Royal
Weddings
&
The Evolution
of the
White Dress
In earlier times, brides typically wore their "best" dress usually with their hair loose and adorned with wreaths of flowers. Sometimes the dress was green to denote fertility.

"Queen Victoria is the royal bride credited with launching the tradition of the white wedding. She married Prince Albert in 1840 in white satin, crowned with orange blossoms, veiled in Honiton lace. Though Queen Victoria was an early adopter of bridal white, she was not the originator. There is a creamy lace confection from 1829 in Bath Fashion Museum’s current exhibition of wedding dresses. Fashionable Regency brides married in the latest modes, which from 1790–1820 meant filmy muslins in white and pastels. But prior to this, bride and groom had the run of the rainbow. None of the traditions that exert such a tyranny over the imaginations of romantic brides today predate the 1790s. The virginal veil, honeymoon, orange blossom and giving away of the bride are all 19th-century inventions. Even throwing rice was uncommon until Indian rice had established itself in the diet of the mid-Victorian upper classes. The Victorians institutionalised the wedding as female coronation – both the apotheosis of virgin purity and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be princess for a day. The white-lace Bridezilla was born here. Medieval royal brides married in their most dazzling wardrobe, as a strategic exhibition of awe-inspiring splendour, dynastic power and state allegiances. Magnificence meant copious costly fabrics (velvet, damask, silk, satin, fur), gold and silver threads, and a blinding crust of gems. The nobility of the early modern period prized the darker jewel shades – true black, red and purple – produced by the rarest dyes. Light colours were not fitting raiment for those of blue blood...." [source : by Amanda Vickery from the BBC History Magazine May 10,2011]

It was in the 19th Century that women began to wear white
to formal events. With no hot running water or detergent available, the white dress gave the message of wealth. However, a true white colour in fabric manufacture wasn't available until later in history when bleach began to be used
in the 1950's. The so-called 'white' dress was actually an off-white or cream colour.


On February 10,1840, the teenage Queen Victoria set the fashion standard by wearing a white dress which became a symbol for her chastity and purity setting a precedent for the way society viewed sex before marriage which would take 100 years to change. In the 18th century, it had not been uncommon for a bride to be pregnant at her wedding.

On 13 March 1879, Princess Louise Margaret married Prince Arthur,
seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria.

JULY 1893 – King George V marries Queen Mary at the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace in London.

Elizabeth Bowes Lyons (The Queen Mother) married Prince Albert, son of King George V
on 26 April 1923. He would later become King George VI, father of the present queen.

On November 29, 1934 at Westminster Abbey Prince George (brother of King George VI)
married Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark

Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
on November 6, 1935 in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace.
A much more elaborate affair had been planned, but was scaled back due to the
recent passing of the bride’s father and ill health of the groom’s father, King George V.
Her dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, who would also create Princess Elizabeth’s
(later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret’s wedding gowns.

Princess Margaret and photographer Antony Armstrong -Jones were married at Westminster Abbey in 1960
in the first-ever televised royal wedding. Princess Margaret wore the famous Poltimore tiara on the day;
it was sold in 2006 for more than $1.5 million. Her silk dress was designed by Norman Hartnell,
who also designed the dresses worn by Queen Elizabeth for her wedding and coronation.
It was the height of early-60s style, with a cinched waist, a full skirt made of 40m of fabric draped
over stiffened tulle petticoats and a deep V-neck.








Princess Anne in her Tudor Inspired wedding dress on the occasion of her wedding
to Captain Mark Phillips on 14 November 1973








Prince Michael of Kent marries Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz in Vienna, Austria 1978








On July 29th, 1981 David and Elizabeth Emanuel designed the iconic wedding dress (with a 25 ft. train)
Diana, Princess of Wales wore when she married Charles, Prince of Wales at St. Paul's Cathedral









Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones - June 19, 1999 // Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew - July 23, 1986




On October 8, 1993, Serena Stanhope (related to the Tudor Anne Stanhope) wore a dress
reminiscent of her mother-in-law Princess Margaret's dress when she married Viscount Linley



Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, daughter of Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon,
married actor Daniel Chatto on July 14, 1994 in a dress by Jasper Conran


On 17 May 2008 Peter Phillips, the Queen's eldest grandchild and son of Princess Anne,
married his Canadian bride Autumn Kelly at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.







On April 29, 2011 Catherine Middleton wed Prince William at Westminster Abbey and
received the title of the Duchess of Cambridge. Her dress is reminiscent of Grace Kelly's dress below.







Europe's Royalty






Princess Grace and Prince Ranier of Monaco wed on 19 April, 1956.
Her dress was designed by Helen Rose at the MGM costume department.









Princess Matte-Marit of Norway // Princess Marie Chantal of Greece


Princess Maxima of the Netherlands // Grand Duke Henri and Maria Teresa of Luxembourg



Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark Marries Mary Donaldson







Princess Annemarie Gualtherie van Weezel and Prince Carlos de Bourbon de Parme






Alejandra de Bourbon, a lesser member of the Spanish royal family,
(daughter of Alfonso de Bourbon, the second cousin of King Juan Carlo)
married Bosco Ussia June 2008 in a 1920's inspired Chanel design.






Spanish model Laura Ponte at her 2004 wedding to
Luis Beltrán Ataulfo Alfonso Gómez-Acebo y Borbón
(son of Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz, and the nephew of King Juan Carlos I of Spain)








Prince Hubertus Michael von Sachsen-Coburg marries Kelly Rondestvedt
at the St. Moritz Church in Coburg, Germany.







Wedding of Denmark's Prince Joachim to Marie Cavallier






Prince Johan Friso of Orange-Nassau and Princess Mabel




Prince Laurent of Belgium marries Claire Coombs in Brussels, Belgium.



Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria married commoner Daniel Westling



Princess Martha Louise of Norway




Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria and Count Roldolphe de Limburg Stirum




Prince Edouard de ligne de la Tremoille and Isabella Orsini






Prince Nicholas, the second son of former King Constantine of Greece,
married Tatiana Blatnik, a 29-year-old event planner for fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.

Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven
marries Princess Anita van Eijk in the Netherlands.