Today is King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s 16th wedding anniversary! Let’s take a look back at their wedding, which was the first royal wedding of an heir to the throne in Spain for nearly a century.
I didn’t even begin to scratch the surface when it comes to photos from this wedding. There are some really beautiful images out there, so let’s share our favorites in the comments below over this long, Memorial Day (in the US) weekend!
Princess Margaret’s wedding was the last full State occasion for which Hartnell designed an impressive number of gowns and dresses. Her memorable dress was made from yards and yards of silk organza, with the skirt alone containing close to 100 feet (98.4252 to be exact) of fabric. Due to her small stature, embellishments were purposely kept to a minimum (a rarity for Hartnell as he loved his floof) in order to prevent the bride from being completely overwhelmed. Many have described the dress as stunningly tailored and a study in simplicity, with 1960’s Life magazine declaring it “the simplest royal wedding gown in history.” It has also been referred to as one of Hartnell’s most beautiful and sophisticated pieces.
I’m afraid all Getty has for us today are black and white sketches. Boo.
But have no fear! Internet for the win!I’m not really sure if this is an alternate sketch for Margaret’s gown or not. It does look a bit like her though, and it is a Hartnell, so you can be the judge.
A watercolour sketch/painting – “Gifted to the seller by his aunt, Mrs Edith Anne Price [Annie], who was private assistant to Norman Hartnell in the West End of London.” Hartnell’s signature isn’t on it, but who am I to doubt Auntie Annie.
Queen Elizabeth’s gown was a turquoise-blue faille and lace creation, with matching bolero jacket in silk taffeta. The dress marks a turning point in the Queen’s wardrobe as this would be the last time members of the Royal Family would wear full-length gowns for a daytime event.
Nine year old Princess Anne was one of the eight bridesmaids. Their dresses were replicas of Princess Margaret’s first evening dress, created in white silk organza with panels of broderie anglaise, and trimmed with blue ribbons. Bit of trivia – Hartnell assistant David Sassoon was sent to Buckingham Palace to do a fitting on Anne’s gown. HM appeared out of nowhere, looked at the dress and asked him, “Will it wash?” “She was very concerned that it would wash.” he would later recall.
Pretty sure this is why Betty asked about washing instructions. That’s Anne with the basket, and a young Charles to the far left.
And here’s a bit of wedding to liven up your day. Links to part two and three can be found here and here.
So what do you think? One of the most iconic royal wedding gowns ever, or too much of everything for such a wee little lady? Are you all about QEII in unrelieved turquoise, or would it have been nice to break that up a bit? Do you think Anne will somehow find a way to wear this dress again? Leave your comments below, along with your favorite memories and photos of Margo on her big day.
Today marks the 9th Wedding Anniversary of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Why not take a few minutes to relive the excitement, and share your favorite stories and photos from the day!
I’ll even start you all off with MY personal favorite memory and photo. My favorite memory was from after the ceremony, as they were headed back to Buckingham Palace. Everytime they passed a war monument William gave a salute and Kate bowed her head until they passed. I thought right there and then, “She gets it. This girl really gets it.”
This is the last in our series on royal wedding gowns. We hope you enjoyed the tour, which took us through family traditions, cultural aesthetics, matching gowns to venues, scaling gowns to the occasion, coats and wraps galore, and many other aspects of designing a royal wedding gown. If you want to revisit any part of it, go to “Find that Post” on the header, select “Recurring Feature” and “Royal Wedding Gowns”.
We are leaving with a fun post by revisiting the era of excess, otherwise known as the eighties. Big sleeves, big hair, big design, big, well – everything. If you are wondering where the granddaddy of all big dresses is, we have already covered that one! Take a trip back and enjoy some other gowns.
Bride: Princess Astrid of Belgium Designer: Louis Mies
The daughter of King Albert and Queen Paola married in 1984, and the operating word on her gown is leg-o-mutton sleeves. No one ever remembers that gown was made of taffeta, had a massively long train and some lovely lace insets. The sleeves simply take over.
Photos courtesy of Wikimedia and Scanned from “Majesty”
Brides: Princess Marie Astrid and Princess Margretha of Luxembourg Designers: Unknown
The mini-marriage boom in Luxembourg occurred in 1981 and 1982, with Hereditary Grand Duke Henri marrying in 1981, and his two sisters in 1982. Just in time for ruffles! The older of the sisters, Marie Astrid, married first. Her gown featured ruffles at the sleeves, v neckline and waist. The gown also featured an assymetrical wrap that secured the skirt adorned with – you guessed it – ruffles.
Photos courtesy of Order of Splendor and scanned from “Majesty”
Princess Margretha, Grand Duke Henri’s younger sister, married a few weeks later. The gown has many similarities to her sister’s, in this case, though, the ruffles decorate a high neckline and are even more liberally applied to the sleeves. The same volume can be found in the skirt, though! It remained 1982 ; ).
Photos from screen capture
The eighties were my heyday, and I have more than my share of fondness for their more outrageous elements. The good news is that all of these marriages have lasted, and there are many children from the unions. The big, of-their-times dresses made not a difference to long term happiness, and they give us something to look back on with, we hope, amused tolerance if not outright appreciation.
Royal weddings are not always about white gowns. Today we’ll look at color, and how it is reflected in the wedding ensembles worn in Japan, Brunei and Bhutan. Previous entries in this series can be found on the header, under Find That Post!/Recurring Feature.
Bride: Masako Owada Traditional Dress: Jūnihitoe
Did you know that when Crown Prince Naruhito was engaged to diplomat Masako Owada in 1993, Japan was gripped by “Masako Mania”? Much of the country was excited to see what western-style dress Masako would wear for the wedding, but part of her ensemble was pre-ordained and traditional. The traditional jūnihitoe, or the colorful part, is what we are concerned with today.
Photos courtesy of Japan Times
Jūnihitoe means 12 layer robe, although the number of layers differ depending on the event. The layers are all silk garments, and the number of layers can only be discerned at the sleeves, neckline and hem. A description of each layer can be found here.
Look at the layers more closely here. The colors, including green, light yellow, orange and burgundy, blend harmoniously. These colors are often given poetic names to mark the occasion. The layered garment can weigh up to 20 kg, so kudos to Masako for making it look easy. Note the elaborate fan which color coordinates with the dress, and is an important part of the entire ensemble.
Just for contrast, here is her western style gown and the Japanese scroll tiara, worn by several generations of Japanese royals on their wedding days.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Bride: Jetsun Pema Traditional Dress: Kira, toego, wonju (The bride wore several iterations of this ensemble) Groom: Jigme Khesar Namgeyl Wangchuck Traditional Dress: Gho and tshoglham
When Jetsun Pema married the current King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in 2011, a veritable explosion of color was on display. In this case we should look at both bride and groom, because their ensembles are equally beautiful and colorful.
First, the bride. She wore the traditional kira, the ankle dress that is traditional to Bhutan. Her kira was red, yellow, green and white. Her toego, or jacket, was light yellow. Her wonju, or blouse, was red, and she added red earrings. During the ceremony, the Phoenix Crown was placed on her head.
The King wore the traditional gho in bright yellow, which was worn by his own father. He wore colorful Bhutanese boots (tshoglham), the elaborate design displaying the status of the wearer. During the ceremony the Raven Crown was placed on his head.
All images courtesy of the Japan Times
Bride: Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah of Brunei Traditional Dress: Long gown, lace head scarf for the bride, and knee length jacket for the groom.
The princess and her groom, Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini, married on September 23, 2012, in a celebration that encompassed the wedding ceremony and several receptions. The bride and groom wore lavish incarnations of traditional dress.
In Brunei, a conservative Muslim culture, brides typically wear long gowns, in a light color, often with flower designs. They also cover their hair with head scarves that feature prominent lace work at the border. The princess added several different tiaras, as well. The groom wore a knee length jacket and matching trousers, as is typical, along with a traditional turban. What is not typical is the level of jewelry accessorizing that you see below, because this was an elaborate and very Brunei-royal wedding on every level.
The light blue and purple gowns pictured below were worn to the receptions. The light yellow gown was worn during the wedding ceremony in the throne room.
