These Iconic Royal Wedding Dresses are the Ultimate Bridal Inspiration
It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed when planning a wedding. Even brides that have hired the most talented planners in the business still feel pressure to choose the best floral arrangements, cakes, caterers and find a location that will be intimate and romantic while still holding hundreds of people. But finding the perfect bridal gown should be fun and easy, whether you're looking for something modern and sexy or revamping your mother’s traditional dress. For a little inspiration, we found some of themost iconic royal wedding dresses in history—from Queen Victoria to Princess Stéphanie of Luxembourg—because every woman should feel like a princess on her wedding day, even if she’s not marrying Prince William.
Color is currently trending for the non-traditional bride, but most women are still opting for white wedding gowns—a trend started in the mid-1800s by the stylish Queen Victoria. Today we think of the white shades symbolizing purity and virginity, but in the 19th century, it was a color of mourning. It was the fashion-forward royal who created the tradition of wearing white on your wedding day when she opted for a cream-colored gown for her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. She met with some backlash for her wild color choice, and was criticized for being too restrained in her adornment, as she was wed without any of her royal jewels, crown or robes. As with all fashionable royals, Queen Victoria started a trend—one that most brides continue almost 200 years later.
In 2004, journalist Letizia Ortiz married Prince Felipe of Spain at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid. Crowned Princess Letizia aft…
When Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco on April 19, 1956, she was already a star, and women were emulating her style long before her engagement. For her nuptials, the Hollywood icon actually had two dresses made up, one for each of the civil and religious ceremonies, which were gifted to her by MGM head costume designer Helen Rose. For the civil ceremony she wore a demure pink embroidered skirt suit and Juliet cap. The grandest of the two dresses, and the one most associated with her wedding day, was worn to the religious ceremony. The long-sleeve gown took 30 seamstresses six weeks to make and was made with 125-year-old Brussels lace, a 90-yard veil and three petticoats. This gown has inspired bridal wear all over the world, including the Alexander McQueen gown worn by Kate Middleton on her wedding day. The gown was later gifted to the Philadelphia Museum of Art by Princess Grace, where it remains today as a permanent part of their collection.
Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari married the last Shah of Iran in 1951 at Golestan Palace in Tehran. After falling in love with a photo of the Iranian-German beauty, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi proposed with a 22.37 carat diamond engagement ring, and the following wedding was just as opulent. On the day of their marriage, Queen Soraya wore a couture Christian Dior gown made with 37 yards of silver lamé studded with pearls, 6,000 diamonds and 20,000 marabou feathers. Reportedly the gown weighed 44 pounds and required four bridesmaids just to help her walk down the aisle. As their wedding took place in the dead of winter her strapless gown came with a matching jacket and mink coat, both gifted by Dior, to keep the bride warm.
Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947 in Westminster Abbey in front of 2,000 guests. The ceremony was broadcast to 200 million radio listeners around the world and in the days following the wedding, the couple received over 10,000 congratulatory telegrams and 2,500 presents. In post-war Britain, the royal nuptials were seen as a joyous affair—it’s also why the princess had to purchase her dress, like all English citizens, with clothing ration coupons. With 200 extra coupons, gifted to her by the government, she was able to secure a gown designed by Norman Hartnell. But just because she had to use ration coupons doesn’t mean her dress wasn’t worthy of a future queen. The design, inspired by Botticelli'sPrimavera, was embroidered with star lilies and orange blossoms, and embellished with thousands of seed pearls and crystals. While not often displayed, the dress will go on exhibition this summer at Buckingham Palace.