From Diana to Kate Middleton… timeless royal wedding dresses that made history

 

Royal weddings are more than just personal events; They are global events, followed by audiences around the world, and the looks of royal brides become the subject of global attention, and sometimes immortal icons in the world of fashion. Every royal wedding dress, whether luxurious and well-crafted, or simple and elegant, tells a story about elegance, heritage and personal touches, which make every wedding unique.

Princess Diana…the legend of extravagance and elegance in her white dress:

It is not possible to talk about the best royal wedding dresses without starting with Princess Diana, who captured the hearts of the world on July 29, 1981, when she married Prince Charles in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. This dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, and was made of ivory taffeta silk embroidered with antique lace, which belonged to Queen Mary. The train of the dress extended for twenty-five feet, and is the longest worn by a British royal bride, which required artistic tricks when carrying it during the procession.

The dress was distinguished by its puffy shoulders, large skirt, and pleated collar. It also included small but symbolic details, such as: a blue ribbon and a small golden horse, representing good luck. The two designers were not satisfied with that, but they designed a tulle veil embroidered with ten thousand small pearls. To give a magical effect when the princess walks towards the altar.

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Kate Middleton…a mix of heritage and modernity:

In 2011, Kate Middleton made history with a stunning royal look designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The dress combined Victorian elegance, English and French lace, with symbolic embroidery representing the countries of the United Kingdom: a rose for England, a bull for life in Scotland, a daffodil for Ireland, and a candelabra for Northern Ireland. Kate did not ignore the royal tradition of the blue thing with a hidden ribbon inside the dress.

The look was crowned with a stunning Cartier veil, which added a classic touch to the royal outfit, and the hall witnessed a record turnout from the audience who visited the summer show at Buckingham Palace. The dress was a masterpiece, combining national symbols with the precision of hand embroidery, making it a modern icon for royal brides.

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Meghan Markle…amazing simplicity:

In contrast to the luxury, for her wedding to Prince Harry, in 2018, Meghan Markle chose a dress designed by Clare Waight Keller. It was simple, without lace or embroidery, with a bateau collar, three-quarter sleeves, and a long train. What’s interesting about this design is the emphasis on purity and symbolism; The large length of the veil represented the fifty-three countries of the Commonwealth, with the inclusion of a piece of blue cloth, which was from the first date the newlyweds gathered, adding a personal and emotional dimension.

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Queen Elizabeth II.. Luxury after the war:

On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth, then a princess, wore a wedding dress designed by Norman Hartnell, inspired by Botticelli’s painting “Spring,” and marking the beginning of a new era after World War II. The dress included embroidery of flowers, wheat, and jasmine, with ten thousand small pearls, a long sleeve, and a huge train fifteen feet long.

This look represented a perfect combination of national symbolism and royal luxury, as the princess used 200 sewing coupons, which she obtained from the British government. To reflect the traditions of economics and resource conservation of that era.

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Queen Camilla:

For his second wedding, King Charles chose a simple ceremony, and this was reflected in Camilla’s dress. At the civil ceremony, she wore a white chiffon dress designed by Robinson Valentine, with a white coat and an elegant hat designed by Philip Tracy.

During the religious ceremony at Windsor Castle, she changed her look to a light blue, floor-length chiffon dress, with a blue and gold embroidered coat, and decorated her hair with a golden feather accessory.

Princess Anne:

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Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, married Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey. She wore a white silk chiffon dress, signed by Maureen Baker, with a high neck and wide sleeves, and completed the look with a mesh veil and a “Queen Mary’s Fringe” crown.

Other icons in the world of royal fashion:

Queen Rania Al Abdullah:

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The British, Bruce Oldfield, designed Queen Rania’s wedding dress, which she wore at her wedding to King Abdullah II in 1993. Oldfield inspired his design from the Syrian fashions displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, to come up with a wide dress with a royal cut, a defined waist, and a bolero jacket decorated with delicate gold and white embroideries on the collar, skirt and sleeves, with a three-quarter length. She chose a shiny hair piece that matched the dress, along with a veil and a short glove at the wrist.

Marie-Chantal…Crown Princess of Greece:

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It was only appropriate for Marie-Chantal, born “Miller,” to wear high-end fashion, as she became the Crown Princess of Greece after her marriage to Prince Pavlos, on July 1, 1995. The bride wore a dress signed by “Valentino,” distinguished by a high lace neckline, floral patterns studded with pearls, and a skirt of ivory silk decorated with prominent rose embroideries. The look was accompanied by a veil approximately five meters long, while an antique “corsage” crown that belonged to her mother-in-law, Queen Anne-Marie, crowned her head.

Queen Soraya – Iran:

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The wedding dress of the Queen, Soraya Esfandiari Bakhtiar, in 1951, was a true masterpiece designed by Christian Dior. The dress contained six thousand diamonds, twenty thousand “Marabou” feathers, and thirty-four meters of silver lamé fabric. Because of its extreme weight, the Shah, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, and one of his companions, had to cut off part of the train of the dress, just before the wedding ceremony began.

Queen Sonja – Norway:

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Queen Sonja’s wedding dress, designed by Molstad House, embodied the spirit of the sixties of the last century, with an A-line cut and a high neckline studded with pearls, whose decoration extended to the sleeves. The tail was connected to the shoulders; To give the dress the character of an abaya. Sonia replaced the crown with artificial flowers in her hair.

Empress Michiko – Japan:

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In 1995, Michiko Shoda became the first commoner to marry into the Japanese imperial family with her marriage to Crown Prince Akihito. She wore a dress that featured a large bow at the waist, with a precious crown medal sash, and several luxurious jewelry, including the royal “Diamond Scroll” crown.

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