In the last four decades, the British monarchy has bestowed upon its ravenous public three Royal Weddings. And while each has followed the Royal traditions fairly closely in terms of the wedding ceremony itself (albeit with a few variations and tweaks here and there), the brides’ gowns has varied immensely. Let’s compare, shall we?
The Designers
For Princess Diana (then, Diana Spencer)’s wedding to Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, the 20-year-old chose a show-stopping gown by London-based husband-and-wife designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel. (The couple went on to divorce in 1990.) Prior to designing Diana’s gown, the Emanuels mainly made couture, and had long been a favorite of Lady Diana.
Duchess Kate’s gown, for her wedding to Prince William on April 29, 2011, was also designed by a Londoner: designer Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. Three years after-the-fact, Burton opened up about her experience creating the now-iconic dress, saying, "I respect the intimate nature of that lovely project and I respect the friendships that were forged during it... an instinctive, intelligent, imaginative young woman's wish for a beautiful wedding dress—or any kind of dress—is the most natural thing in the world. I was honored to pick up the challenge and always will be."
Saturday morning, we learned that Meghan Markle’s super secretive, minimalist gown was designed by the Birmingham-born Clare Waight Keller, the current Artistic Director of French fashion house Givenchy.
The Style
Princess Diana’s elaborate gown could best be described as totally OOT. With massively puffy sleeves and more ruffles than a bag of crisps, it’s what 1980s wedding dreams were made of. According to Good Housekeeping, the fabric for Di’s ivory taffeta gown was spun at a British silk farm. Antique lace, 10,000 pearls, and a whopping 25-foot-long train completed the jaw-dropping dress.
Whereas Diana went for the giant cupcake look, her daughter-in-law Kate opted for a more subdued—though just as memorable—style for her wedding, choosing a lace, satin, and tulle design that evoked Princess Grace of Monaco's wedding dress. The white and ivory dress was both demure and insanely flattering, with a plunging (but not too plunging!) V-neck, full-length lace sleeves, and slight padding at the hips to accentuate the bride’s waistline. A nine-foot train—famously held by Kate’s sister, Pippa—finished things off.
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