A wedding dress is supposed to be symbolic. It is said to represent the purity of the bride, the love that she has for her future partner, AND it’s supposed to represent the most important day of her life when everything she knew forever changes. For most people, putting on a wedding gown means that they are probably getting ready to walk down the aisle. But in The Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss Everdeen’s wedding dress does not represent love. It is still, however, a symbol of change. Not only in her own life, but in the lives of all the residents of Panem.
In the upcoming movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Katniss will put on her infamous wedding dress, not to marry her fiancé, but to start a revolution. Those who have read Catching Fire will recall the memorable scene in which Katniss, donning the elegant attire, bursts into flames in an act of protest against the Capitol.
While we have yet to see an image of Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence draped in a wedding gown, we decided to find out what the dresses for this epic scene might look like. So, three wedding dress designers — David Tutera, Melissa Sweet, and David’s Bridal Design Team — dreamed up the above five looks for us, based on the words of Katniss herself:
Katniss drescribes the dress in the second book of the series: “He unzips the bag, revealing one of the wedding dresses I wore for the photo shoot. Heavy white silk with a low neckline and tight waist and sleeves that fall from my wrists to the floor. And pearls. Everywhere pearls. Stitched into the dress and in ropes at my throat and forming the crown for the veil. Even though they announced the Quarter Quell the night of the photo shoot, people still voted for their favorite dress, and this was the winner.”
In the book Catching Fire, the dress goes up in flames and turns Katniss into the rebels’ symbol of freedom — a Mockingjay — in the middle of her interview for the Quarter Quell.
“I begin to twirl slowly, raising the sleeves of my heavy gown above my head… Then I notice something is rising up around me. Smoke. From fire,” Katniss describes in the book. “Charred bits of black silk swirl into the air, and pearls clatter to the stage. Somehow I’m afraid to stop because my flesh doesn’t seem to be burning and I know Cinna must be behind whatever is happening. So I keep spinning and spinning. For a split second I’m gasping, completely engulfed in the strange flames. Then all at once, the fire is gone. I slowly come to a stop, wondering if I’m naked and why Cinna has arranged to burn away my wedding dress.”
Katniss looks down to find out she has become a Mockingjay. “But I’m not naked. I’m in a dress of the exact design of my wedding dress, only it’s the color of coal and made of tiny feathers,” she says. “Wonderingly, I lift my long, flowing sleeves into the air, and that’s when I see myself on the television screen. Clothed in black except for the white patches on my sleeves. Or should I say my wings… Cinna has turned me into a Mockingjay.”
Not exactly your typical dream wedding.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire drops in theaters Nov. 22.
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat.
More:
New ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Trailer
You’re Not Allowed to Hate Jennifer Lawrence
Kids Choice Awards: Kristen Stewart Beats Jennifer Lawrence
From Our Partners:
Eva Longoria Bikinis on Spring Break (Celebuzz)
33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
