125 thoughts on “Royal Round Up: Royal Wedding Dresses”

1. Thank you for the lovely post. Top 3 in order, Charlene, Victoria and Kate

2. Love the Post! Fave = Norway 😉

   1. Mette-Marit definitely got it right! The dress looks so fluid and elegant.

   2. Mette-Marit is absolute perfection, I think. Absolutely stunning. Not a giant fan of the flowers, but the dress and tiara are incredible.

      And Victoria looks absolutely beautiful (although I know she’s not Norway!)

      1. i quite agree Bluhare. That dress and styling sans flower was perfection.

3. My favourite are Victoria, Madeleine, Grand Duchess Stephanie, Princess Diana (sorry fairytale rose tinted glasses) and Sophie.
   I have to be honest I was underwhelmed with Kate’s. All tan and emphasis on the front to get William’s attention. I think Kate needed to cover up a bit. Sorry to sound so old fashioned.

   1. Diana’s dress hit all the proper notes to make it iconic!

   2. Diana’s dress was perfect for her at the time – it was the 80s after all. In all honesty, I was kind of hoping for an updated version of that kind of puff-ball dress for Kate. I don’t like the sleeves or the collar or the fabric (because it wrinkled so much) or the color (because it looks dingy to me) of Diana’s dress, but I love the grand-ness of it.

      1. as mush as i hate Diana’s dress, it is iconic. prior to her, Anne and Caroline of Monaco’s dresses are costume and not in a good way. Diana’s dress was a game changer and apparently the rest of woman kind agreed and followed suit for the next 15 or so years.

         I happen to think Fergie’s dress was much better and timeless, but clearly Diana’s Disney princess dress hit a button for women the world over.

         Wedding dresses didn’t start to change to the slim silhouette that we see today until 1996 with Carolyn Bassette Kennedy’s dress. That dress was a game changer which threw out all the prior 15yrs’ puffy big dresses.

         1. I hated Carolyn Bessette’s dress. Am I the only one?
            I do like the slimmer looking styles, but her dress looked like a slip, or nightgown, to me. She did land some Prince, though, didn’t she?
            How sad they are gone. Her sister, too.

   3. I saw some picture of Kate pre-wedding and most of her dresses were almost cut open to her navel but since her marriage her coats and dresses are mostly high necked and kind of puritan looking. I wish she could find a happy medium between the two looks.

      1. Even during the first two years of her marriage she wore lower cut clothes. Ever since she got pregnancy with George, she’s worn clothes with necklines up to her throat. Seriously, George took a giant dump on Kate’s style and she’s never recovered.

         1. I wonder if it was them trying to rehabilitating Kate’s image after those France pictures and continual flashing… the whole homely wholesale mom and not hot young thing.

            There was an article in the DM (you blogged about it too) about how we’d be seeing a different more regal Kate on the OZ/NZ tour.

            1. wholesome not wholesale, lol

            2. Very possible. It could be either as an overcompensation after the France pics, or because of George. And yes I remember that article saying Kate’s style was going to change and she wasn’t going to wear the types of things she wore in the first part of her marriage.

         2. KMR, lol. “Seriously, George took a giant dump on Kate’s style…”

            Yikes!

4. Thank you for another great post…. I enjoyed looking and comparing the different types of wedding gowns. My hands down favorite is Kate!!! Her dress is both traditional and timeless… IMO perfection! I like Maddie’s dress because she is just stunning, its hard to dislike a dress when the bride is so beautiful! Unfortunately, the opposite happened with Charlene, she to was a stunning bride but I disliked her dress. Her beauty could not compensate for the dress. Least favorites would be Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Queen Mathilde, yikes!!!

   1. Kate will definitely not be regretting her wedding gown decision in 10 years the way Diana did. I understand why Kate went with “traditional and timeless” rather than going for the “iconic” type of dress.

      I’m not a fan of any of the dresses with a high collar like Mathilde’s.

5. I was also underwhelmed by Kate on the day of (and continue to be). The lace looks cheap, and, as I’ve said before, the cut around the bust says, “BREASTS! LOOK AT MY BREASTS!” I thought there was a resemblance to Grace Kelly at first, but I see it less and less as time goes on. Sadly, Sophie’s dress also disappoints me, because I think she is a very elegant dresser, and there was potential to do much better than she did. Mathilde’s gown is just meh for me and always has been. Madeleine’s dress always reminds me of a lace t-shirt, though I do like the skirt.

   That being said, Victoria wowed me, and the dress has grown on me even more as the years have passed. I think her look is both timeless and modern, incorporating elegant simplicity with the regal, classic Cameo tiara. No one wears the Cameo like Victoria. I also like Stephanie’s look because she wears that dress like a second skin without it looking sleazy. It was cut much better for her body than Claire of Luxembourg’s dress, by the same designer, did. And Camilla’s blessing outfit was perfectly suited to her situation, her personality, and her age.

   1. I so agree with you regarding Kate’s dress. It was definitely underwhelming. And the cut around her bust reminds me of the ’80’s, more pointed like something Madonna would have worn :). That combined with the tan and makeup was just very forgettable for me. I expected something better

      1. I don’t really want to comment on Kate’s weight, but I think Kate looked too thin on her wedding day and that’s why her dress looked a bit off. If she had had more weight on her, I feel like the dress wouldn’t have looked so pointy.

         What’s wrong with Kate having a tan, by the way?

         1. There is nothing wrong with a nice natural tan. But Kate over did hers. Her tan had an orange tent to it and in my opinion didn’t compliment her features. Her tan just didn’t look natural.

            1. I’m with you on the fake tan. Kate and Pippa both look too orange.
               I regret tanning too much before my wedding – in my pics, I’m waaaaay darker than what I am now.

   2. The cameo tiara looked so perfect on Victoria, it was like it was made for her wedding day (though I know it was not).

      Claire’s dress unfortunately looked like a budget version of Stephanie’s dress.

      1. That’s a great way to put it, KMR.

   3. When I first saw Kate’s dress on the day of, I thought of Maria from the Sound of Music. To me, the silhouettes are very similar.

      1. Interesting thought, bookworm. I see the similarities more in Letizia’s dress than Kate’s, myself, but I can understand where you’re coming from.

   4. i remember that Sophie’s dress didn’t fit her on her wedding day. she lost too much weight for it and it looked at least a size and half too big.

      1. It is very evident in photos that the dress is too big. It just hangs on her.

6. I really enjoy Camille’s floor length robe look with feathered hat. There is something regal about it and she’s not even wearing a tiara. I’m just not into the white dress in different styles of all the other ladies.

   1. I think Camilla looked great on her wedding day – especially with the floor length dress and coat!

      From what I remember about the day, I think there was a lot of talk/controversy about whether Camilla would wear a tiara. At the time, I think people were still getting used to the idea of Charles and Camilla getting married. I believe her feathered hat was to mimic the shape of tiara without actually being one.

      1. Camilla’s long coat dress/hat combo was added to the wedding dress exhibition at the V & A museum last spring. the tips of the hat have diamonds [or possibly swarovski diamante]. You don’t see it in the pictures, but it sparkled up close.

         The exhibition also had Lady Sarah Chatto’s wedding dress which somewhat resembles Mette -Merit’s dress. Going by the wedding dress, she’s a tiny, very short woman. Also i loved that her wedding tiara was made of £ antique brooches cobbled into a tiara. The brooches were wedding gifts that her father had given to her mother, Princess Margaret.

         http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/readers-top-10-wedding-gowns-9-lady.html

7. Love the lovely wedding dresses, how much fun is this post?! Thank you KMR 🙂

   My top pick is Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie’s beautiful Elie Saab; it looks like spun sugar and so so dreamy.

   Next pick, is Camilla’s second outfit. She looks regal and elegant. I defy you to show me one other person who can pull off the feather comb over fascinator so well that it makes me want one, too!

   Next pick didn’t make it on this list. It’s Catherine’s second dress. With the little angora bolero and the diamanté belt. That was my “special perfect snowflake” ( did I quote it right??) moment for her, I don’t know why, but I just love it.

   1. Ray I agree, I think Kate’s second dress was much better than her actual wedding dress! 🙂

      1. Agreed! It seemed classier and more elegant to me.

   2. I forgot about Kate’s second dress. I didn’t like it at first because I didn’t like the fuzzy jacket, but since 2011 it’s grown on me. I rather like it now. I probably like it more than her first dress, even though I didn’t remember to put it in the post.

      HGD Stephanie’s Elie Saab gown looks like a LOTR Elven princess dress to me and I love it so much.

      1. I agree with Ray on Kate’s second dress….it was beautiful!!! You know what I find funny, I have seen Kate’s wedding dress a zillion times and loved every detail. After reading some of the comments about her “breast” I took a closer look at this detail of the dress. I must agree, its not the best feature of the dress and could have been a little more demure… however, I still believe its the best of the group!

      2. That fuzzy angora jacket/ cardigan Kate wore in the evening was vile. Every dinner jacket she went near would have been left with a trail of white fluff from that jacket. Totally inappropriate but probably typically Kate as she seems to wear whatever she wants no matter if an item is right for the occasion. Fluffy cardi at an event attended by the Royal family? Good Grief!

         1. I agree Cathy, that angora cardi just didn’t go with that dress. While I can understand wanting to cover one’s shoulders in case of a chill, at least pick a fabric that worked better with this beautiful dress.

         2. When I first saw it, I think I made a gagging noise. She looked like she was at her senior prom.

         3. omg, that’s great, Cathy. A trail of white fluff.

            To me her look was very prom-like. And the way she clomped down the stairs, not too elegant. I’m referring to the way she descended the stairs at Charles’ home, when they were all getting ready to depart for the party.
            Not very graceful. And, her dress was so juvenile.

            1. Kate’s general walk isn’t something people comment on, but she clomps every where. she walks better and naturally in flats [ see video of her walk/running after William when he graduated from RAF]. she’s the most inelegant walker in high heels.

   3. I’m still not a fan of her second dress. All I can remember is the pointy boobs. I think a simple gown can be beautiful, but that one just didn’t do it for me.

      1. She could have used some “cutlets” in both bodices as she doesn’t fill them out properly. It does take away from the overall effect, and it’s too bad. They padded the hips, and needed something up top! Maybe she shouldn’t have bothered with the Dukan Diet, and her dresses would have fit perfectly.

         1. I agree Ray, she certainly didn’t need to diet and most women lose weight in the bust area first, it’s so not fair.

      2. Same here. Pointy boobs. And I wasn’t a fan of Pippa’s emerald green dress either.

         1. While I liked the color and style of this dress, there was no support for the “girls” and that ruined the whole effect.

         2. The green dress at the reception looked terrible. Pippa needed a bra badly.

8. One thing I really noticed was how happy Charles and Camilla look! It’s adorable! I’m sure everyone was happy on their wedding day but these photos don’t especially show it (except maybe Vic and Dan’s).

   1. Charles looks SO happy in that photo above. It’s actually really nice to see him smile so hard like that.

   2. I noticed that too; they look really good together and just so HAPPY! Camille chose her outfit well. I think it’s perfect for the occasion and super flattering.

9. My top 5:

   1. Victoria – It’s so sleek and elegant, and Cameo Tiara adds the perfect pop of color and “old-ness” (if that makes sense).
   2. Stephanie – I think she looks like a LOTR Elven princess, which I love.
   3. Charlene – I like this one mainly because it is similar to Victoria’s.
   4. Mette-Marit – I think she looks like a Medieval princess, and I like the simpleness of it.
   5. Kate – I was underwhelmed by Kate’s dress at the time, but compared to the other ones Kate’s actually falls into the number 5 slot because I dislike the other ones.

   1. I love your descriptor’s for the dresses :). I went back and looked, like at Mette-Marit and thought she kind of does look like a Medieval Princess. So, thanks for the smiles.

      I would have put Mary’s dress in before Kate’s. I like the unusual neckline and also the fact that she is not wearing lace. She still looks like a modern princess to me! I think Mary pulled off that dress. Where as I think Kate’s dress is wearing her and looks like a typical royal wedding dress. Otherwise I agree with you 🙂

      1. Sorry, I should have said Mary is not wearing a bodice of lace, which I like. I think the lace underneath the panels are lovely

      2. I too would have put Mary’s dress over Kate’s but the wrinkles kind of ruined it for me and I didn’t like the veil she wore with it.

      3. The funny thing is, is that I dislike Mary’s dress specifically because of the neckline. I think it is too wide and not flattering.

   2. The best part about Mette-Marit was the fact that she was confident enough to wear no makeup.

10. My favorite is Victoria’s. She looked absolutely beautiful. It was simple and so perfect. Next up are Stephanie, Charlene, and Mette-Marit. Camilla’s dresses fit her to a t.

    I was able to go to the exhibit of Diana’s dresses when it came to town. I must have sat in the room woth her gown for an hour. I’ve seen millions of pictures of it but I was so happy to be so close to it. I literally cried. It was very intricate from the bodice to the train. It is quite imposing as it personifies a fairy tale and the 80’s. I marveled at her train, veil, shoes, earrings and the gorgeous Spencer tiara. The pictures do not do it justice.

    I liked the back of Kate’s dress. It looked like a flower that was blooming. But, it drew a lit of attention to her breasts. My husband even said that her breasts looked like a fembot from an Austin Powers movie.

    Not a fan of Mary or Marie’s dress. Leti, Mathilde, Sophie and Max we just okay. I think that Madde’s seesaw as beautiful, but the bodice and bust nade her look top heavy and saggy.

    1. That must have been amazing to see her dress in person. It really is iconic!

    2. “Fembot” ! Very good!

       1. When the dresses came to Australia I did the same thing Rhiannon. It was a wonderful dress and to see it up close was magical. I loved most of the outfits that Diana wore, but the dress will always hold a special place in my heart. Diana and Charles announced their engagement on my 10th Birthday and they were married on the day that my SIL ( who I am very close to) was born.

    3. Here’s a closer look at Victoria’s dress. Perfection!

       http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.fr/2010/06/crown-princess-victorias-wedding-dress.html

    4. Diana’s dress toured the US a few years ago. I wanted to go see it so badly, but was unable to. I bet it was awesome to see up close.

11. I forgot to add–I think Maxima’s dress becomes more interesting when you see the side panels that peek out as she walks. I didn’t care much for it at first, but after seeing the details, it’s grown on me.

12. My top 5:

    1. Victoria – exquisite elegance and I love it every time I see it.
    2. Stephanie – a very close second. Te detail on the gown is amazing and beautiful without it being overwhelming.
    3. Marie – I like the silhouette and the neckline.
    4. Kate – timeless and very pretty
    5. Camilla (long outfit) – she looked elegant and regale.

    1. I did like the drop waist and the sweetheart neckline of Marie’s dress.

13. Comment

14. I’ve seen Diana’s dress at an exhibition at KP years ago. Up close it is amazing and would have looked great in the cathedral. As it was the wedding dress for the bride of the heir to the throne it was designed to be over the top so it did work. It’s a shame that the dress did crush in the carriage, this was due to the type of silk used. They made a point of using English produced silk, from silkworms in England. The strands of this silk are shorter, that is why it crushed so easily. At the exhibition the dress was pressed and the train was not crushed so it looked wonderful.
    I hated Kate’s dress, the bodice fitted badly (fembot!) and the hem looked uneven, though that could be due to Kate’s posture and the fact that she walks with long strides and kicks her legs forward, which affects the hem of any skirt she is wearing.
    I did love Charlene’s dress!

    1. Hahaha!!! the fembots lol she was ready to take down anyone who objected!!

    2. I still don’t understand what you mean by Kate’s hem being uneven. The dress seems a bit long, like it either was not tailored properly or they took out a layer of padding underneath that was supposed to go there.

       1. Sometimes I get the feeling that some believe Kate was in a backroom sewing her own wedding dress. I doubt seriously that Sarah Burton would put out a dress that was not tailored perfectly for Kate…. really lets be logical about this! (with all due respect…. I don’t want to come off rude).

          1. I don’t know, but to me the dress does seem a few inches too long. It honestly looks to me like there was supposed to be another layer of padding underneath that got taken out. With a bit more volume underneath the skirt, the length would have been fine. But maybe Kate wanted it like that, I don’t know. I’m just saying what it looks like to me.

             1. So i know someone who interned at McQueen for some years. all the alterations are done by interns, so don’t assume that Sarah Burton is beavering away working on these dresses herself.

                ps: apparently they also do Kate’s alterations for her general wardrobe which i found alittle hard to believe since McQueen are known for their tailoring, but if you let the interns do it, no wonder it’s shoddy. although she also said that they work with a Kate Dummy rather than Kate coming in to be measured as her figure changes.

             2. That’s interesting. Did the person you know who interned at McQueen work on Kate’s dress? I know there are many, many seamstresses who work on a dress like this, but I doubt Burton was hands off. She know how much the dress would be seen and would have at the very least been very eagle-eyed over the seamstresses.

                Do the McQueen people tailor all of Kate’s clothing, even the non-McQueen pieces? That’s odd. Why doesn’t Kate use a normal tailor, why use McQueen’s people to work on non-McQueen pieces?

                I guess Kate is too lazy to go in for actual fittings.

       2. It just hung funny, it could have been when Kate moved but it seems uneven to me. I sew and am very fussy about how a hem looks when the wearer is moving as well as standing still. This includes making a dress early to give it time for the hem to drop naturally. This happens with heavy fabric, that’s why the hems on heavy curtains can look like they are drooping sometimes. i always allow time to adjust hems.

          1. I understand the use of interns etc, but Sarah Burton knew this would be the wedding of the century. Shen knew the stakes would be high. I am sure she was very hands on with this project. I could not imagine her saying oh its just Kate’s dress, give it to the interns to deal with!!!

             1. I agree with CrazyAMC. No interns worked on that dress!
                Sarah Burton would definitely be very, very hands on.

             2. I agree with you AMG, there is no way Burton wasn’t super hands on with this dress. She knew how much it would be seen. That’s why I think there was extra padding underneath that Kate chose not to wear, rather than a design flaw.

       3. I just looked at the pictures again. When W&K are leaving the Church, her skirt looks way too long. I sincerely doubt the designer would have let that fly. I agree with you, KMR, there must have been some extra padding that lifted the hem up, but Kate chose not to wear it. Perhaps because it made the dress heavier to walk in?

          1. The extra padding could have made the dress harder to walk in, or it made it poofier than Kate wanted on the day of. So she had the people helping her get dressed take it out. I don’t think it was a design flaw, I really do think there was extra padding that she chose not to wear.

15. My top five are:

    1. Stephanie – the color is so unique (it doesn’t show in this picture but others I’ve seen it appears more silvery), the fit was perfection and the length of the train was perfect. This dress is by far my favorite all lace dress.
    2. Victoria – classic, elegant without being overdone. Just like the woman herself. And the tiara was absolutely perfect
    3. Mette-Marit – simple yet elegant. Her hair and makeup (or lack of) were perfect for this dress. The only miss on this one was her bouquet.
    4. Camilla – the pale blue and gold coat dress was just perfect. She knows how to dress for her figure and these color together were sublime. The Phillip Tracey has was very suggestive of a crown and added an unusual dimension to this outfit.
    5. Kate – the McQueen workmanship was superb, the corseting and padding at the hip along with the panels made this dress flow so elegantly. I am so glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed the pointy nipple bit on the bodice, also the design of the lace really highlighted this area which I could have done without.

    I would have liked to have been able to add Mary’s dress as I really like it, however the wrinkles on the panels kind of ruins it for me and the veil in my opinion just didn’t work with this dress. Of all the high neck dresses I think Leti’s was my favorite.

    I wanted to love Charlene’s dress and I don’t know why I don’t. It is beautiful, the craftsmanship is exquisite and her veil is by far my favorite. But I think the look on her face through much of the ceremony just made me sad and took away from her look.

    1. I kind of liked Mette-Marit’s bouquet, it added to the Medieval-ness of the dress.

       1. I loved the bouquet. Her veil was to die for too.

16. Sorry if there are duplicate posts. I requested a deletion since I didn’t mean to reply to Lauri’s post.

    None of the dresses wowed me and least favourite is Sophie’s dress and tiara. I actually woke up at 4am to see Lady Di’s dress. I loved it at that time since I was only 10 years old. I think it was the 25 foot train that wowed me. Not the puff sleeves. I loved the tiara.

    Charlene’s dress-the bodice did not fit her well. I googled for some more pictures and there were so many diagonal wrinkles radiating towards the bust and around the waist, meaning terrible fitting issues. Anyone who sews would squint looking at the front bodice. For this reason, her dress is not on my list at all. I can’t believe it was a designer dress.

    Madeleine’s dress from this picture-I found the bodice fitted well at least much better than Charlene’s.

    Princess Grace of Monaco’s dress will always be my favourite. I read about how her bridesmaids gasped when they saw her stepped out in her wedding dress with her translucent facial skin …

    1. Oh, yes, Beatrice. Princess Grace’s dress was the ultimate. When people in the press said Kate’s was similar, I nearly lost it!

17. Have you seen Victoria and Daniel at the Polar Music Prize last night! They look fabulous!

    1. Yes. Vic looked lovely. I’ll probably add those photos into my post tomorrow.

18. I need to add – I think Prince William looked awful in the red uniform! I hated that he chose that one (or I read somewhere that the Queen asked him to wear it?). He looks so much better in his Naval uniform, IMO.

    1. He has another Irish Guards uniform that is black (that he wears to St Patrick’s Day) that looks so much better on him than the red one.

19. I really love Maxima’s and Maddie’s. Not much of a fan of Leti’s though.

20. I love Stephanie. Charlene, and Madeleine’s dresses. Though I think some bust work is needed in Madeleine’s dress?

21. I liked duchess stephanies dress was superb, next is prncess charlene she was so elegant and sophisticated, leitizia dress was good too!!

22. KMR, thanks for this wonderful round-up of wedding gowns for Royals.
    Puts anyone in the mood for the upcoming Swedish Royal Wedding.

    My faves in no particular order: Maddie, Victoria, Charlene and Diana!

    Diana’s l980s ball gown was pure fairy tale. Loved her veil and the shy and yet elegant way she walked down the aisle. Pure Princess.

    Kate’s gown, as others posted, underwhelmed me, too. It had too many things that did not seem to go together. The lace sleeves looked out of place with the heavier skirt. And, oh, the bodice.
    I think it would have screamed, “look at my breasts,” if she had any of size.

    I was so disappointed in her entire look. The veil was boring and Pippa’s straight dress, accenting her bum, did not go with the look of Kate’s dress at all.

    The other brides hit it just right.

    1. I do so agree about the bodice of Kate’s gown – it is awful and screams ‘breasts’ – the dress is my least favorite….

       In order of favorites, Charlene, Maxima and Victoria. Charlene looks so very beautiful in that dress – I truly hope that she is happy…….

       Thank you KMR for all this work – wonderful!!!!

23. Oh, I am in heaven! Thank you, KMR, for a walk down Royal Wedding Gown Memory Lane. Such a lovely way to start the day before hitting the boring aspects of my most recent freelance gig.

    I love Victoria’s dress and the lace veil behind the tiara, but I am not a fan of the cameo tiara, either. A bit too old world for me. Also, I think Maddie’s dress was so Princess-like and she is so beautiful She just seemed so very happy, too.

    Charlene was so very elegant and “grace”-ful, I loved her entire look! She nailed it. Sorry, she seemed so sad on her wedding day, though. Oh, those tears.

    I think my all time fave was Princess Diana’s dress, tiara and veil. Now, that’s a fairytale wedding look! When she came out of that carriage and the dress just kept coming and coming, it was just magnificent. Yes, it was wrinkled and the sleeves were a bit much, but whenever you see footage of her walking down the aisle, you just know “that was a Royal Wedding.” I think every little girl in the world, every grown woman, too, just teared up and hoped for a happy ending. Sadly, there wasn’t one.

    I, too, had the great fortune to see Diana’s wedding dress when it toured. I remember being mesmerized by the detail. It was pure magic, that dress!

    My least fave: Kate’s. I just could not stand one aspect of that dress and veil and tiara. Yes, KMR, she was way too thin. Her make-up and hair did little to bolster the look. I was so excited, so looking forward to their wedding. When I saw that dress, I remember thinking, “This is what I got up so early for?”

    Ah, well, to each her own.

    Mary’s dress, btw, looked so amazing from the back in the recent post on this website, where the huge train was visible as she and her groom stepped out onto the balcony to wave to the crowds. Did not particularly like the front of the dress. Tiara would have looked better with a different veil.

    1. What project are you working on and why is it boring?

       From the back, Mary’s dress looks amazing, but from the front I’m not a fan.

       1. It’s corporate writing. No fun!

          1. Oh. Boring.

24. Thanks for the work you’ve been putting into making these wedding posts.

    1. Thank you, Gie!

25. Great post! I loved the gowns of: Victoria (simple perfection), Camilla (blue gown), Mary (esp because of the veil), Charlene (simplicity + form and tailoring), Letitza, Maxima and Mathilde. I love the higher collars. It’s different and seems much more formal and regal to me.

    Kate’s dress was not flattering to her body. I think she will regret the cut later on, even if it is basically a simple and classic dress. Also as much as I like the lace, I think she was attempting to conform with standard church modesty guidelines (cover shoulders) without actually having to cover her shoulders (it’s see through lace.) Now that I know all about Kate’s flasher tendencies it makes me wonder if she was trying to get away with as much as possible even on her wedding day. That kind of ruins the dress for me.

    I will probably be in the minority here but I thought Mette-Marit’s dress was too shapeless. I know that style worked for Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy but she did a great job grooming her hair etc to fit with the look. To me Mette-Marit looked a bit sloppy. Please don’t attack me – that just my opinion. 🙂

    1. I think you’re right about Kate following the letter of the modesty guidelines without following the spirit of them. The V-neck is fairly deep, too, compared to a lot of the other women.

       1. If she hadn’t flashed people so many times I wouldn’t have thought twice about the lace. I didn’t even think about the v neck being so deep, but she was so incredibly skinny that I guess there was no feminine curvyness behind it to make it a focal point.

    2. **Grabs pitchfork and waves it menacingly**

       Nah, it’s cool. No one is going to attack you for not liking Mette-Marit’s dress. To each their own.

       I do think Kate went with the see-through lace because full sleeves without see-through lace would have been too covered up.

       1. lol 🙂 I’m glad I’m safe.

26. I just looked at the gowns again. KMR, you did so much work on these wedding posts. They are all so wonderful.

    When I looked at Kate and William leaving the Church, I had to ask myself, “Who approved this dress? The bodice — showing off her breasts — really is horrific. I mean, come on.

    Well, we all know she is a flasher. I guess we did not know that then, though.

    As for Leti, am I the only one who thinks she has had work done on her face since the wedding? I swear, I did not recognize her in the wedding photo.

    On second glance, I liked Maxima’s dress very much. She’s tilting to her right in the photo. Dress may have been very heavy to wear.

    1. She had surgery on her nose in 2014 for breathing conditions, but she may have thrown in a nose job at the same time.

       http://www.antesydespues.com.ar/en/famosos-que-se-operaron-la-nariz/#&panel1-8

    2. Thank you, Mary Elizabeth.

       Letizia definitely does her makeup differently now than she did on her wedding day. I don’t know about plastic surgery but definitely a makeup difference.

       1. No, it is more than a slight job on her nose for “breathing purposes.”

          If you look at the side by side photos in the link, you will see an entirely different looking Leti. She had dark hair, a bigger nose, and the shape of her face (contours) seem different, too.

          I’m disappointed. I know I was one of the first to get heat here for suggesting Sophia get her teeth fixed, but, Leti really has had much to much work done. She is a different person now. I really admired her before. Now, I think she is way too into her looks. Yes, she throws herself into her work and I admire that. However, why make such drastic changes in your appearance? It’s not as if she was horrible looking before. She was a very attractive woman.

          Now, she is a totally different person. How does that affect you personally, I wonder?

          Obviously, the King approved of her enough to marry her, with her former look. I wonder how he feels about all her surgery? I say “all,” because to me, after seeing the before photo, I think she had way more than a nose job.

          She looks like one of those women who cannot change their faces enough. And, I agree, she was definitely going after the Queen Rania look. Rania, I believe, came by her looks naturally.

          1. I mean, it makes me sad that Leti is not confident in her looks. She’s always been a good looking woman.

             Felipe may not actually like all the changes Leti makes to her face. I’ve know women before who hated how they looked and wanted to get lots of things done, but their husbands were telling them how beautiful they were and not to get stuff done. So Leti may do stuff to her face, and Felipe may not actually like it. Who know.s

27. I agree. Leti looks so different and it’s not attributed to weight loss or makeup.

28. Ah, so Leti has had plastic surgery. She looked so different in her wedding photos than she does now. So different! I think she must have had some skin rejeuvination, too. Jennifer, the photos in the link you sent (before and after) are so different!

    1. Yes, I think Leti looks so much prettier now, after a little bit of help :/

    2. I was quite surprised myself after looking at them, but I haven’t been following her in the media as closely. I have nothing against plastic surgery, but I do hope she doesn’t have body dis morphia. That would be sad.

29. I was disapointed by Kate’s dress too. Actually, the entire wedding bored me. Her dress was boring, her hair was boring, the bouquet was so tiny and meh looking and the tiara was just unexceptional.

    It was all pretty in an unexceptional way. It lacked character.

    Victoria wins in everything because she looked so modern and regal at the same time.

    1. I rewatched parts of the wedding just the other day (the vows part), and it kind of seemed like they were just going through the motions, without a ton of emotion behind it. They only kind of smiled a few times. No big smiles at all. I swear, Harry smiled bigger than William did.

    2. Yes! I was so disappointed with the bouquet 🙁

30. I really enjoyed watching char and alberts wedding it had the wow factor, now that was a wedding to remember!! charlene didnt look sad as everyone says, to me she was overwhelmed , kate and will wedding was just toi dull those two were lifeless, kate looked really harsh!!

    1. She was definitely overwhelmed, I’ll give you that.

       1. LOL!!! 🙂

    2. I agree with Kate and Will’s wedding being on the dull side. The ceremony was SO solemn. I understand and can appreciate the solemnity of marriage, but it’s also a joyous occasion.

31. Diana’s dress is the big showstopper for me. I still love this poofy dress which was perfect for her and the occasion. And she looked so lovely and so did the Spencer tiara. I certainly don’t give a damn that it wrinkled. I can feel the opulence of the fabric in my fingers (my mother was a tailor).

    Kate’s was bland and boring and perfectly rigid. Jutting (baby) breasts? So 50’s and over the top!

    My absolute non royal fave is Kate Moss’s (without the transparency), and Gwen Stefani’s is a close second.

    1. I saw Kate Moss and Gwen Stefani’s dresses up close at the V & A Museum’s wedding dresses exhibition in London.

       Very, VERY disappointing.

       Or perhaps my own raised expectations because those 2 dresses were my top 5 favourite famous wedding dresses and I was eager to see them up close.

       Kate Moss’s dress looked very dirty and grubby up close. The cut and finish were superb, but it was underwhelming.

       Gwen’s dress was made out of a really unfortunate fabric and all the edges were deconstructed. It had aspects that you don’t see in the photos that were surprising, not in a good way.

       Both dresses photographed better than the reality and I think their wearers contributed to the elevation of the dresses.

       Ps: the exhibition had so many fabulous dresses curated from a period spanning 200yrs so it was hard to pick a favourite dress.

       The dress that lived up to it’s fame was Dita Von Teese’s purple wedding dress. OTT and even better up close.

32. I have been meaning to post my comment for ever! Ugh! ok, here it goes…

    My picks:
    1- CP Victoria – She looks so regal, so elegant and SO HAPPY. I have seen quite a pictures of her and Daniel on Pinterest and they seem to have a blast with each other. I love it!

    2- Princess Madeleine – She is so beautiful and her dress is so lovely. All the lace, I find it so romantic. She was in amazing shape so she wore that dress perfectly!

    3- Queen Maxima – Her dress seems so simply yet there is so much detail in the skirt and the veil.

    4- Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie – This dress really was meant for a princess. So many Elie Saab gowns shout PRINCESS to me.

    5- Princess Charlene – I really liked her dress and her whole look that day. I think she is very pretty and quite frankly she has an odd figure/broad back and shoulders but this dress was beautiful and flattering to her shape. I’m sad she didn’t smile more 🙁 but I still love her look.

    Special mention to Diana’s dress. I would never like a dress like that in present day, but I think it was a perfect princess wedding gown for the 80s and yes, no one will ever forget it. She looked so innocent and shy but happy… kinda breaks my heart.

    My disliked list 😛
    1- Queen Rania – she is not even on here but her dress was just AWFUL IMO. I wonder if she has ever publicly regretted?

    2- Sophie – Terrible fit. It looks pretty big on her and matronly.

    3- Queen Letizia & Queen Mathilde – Not a fan of the collars.

    * Kate’s dress
    I think the dress was beautiful, the buttons on the back, the detailing of the flowers on the bodice, the flower in the back, the sleeves, etc. but she ruined it.
    Her hair down?¡ Ugh, we should have known since then. She covered almost the entire back of the dress!!! Then she applied an entire bucket of makeup, she looked so harsh. God only knows why the brown-nose press saw a “natural look” O.o Someone has mentioned here Kate wants to do everything herself and I think it is just that she hardly does ANYTHING (besides shopping) that anything she actually does deserves the highest praise – like crappy pictures, awful paintings on wall and most importantly her hideous makeup.
    Lastly, yes her dress looks like something Madonna wore in the 80s with the cups sticking out and Kate lost so much weight she didn’t fill them up and made them all the more obvious. I’m thinking had she not dieted the cups wouldn’t be so pointy.

    1. I think whoever designed Charlene’s dress forgot about her shoulders. Due to her Olympic ambitions, she developed what’s known as swimmers’ shoulders ie broad shoulders. Since we don’t have any pictures of her before she decided to become an olympian, it’s hard to say whether she is naturally broad shouldered.

       Funnily, Kate also has broad shoulders, something she disguises with that flowing mane of hair.

       They have the same figure. Broad shoulders, narrow hips. Charlene’s wedding dress accentuated the shoulders with that wrap around detail. It’s a design no – no. Her evening look was much better for not emphasising them.

       Someone with broad shoulders should stay away from anything that emphasises them. They look good in strapless or halter necks, but not wrap around.

       Regarding Queen Rania’s wedding dress. I didn’t hate her white dress as much as I hated her evening dress. I think in both cases the styling and detail were too much.

       Funnily, Rania wore her evening dress again to celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary. With different, more natural styling, she looked fabulous.

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