The 50 Most Jaw-Dropping Royal Wedding Gowns of All Time
Talk about a literal fairytale.
These royals (and commoners-turned-royals!) had some of the most lavish nuptials of all time. But it was their dresses that truly stole the show. Whether you're looking for inspiration for your own big day or you just love ogling over gowns (honestly, who doesn't?!), click through to see some of the best royal wedding dresses in history.
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
When the daughter of King George and Queen Mary wed and became Mary the Countess of Harewood in 1922, she wore a modern '20s gown with intricate beading and a belted drop waist. But it's her trailing lace veil that's literally everything.
The Queen Mother
Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the Duke of York (later King George VI) in a drop waist short-sleeve gown that featured impressive embroidery across the front. The dress was designed by Queen Mary's court dressmaker, Madame Handley Seymour.
Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
While the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's French countryside wedding was not filled with the typical royal fanfare (the Duke abdicated the throne in 1936 in order to marry Simpson), the bride's wedding dress did not disappoint. Simpson wore a powder blue long-sleeve gown with a row of buttons down the bodice.
Queen Soraya
Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary was an actress who became an Iranian queen—she married Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1951 in Tehran's Marble Palace. Her custom Christian Dior gown was made from more than 65 feet of white silk with gold embroidery, and it weighed around 66 pounds. NBD.
Queen Sonja of Norway
Sonja Haraldsen, the daughter of a merchant, married the future King Harald V of Norway in 1968. His father was against the marriage because she was a commoner, but the King and Queen still rule Norway today. She wore a simple empire-waist gown with pearl embellishments on the sleeves and collar.
Princess Anne
Princess Anne's custom Maureen Baker wedding dress for her Westminster Abbey ceremony to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973 is just as dreamy now as it was then. From the high collar to the long draping bell sleeves, we love it all. She topped off her look with the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara, which her mother wore for her own ceremony in 1947.
Princess Diana
On July 29th, 1981, the world watched the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles when it was broadcast on television to millions of viewers. A husband-and-wife design team, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, created the grand dress, which featured 10,000 pearls and a 25-foot-long train.
Lady Helen Windsor
The Duke of Kent's daughter, Lady Helen Windsor, wore a chic Catherine Walker wedding dress to her 1992 nuptials at St. George's Chapel. The dress featured gold beading around the wide neckline, which almost fell off the shoulder.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
When public relations executive Sophie Rhys-Jones married the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, in 1999, she opted for an elegant wedding dress designed by Samantha Shaw. The bride's ivory silk organza dress was topped with a very '90s crepe coat.
Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho
For her wedding to King Letsie III of Lesotho in 2000, Anna Karabo Motšoeneng wore a beaded long-sleeve wedding dress with a full skirt and lace details. For the historic union (it was the first time a commoner married into the royal family of Lesotho!), the newly minted Queen wore a towering crown with a cathedral-length veil.
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