Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle!
The official portrait
A royal wedding from beginning to end! No one does wedding grandeur quite like a royal.
Meghan Markle in Givenchy
Watching the royal wedding of the year made me take a trip down wedding dress lane. I looked back on the royal wedding gowns that have made an impact on me. My mother’s weekly HELLO! magazine would always end up in my hands and I spent hours admiring the endless pictures of the Royal Family and their weddings each time drifting off to La La land.
Over the years there have been many royal wedding gowns that were exquisite but undoubtedly Princess Diana’s tops the list. Created by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, for her wedding to Prince Charles on 29th July 1981. The ball gown was enchanting and literally fit for a princess, with layers upon layers of silk taffeta, puffy sleeves and 25-foot-train. Sure, it wasn’t to everyone’s taste, and it does scream 80s, but the fact is, it is iconic!
Let us look back on the most Jaw-Dropping Royal-Wedding Gowns of All Time:
Princess Diana’s
Queen Elizabeth’s
Given the rationing of clothing at the time, Elizabeth had to purchase the material for her dress using ration coupons. It was designed by Norman Hartnell, and was made with soft Damascus Prokar, featuring a high neckline, tailored bodice and a short train.
Kate Middleton’s
Estimated at a whopping £250k, it was designed (in secret, obvs) by Alexander McQueen’s creative fashion director Sarah Burton
Grace Kelly’s
We can’t mention Harry and Meghan without the obvious reference to Grace Kelly, who was also an American actress who married a Prince, specifically Prince Rainer III of Monaco. Her dress is still lauded as one of the most beautiful of all time, and it’s even thought, Kate was inspired by the classic design for hers. Fun fact for you: instead of picking a well-known designer (we’re sure the likes of Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent were falling over themselves to do the job), Grace chose her MGM costume designer Helen Rose to do it, as the pair had worked closely in Hollywood. It was made with taffeta and embellished with 125-year-old lace and pearls and was just beautiful.
(My wedding dress in part was inspired by this one)
Princess Alessandra de Osma’s
The stunning bride married Prince Christian of Hanover in a wedding ceremony held in her native Peru. Designer Jorge Vázquez created her high-neck gown, and a wedding party member carried her long train as she walked to the ceremony with her father.
Charlene of Monaco’s
Camilla Parker Bowles’
Queen Letizia of Spain’s
Sophie Rhys-Jones’
Sarah Ferguson’s
Princess Caroline of Monaco’s
Grace Kelly’s daughter wed Philippe Junot in the 70s, wearing a classic bohemian style of the time. I love the fact she shunned a tiara in favour of a crown of flowers.
Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece
Beatrice Borromeo’s
Queen Rania of Jordan’s
Queen Soraya’s
Soraya Esfandiary–Bakhtiary was an actress who became an Iranian queen — she married Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1951 in Tehran’s Marble Palace. Her custom Christian Dior gown was made from more than 65 feet of white silk with with gold embroidery, and it weighed around 66 pounds.
