Royals' Wedding Dresses

[tarheelbaby]

Royal Wedding Dresses
By popular demand: post your thoughts on royal brides' wedding dresses here.
Most flattering
Most appropriate
Best tiara
Most unflattering
Most inappropriate
Worst tiara

Kate’s was perfect. So elegant and she looked like herself as well as having the Grace Kelly influence. I also loved Pippa’s bridesmaids dress.

I loved Diana’s. She looked like a fairytale and somehow all the things wrong with it didn’t matter. Diana magic.

I loved Meghan’s in theory but it is a shame it was slightly off in the fit.

QE2 and Margaret honourable mentions too

And Meghan’s evening dress was fantastic

I preferred Meghan’s evening dress over her day one which didn’t fit well.

I was 7 when Diana got married and that dress was exactly what I thought a princess's dress should look like. I can see the issues with it now but at the time it was like a fairytale so that stayed with me. I remember having the Princess Diana fashion paper doll that included the dress. I liked Sarah's as well but even at my age thought the A and S on the train was tacky. I liked that she had flowers in her hair on the way in and a tiara on the way out when she became a royal. However, I've been a rubbish since those heady 80s days and not paid much attention to royal weddings since. I'm enjoying this thread though and agree, Beatrice's dress was lovely (I had to google it)

The bridesmaids' dresses were almost identical to the brides, without a headdress. All Jasper Conron if I'm not mistaken. An unusual choice but it really worked. They look like swans flitting around the bride! That's Zara Phillips Tindall right behind her.

Princess Victoria of Sweden - if I'm allowed to leave the UK for a moment. She perfectly encapsulated the paradoxical nature of royal weddings.

Most appropriate AND most inappropriate dress. No ornate trimmings and frills - so not really very royal but a rather lovely simple dress for a real person getting married.

Best tiara AND worst tiara. The tiara was saying - I am a crown presiding over the forming of a public alliance. I am the real focus of the ceremony. Don't upstage me woman in a wedding dress getting married. So the best tiara for the occasion, symbolically. But it meant that Victoria was just the transient human head transporting the crown down the aisle. Therefore, on a human level, the worst tiara.

I might be overthinking this!

I thought Kate's bodice had something of the Madonna cone bra look about it, albeit a more tasteful version.

Broadening the discussion to include European royals, I really loved Crown Princess Victoria's dress.

Swedish designer, impeccably tailored, gorgeous fabric and the style is very 'her'. Not sure about that big tiara though. It has an almost masculine look to it.

My favourite was actually Autumn Kelly's. I think it was the most flattering.
I also liked Sophie's wedding dress and her bouquet but not her black and white pearl jewellery.
Diana's dress was the ultimate big meringue and as such I loved it for the occasion.
Meghan's dress was dull and didn't fit her well. But it's frequently true that her clothes don't fit well. I think neither she nor her stylists really understand what shapes suit her.
Kate's dress was a masterpiece of embroidery, heaving with symbolism, but did not suit her. She's so slim and a fitted bodice like that doesn't flatter her.

I understand why people are saying that Harriet's dress was 'too bridal' and I'll admit that I was anticipating something more adventurous. In Harriet's shoes, I would not have chosen white or a veil - I had one myself and it's steamy under there no matter how diaphanous it is. I thought the lace jacket was a good solution to covered shoulders. (Just like Autumn had a little lace shrug...)

I remember watching Margaret getting married and thinking how lovely her simple but opulent dress was, a real change from previous royal brides. I loved Gabriella Kingston’s lace dress too, it fitted beautifully. Still think Catherine”s dress was lovely, elegant, fitted well and suited the big event space (if I can call an Abbey an event space).

Wow! Thats fabulous!

Forgot Victoria’s dress, actually think it’s one of the nicest but horrible tiara!

Can we have more photos please?! 🙏❤️ I keep leaving the thread to Google. Love the all white bridesmaids and the colourful flowers in their hair.

An interesting coincidence there!

Let's not forget perhaps the most iconic royal wedding dress ever. Princess Grace of Monaco.

Didn't hurt that Grace was a literal movie star and one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Lol! We posted almost simultaneously and had similar ideas, though you articulated them better! Great minds and all that!

Grace shows how you can have so much lace but it doesn’t overwhelm you.
Just looked back at Sophie’s and I don’t think the fit is great.
I always assume Kates evening dress was more her actual taste. I suspect they wanted more timeless than Diana’s.

I think my favourite is either Sarah Chatto or Kate. But I think Kate should've worn her hair up.

Meghan's dress was dull and didn't fit her well. But it's frequently true that her clothes don't fit well. I think neither she nor her stylists really understand what shapes suit her.

Agree. It was a good idea, as Meghan suits simple, clean lines. But 8 years on I'm still shocked at how poorly fitted it was. A couture Givenchy gown for a royal wedding in Windsor, yet the fit is a mess? It was particularly unforgivable given that the style was so plain and there was nothing to distract the eye.

Compare it to Princess Victoria's gown above. That's how a minimalist wedding gown should be tailored.

Kate's dress was a masterpiece of embroidery, heaving with symbolism, but did not suit her. She's so slim and a fitted bodice like that doesn't flatter her.

I loved the skirt but disliked the bodice. Those Barbarella boobs were terrible and I thought that deep 'V' looked harsh. I also didn't like the lace sleeves, even though I don't doubt the work was exquisite. It was clearly inspired by Grace Kelly's dress but not as beautiful or well-designed.

Yes it was fantastic. Regarding what she wore to the ceremony, I can’t believe how badly fitted her dress was, nor her bridesmaids. The worst thing, however, was her hair. Strands started to fall from the nape of her neck by the time she got to the chapel and by the photos, the front looked untidy. My dm always went on about Diana’s hair being a mess. I refused to see it at the time but I do now.

I didn't love Harriet Sperling's dress. It just didn't suit the setting or the occasion as much as it could have (imho).

Controversially, I loved Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's church dress.

I also loved the Princess of Wales's dress.

Diana, Princess of Wales's dress was iconic but was of its time I think.

I love this thread BTW!

An interesting one is the then Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. I loved the ivory coloured silk and the idea of layers was good. However, it's terribly wrinkled, clearly poorly fitted in the bodice and while I normally love a boat neck, this one was too deep and there was too much flesh visible.

A missed opportunity I think. In contrast, I absolutely loved the red gown, by the same designer, which she wore to the pre-wedding gala dinner the evening before.

Loved Harriet's dress yesterday, and the fabulous veil

Adored Kate's dress - I still have a little sigh when I see photos of it

Liked Meghan's dress and train a lot - it was so pristine, and I loved how the simplicity kept all the focus on her face

Beatrice and Eugenie - both fabulous

I remember watching Fergie when I was 6 and dying of excitement, but I agree it looks extremely dated now

Diana - awful, and the poor girl looks like she's drowning in it

I still don't understand the fuss about Pippa Middleton's bridesmaid dress. There was such hype about it at the time, people wondering how she could have worn such a 'sexy' dress to her own sister's wedding 🙄 she looked lovely, but I don't get what was so exciting about it!

I loved Diana's dress and due to that style coming more into fashion, I, as the owner of the shop put it "as a plumper bride" got a dress that suited me although my mom would still have liked me to wear Scarlett's dress from the bar-b-que.

I think Megan would have looked stunning in something similar to Lady Chattos dress, the bridesmaid's at Lady Charto's wedding or Pippa's bridesmaid dress but not so low at the front. I loved the simplicity of Meghan's her dress but the fit wasn't the best

I thought the pointy bit on Kate's dress really detracted from it. Can't actually believe that didn't get sorted.

Edited for clarity

i really like Princess Marie of Denmark’s wedding dress! She looked lovely (although I don’t like the tiara much)

Princess’s Anne’s wedding dress was one of my favourites, followed by Eugenie’s. I thought Meghan’s was so ill-fitting that it couldn’t have come from Givenchy!