★ Royal Wedding Dresses★

The Wedding dress of Lady Diana Spencer was worn by Diana, Princess of Wales at her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral. Diana wore a ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot (7.62 m) train, valued then at £9000.It became one of the most famous outfits in the world,and was considered one of the closest guarded secrets in fashion history.
The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel and was described as "a dress had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved", and one which would be "suitably dramatic in order to make an impression".Diana had personally selected designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel to make her wedding dress, after she had been fond of a chiffon blouse which they designed for her formal photo session with Lord Snowdon.The woven silk taffeta was made by Stephen Walters of Suffolk.In the making of the dress, the Emanuels had consulted Maureen Baker, who had made the Wedding dress of Princess Anne.At 25 feet in length, Diana's father found it difficult to fit inside the glass coach to accompany his daughter to the cathedral.One author said of the dress, "The dress was a crinoline, a symbol of sexuality and grandiosity, a meringue embroidered with pearls and sequins, its bodice frilled with lace".The traditional Carrickmacross lace-making technique used on the wedding dress was later used on the Wedding dress of Kate Middleton in her marriage to Prince William, Diana's son.It was also decorated with hand embroidery, sequins, and 10,000 pearls. The making of the dress posed difficulties, given that Diana had developed Bulimia and had dropped from a size 14 to a size 10 in the run up to the wedding; even the seamstress was concerned about her weight loss and that the dress would not fit as it should.




The Wedding dress of Kate Middleton was the bridal gown worn by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at her wedding to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on 29 April 2011. The dress was designed by English designer Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.
Noted for its design, symbolism, and expected influence on Western bridal gown trends, the dress was widely anticipated and generated much comment in the media. The dress and its maker were not formally announced until the bride stepped from her car to enter Westminster Abbey just prior to the service.
Official statements noted that Middleton wished to combine tradition and modernity, "with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen's work." She and Burton worked closely together in formulating the dress design.It has a lace applique bodice with detailing symbolizing the nations of the United Kingdom.
It was made of satin and featured a lace applique bodice and skirt. The lace bodice design was hand-made using a technique that originated in Ireland in the 1820s called Carrickmacross, which involved cutting out the detailings of roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks and applying them to the ivory silk tulle individually.These lace appliques were hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace.The lace applique bodice had detailing of a rose (symbolizing England), thistle (Scotland), daffodil (Wales), and shamrock (Ireland).The dressmakers used fresh needles every three hours, and washed their hands every half an hour, to avoid marking the fabric.
The bridal train measured 270 cm (110 in). Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace was used throughout the bodice, skirt, and the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team. The "ivory satin bodice is padded slightly at the hips and narrowed at the waist, and was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry that is a particular Alexander McQueen hallmark. On the back are buttons of 58 gazar and organza, which fasten by means of Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of Cluny lace over silk tulle."