Elizabeth Taylor's first wedding dress sells for $188K

The gown that Elizabeth Taylor wore for the first of her eight weddings has fetched 121,875 pounds ($187,931) at a London auction.

Christie's director Nicolette Tomkinson said Wednesday's sale price, more than double the highest estimate, reflected the gown's significance in the history of film and fashion.

"The dress is inextricably tied to the golden age of Hollywood, as well as to the extraordinary life and career of the star who wore it," Tomkinson said, according to Vogue. "Since it was unveiled, it has attained global appreciation, resulting in competitive bidding for it today."

The dress had originally been estimated to sell for between 30,000 to 50,000 pounds.

Taylor was 18 when she wore the cream-colored, seed pearl-encrusted satin dress -- complete with waist-cinching built-in corset -- to marry hotel heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr. in May 1950. Hundreds of guests including Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire turned up, and studio MGM boasted that "more stars than there are in heaven" attended.

Taylor and Hilton divorced months later, and the actress went on to wed seven more times (Michael Wilding, Mike Todd, Eddie Fisher, Ruchard Burton -- twice -- John Warner and Larry Fortensky). She died in 2011, aged 79.