Kahlil Gibran
Words of theMaster
Weddings have always fascinated me since childhood for reasons beyond the holiness of the matrimonial bond and all the love; I am way beneath the emotions. It’s the sheer grandeur, beauty, happiness, festivities that weddings represent that make me go gaga about them. From décor details to food to dresses- I love and adore it all.
The wedding dress of any bride is the focal point of the wedding not only for the bride but also for the people witnessing it; and when you are a royal or getting married to one, your wedding dress is bound to be the talk of the town, not only in your own country but for people in towns world over.
So while the world is speculating about who is going to design Kate Middleton’s wedding outfit and what it going to look like, we at eMagzin have for you a list of wedding dresses that the royals have worn in the past. They are in no particular order of preference.
Queen Elizabeth II of Windsor, 1947
Queen Elizabeth II
Her majesty wore a classic piece by Norman Hartnell, the designer who designed the gown for her sister Princess Margaret later in 1960. It was a long-sleeved satin ivory gown with floral patterns and pearl beads all across it, accompanied by a long tulle veil. She wore a heightened tiara and a pearl necklace with it.
Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, 1956
Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco
The Hollywood actress dazzled in this beautiful piece designed by Helen Rose. It had rose point lace, silk taffeta, tulle, lace and pearls- all the ingredients of a winning combination. Till date this is one of the first dresses that come to mind when you think about royal weddings. Her designer took care of making the back of the dress as interesting as there front. After all, the guests mostly get to see the back! Unlike all other royal brides, she didn’t wear a tiara; instead she went in for a beaded Juliet cap that held her veil.
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdown, 1960
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdown
The gown and the tiara were designed keeping in mind (and to take the attention away from) how short the princess really was. Princess Margaret had the appeal of a movie star, and that is what is radiated from her choice of dress. It is starkly different from what her sister, Queen Elizabeth, wore on her wedding day. White silk organza with a satin-bound silk tulle veil and not a stitch of embroidery in sight. Simple yet stylish, something that can even be worn in today’s times.
Sarah, Duchess of York 1986
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah was not particularly considered as stylish- her best outfit in a public appearance is said to be her wedding outfit. This particular bride had a thing for motifs, to the extent that her dress had bumble bees, anchors, thistles, flowers, and a large “A” for Andrew embroidered into it. The satin gown had a scoop neckline and a bodice detailed with intricate embroidery and bugle beads. Her tiara is touted as one of the most beautiful ones ever.
Princess Diana of Wales, 1981
Princess Diana
This particular gown evokes different reactions from different people. While some adore it for some odd reason, I in particular am not a big fan of this over-the-top dress. It’s surprising how famously fashionable Diana got it wrong on her wedding day. Ir was too much even for the eighties- the overly puffed sleeves weighed her down. When she got out of her carriage in front of the Westminster Abbey, the commentator at the BBC studio remarked, “This is just the kind of dress that a little girl would sketch if she was told to draw a wedding outfit.” It was made of pearl-studded silk taffeta, tulle, and netting with the longest train ever. The best part of the look was her diamond tiara. While Kate Middleton has inherited Diana’s ring and her love for hats, I hope to lord she would not follow the suit as far as the dress is concerned.
Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, 1995
Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
The beautiful American socialite’s gown was created by Valentino. She wore a silk ivory dress that had small flowers decorating the lace bodice and larger roses on the frock of the gown; her veil was made of Chantilly lace. The dress was intricately detailed and exquisite in crafting and costed around $225,000.
Queen Rania of Jordan, 1993
Queen Rania of Jordan
The beautiful Jordanian queen and noted fashionista wore a short sleeve gold embroidered wedding gown. She could have avoided the sleeves, not one of my favorites but still, better than a lot of the others.
Crown Princess Mette Marit, 2001
Crown Princess Mette Marit, 2001
While some think that the dress lacked luster and was dull, I very strongly think that this one of the most dreamy yet simple and elegant dresses so far. It might not appeal at first but the more you look at it the more you love it. It was a silk crepe gown by Norwegian designer Ove Harder Finseth which had a 6 meters long veil, it was teamed with a lovely antique tiara. Though I have serious issues about the bouquet that she carried- was that even a bouquet?!!
Princess Martha Louise, Norway, 2001
Princess Martha Louise, Norway
It’s an interesting choice for a wedding dress. For her winter wedding, Martha Louise wore a dress that had a jacket with a train. The costume was inspired by the flower Märtha lily. The bridal jacket was off-white satin, with a three-meter-long train that ended in a pointed gothic arch. The bridal gown was of white silk crêpe. The silk chiffon veil was attached to a tiara that originally belonged to Queen Maud.
Princess Claire, 2003
Princess Claire
There are two kinds of wedding dresses, the ones that go over the top or ones that just take your breath away by the sheer elegance of their design. Hers was one stunning dress that not only made her the star at her wedding but also inspired the dress worn by Anne Hathway in Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement. It was a strapless dress with a lace shirt worn over it with a matching veil in Chantilly lace- one of its kind lace dress that doesn’t look heavy at all.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, 2004
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
This is one of those dresses that clearly define a princess- elegantly beautiful. This beautiful ivory gown was designed by Danish designer Uffe Frank. The Australian beauty wore a dress with a scoop neckline and pleats at the bottom of the dress. She teamed it up with drop diamond earrings. The highlight thought was that her bouquet consisted of eucalyptus leaves to mark her Australian roots.
Princess Letizia of Asturias, 2004
Princess Letizia of Asturias
The very beautiful former journalist chooses a gown by Spanish designer Manuel Pertegaz. The dress had was fitted from the top and had a lovely flare. It had an unusual upturned collar and a V-neck that was embellished with gold and silver embroidery.
Princess Marie of Denmark, 2008
Princess Marie of Denmark
This one is my favourite from the list. Both the dress and the lady wearing it are drop dead gorgeous. Boy she’s hot!! And that’s the reason why her groom can’t stop grinning from ear to ear. The striking Parisian walked down the aisle in a fairytale haute couture dress designed by Swiss fashion house Arasa Morelli. The full-skirted off-white modern gown featured an embroidered lace bodice, made from 19th century-inspired lace and tulle, and a three-meter-long train. It’s simply breath taking!
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, 2010
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Simply put, it’s a stunning yet classic creation by Par Engsheden. It is a modern off shoulder dress in cream color with a bold V-back. It was teamed with a gold and pearl tiara.
Considering Kate’s personal style I am hoping that her dress would be even better than whatever the world has seen so far.
Fingers crossed!!
Hope you enjoyed this post as much as we enjoyed putting it together, let us know which one is your personal favourite
Ciao
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