Iconic wedding dresses
Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton and Prince William are getting married on 29 April 2011 in London. Her wedding dress is inspired by Grace Kelly’s. It was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
The neckline and long sleeves are adorned with Calais lace. The dress is rather simple yet still elegant. It features a wide drape and a 2.43-metre train. The veil worn by the new Princess Catherine, with its embroidered edging, has been admired by many other designers (including Karl Lagerfeld…).
Whilst the bridesmaids are wearing beautiful floral crowns, Princess Catherine is wearing a tiara, as tradition dictates. This stunning piece of jewellery dates from 1935 and is by Cartier. It belongs to Queen Elizabeth II and forms part of the Crown Jewels.
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier on 18 June 1956. The Hollywood star married a prince from the royal family. Designed by Helen Rose, Grace Kelly’s wedding dress, made entirely of lace, silk, pearls and tulle, is now on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Grace Kelly, an American actress, and the Prince met in May 1955 thanks to *Paris Match*, which organised a photo shoot between the two young people during the Cannes Film Festival.
They met again in December whilst visiting Grace’s family, fell in love and announced their engagement, marrying four months later.
Jackie Kennedy
Jackie Kennedy married John Kennedy on 12 September 1953 in Newport, Rhode Island. The wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier and John Kennedy was the event of the year.
Jackie’s mother chose the dressmaker, Ann Lowe of New York, and her daughter had no say in the matter. Jackie’s ivory gown featured 50 metres of silk taffeta, which was fashioned into a portrait neckline with a very full, puffed skirt. The dress was lavishly embellished with rows of trim, cuff circles and wax flowers. An exquisite pink point de tulle veil draped over a small lace bonnet adorned with orange blossoms.
Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress was just as widely admired as Grace Kelly’s.
Princess Diana
In the presence of 2,500 guests gathered at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and watched by 750 million television viewers worldwide, the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles Spencer, married Lady Diana at the age of 33. Lady Diana was 20 years old. They went on to have two sons and divorced in 1996.
These ballet flats are marked with the initials of the two brides from that time on the soles.
Her dress, designed by David Emanuel and his ex-wife Elizabeth, featured lots of ruffles, balloon sleeves and 16th-century lace.
The train of Diana’s wedding dress was about eight metres long and had to be carried by two bridesmaids.
Audrey Hepburn
In July 1953, at a party held in London to mark the premiere of *Roman Holiday*, Gregory Peck introduced Audrey to one of his friends, Mel Ferrer – a theatre director and film director who was twelve years her senior. The chemistry between them was instant, and they very quickly fell in love.
In August 1954, Mel Ferrer joined Audrey Hepburn in Switzerland and asked her to marry him; she accepted.
They had a civil wedding on 24 September in Buoche, on the shores of Lake Lucerne (Switzerland), and reaffirmed their vows in a church ceremony the following day in the Bürgenstock Chapel.
The actress put the Claudine collar on the map and made it the chic symbol of the starlets of her era. She even wore one – with the collar turned up – at her wedding to Mel Ferrer.