix docuseries.

The bright and bold outfits in question were designed by Antonio Berardi, who created a head-to-toe purple satin suit for David (flared pants and all!) and a figure-hugging mermaid gown complete with an asymmetrical floral sash for Victoria, reports Insider. The couple changed into the ensembles shortly after their party began and were famously photographed wearing them as they sliced into their wedding cake with a sword—and leaving the party, baby Brooklyn (in a matching purple suit, bib, and booties) in their arms.

David reflected on the pair’s unique joint fashion choice in the docuseries, but couldn't identify why they chose the looks. “I'm trying to think back to when I decided to wear a purple suit, and I don't know when that happened,” he said, noting that his bride-to-be ultimately made the call to wear them. “I think I just took Victoria's lead on it, but what were we thinking?" 

While the Inter Miami owner had conflicting opinions about those splashy purple numbers, his fashion designer wife stood by them and explained that wearing them was actually a way that they intentionally personalized their wedding. “But it was fun. We weren't worried about what people were going to say,” she retorted. “You just want to express yourself, that's just who we were.”

This isn’t the only wedding-related detail the couple doesn’t see eye to eye on. David, agreeing with the majority of the duo’s fans, called their nuptials “extravagant” in the docuseries—but Victoria has previously downplayed the event’s scale. “I think that the media glamorized the wedding much more than it actually was," Victoria said at the annual Business of Fashion VOICES 2022, Hello! reports. "I love to have fun. I work very very hard. I take what I do very seriously. I want to be a great wife, a really great mum, but I wanna have fun as well. Sometimes my tongue-in-cheek sense of humor does tend to get me in trouble, but the wedding wasn't as huge as everybody made it out [to be].”

Small wedding disagreements aside, the couple couldn’t be more grateful for the celebration that solidified their union. In Beckham, David got candid about the challenges he faced, as both a soccer player and a groom-to-be, before he married his wife—and explained that Victoria saw him through every bump in the road. “It had been such an emotional and draining season. I wouldn't have got through that moment if I hadn't been at a club like Manchester United,” he said in a voiceover, as footage of their first dance played on the screen. “But she was the biggest reason that I got through that time.”