Royals Reveal 25 Most Jaw-Dropping Wedding Gowns Ever

Princess Diana stepped out of the Glass Coach on July 29, 1981, in an ivory silk taffeta gown by Elizabeth and David Emanuel that instantly rewrote royal-wedding history.

• The train measured 25 feet, still the longest worn by a British royal bride.
• Antique lace once belonging to Queen Mary lined the bodice and sleeves.
• Inside, a tiny gold horseshoe was sewn in for luck; a blue bow served as her “something blue.”
• The tulle veil carried 10,000 micro-pearls for what designer Elizabeth Emanuel later called a “fairy-dust effect.”
• Bridesmaid India Hicks told Harper’s Bazaar the train had to be “folded like a bedsheet” to fit inside the carriage.

• The train stretched nearly 9 feet.
• English Cluny and French Chantilly lace motifs-a rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrock-represented the four U.K. nations.
• Embroiderers washed hands every 30 minutes and changed needles every three hours to protect the fabric.
• A hidden blue ribbon satisfied “something blue,” while the lace technique served as “something old.”
• Queen Elizabeth II lent the Cartier Halo Tiara, set with 739 brilliant-cut and 139 baguette diamonds.

Displayed at Buckingham Palace that summer, the gown attracted a record 600,000 paying visitors.

Meghan Markle’s May 19, 2018 gown, designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, surprised many with its clean lines.

• Bateau neckline, three-quarter sleeves, no lace or beading.
• Double-bonded silk cady required handlers to wash hands every 30 minutes to keep the pure-white fabric pristine.
• A 16-foot silk tulle veil carried floral emblems from all 53 Commonwealth countries plus the California poppy.
• Wheat embroidery at the front symbolized love and charity.
• A tiny piece of fabric from her first date with Prince Harry was stitched inside as her “something blue.”
• Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau Tiara, dating to 1893, held her veil in place.

Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip on November 20, 1947, while clothing was still rationed.

• Government coupons covered the gown; the royal received an extra 200 for the occasion.
• Designer Norman Hartnell and 350 women finished the dress in under three months.
• Ivory silk featured star flowers, jasmine, roses, wheat ears, 10,000 seed pearls, and diamanté.
• The 15-foot train fastened with 22 covered buttons.
• Inspiration came from Botticelli’s “Primavera,” symbolizing national renewal after WWII.
• She wore the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara, which snapped that morning and was quickly repaired.

• Helen Rose for MGM used 300 yards of Belgian lace, silk net, and faille.
• Front-buttoning lace bodice, bell skirt, Juliet cap veil edged with lovebirds.
• Displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

• Giorgio Armani gown required 2,500 hours and three seamstresses.
• Embellished with 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops.
• 426 feet of silk; 66-foot veil; back-up dress also made.

• Valentino lace gown with pearl-encrusted floral motifs and a 15-foot veil.
• Borrowed Queen Anne-Marie’s antique corsage tiara.

• Christian Dior creation used 6,000 diamonds, 20,000 marabou feathers, and 37 yards of silver lamé.
• So heavy the Shah trimmed the train with scissors before the ceremony.