Although to modern tastes, Princess Diana’s wedding dress might appear rather dated, when she married Charles back in 1981, it really was something special.
Ivory taffeta skirt with a 25-foot train, puff sleeves—it was all so over-the-top—plus an intricate Spencer family tiara to add some extra sparkle to things.
It was the creation of
Diana revolutionized wedding fashion at an age when princesses were expected to favor cardigan sweaters and sensible skirts, wearing a fairy-tale wedding gown designed by the design team David and Elizabeth Emanuel with its puff-sleeved, silk taffeta puff train masterpiece that captured the hearts of brides everywhere.
The Emanuels used antique Carrickmacross lace belonging to Queen Mary—Prince Charles’s great-grandmother—which they attached to the bodice of Prince Charles’ wedding dress and matched its blue bow with the gown color as suggested by tradition—”something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”—an English rhyme for the occasion.
One of the defining characteristics of wedding gowns is their long train, constructed using silk taffeta that was heavier than usual so as to attain its characteristic shape. Britain’s oldest silk weaving company Stephen Walters produced this fabric.
One of the most famous designs to ever adorn a royal wedding, it still is to this day an inspiration for many brides around the world. It also inspired lots of copycat dresses that can be found until today. That makes this wedding still one of the most watched royal weddings ever.
The fabric
Princess Diana went for an ivory silk taffeta wedding gown with frilled lace and over 10,000 mother-of-pearl sequins for her wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral. Hand-embroidered, it was completed by its 25ft train that rustled as she stepped out of the glass coach.
This dress and its flounces were made of lace created by Suffolk weaver Stephen Walters & Sons, which has been in business for over 100 years. They set into this lace an antique square of Carrickmacross lace dating from Queen Mary’s time, provided by the Royal School of Needlework and incorporated into this lace design.
As was the tradition, her dress was also embellished with horseshoe charm and blue bow for ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.’ It further comprised Spencer family tiara with an 18 carat gold trinket, menaced with white diamonds.
Designers the Emanuels were briefed to come up with something strong enough to survive a big day yet beautiful and unique, in adherence to Royal wedding rules: the fabric must be from British silk farms; flounces must have antique lace; and an elegant blue bow should be sewn onto its waistband.
The train
For Princess Diana, the train was one of the most striking elements in this wedding dress, at 25 feet in length, which had never been done before.
This silk-and-taffeta creation was decorated with some 10,000 pearls and sequins; its full silhouette would set the trends in bridal gowns throughout the 1980s, with copies appearing in shops around the world.
Elizabeth and David Emanuel designed one of the most famous dresses for Debbie Benning’s wedding on July 29, 1981, to Prince Charles. In light of keeping their design under wraps until it was time, Elizabeth and David did a couple of things: first, calling their client “Deborah,” and second, hiring guards for the whole time period.
Diana asked the Emanuels to include a piece of Carrickmacross lace used on Queen Mary’s dress into Diana’s design house. In addition, an 18k gold horseshoe-shaped trinket set with white diamonds was attached at her gown’s label as well as an undergarment embellished with an 18K gold horseshoe-shaped trinket on its waistband for added decoration.
Brothers William and Harry still have the gown and other accessories of Princess Diana, which will now go out for public display again as it is moved to an exhibition entitled Royal Style in the Making at Kensington Palace, more than 25 years since Princess Diana first displayed it publicly!
The lace
Lace fabric is typically used to trim garments made of cotton or linen yarn. Lace is commonly paired with dresses, lingerie ensembles, blouses, and skirts.
There are different styles and weights of lace, each adapted for a wide variety of occasions and price ranges. Some types might be heavier and more formal, while some others could even be less expensive.
Lace can be manufactured both on machines and by handcraft methods; it is also available made from natural fibres.
There were various kinds of lace used in Princess Diana’s wedding dress, including white lace, which gives elegance and class to wedding gowns.
Guipure lace is characterized by heavy fabric and a raised design; the usual floral patterns have silk edges on a net ground.
Chantilly lace is another style, which is very light in material, having scalloped ends, and often paired with tulle to achieve a more elegant finish.
This wedding gown took the piece of lace of Queen Mary’s as the central bodice that was beaded with sequins and thousands of pearls to add more shimmer, flounces of antique lace for flounces.
The tulle
The wedding dress of Princess Diana was a beguiling masterpiece, composed of yards of ivory tulle by the husband-and-wife team of David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The dress really had an eyecatcher in the 25-foot-long train, which included antique lace that once belonged to Queen Mary herself, paired with classic features such as puff-up sleeves, ruffled neckline, and over 10,000 pearls used for adornment.
A very light, open mesh net in a graceful material: satin weave and see-through— perfect for evening gowns, veils, decorations, and so on. Tulle is available in shades from silk, cotton, or synthetic fibers to suit your work.
Tulle can be found in most craft and fabric stores, including online websites like Amazon. Be sure to inspect the quality before you buy for durability in a project like this.
Tulle fabric is easily sewn into various garments, like skirts or petticoats, as it has precut lengths available for sale in ready-cut pieces. Care is relatively easy: Just wash with mild detergent when they need it, clean spot if necessary, but to really keep tulle garments looking their best, always iron on low heat when ironing.
The shoes
Princess Diana married Prince Charles on 29 July 1981 in a very grand wedding, often referred to as something out of a fairy tale or simply “the wedding of the century.” The guest list ran into thousands, and further afield, it was watched by an estimated 750 million television viewers in many countries where the ceremony was screened live.
The “People’s Princess,” Meghan Markle, wore an ivory silk taffeta dress by Elizabeth and David Emanuel on her wedding day, not to mention the very impressive 25-foot train that followed her everywhere. In addition, she donned a Spencer tiara lent by her mother that very same day.
She had written a message in the soles of her shoes, which are lined with 542 sequins and 132 pearls in a sweet heart-shaped pattern – both arches are decorated with floral designs and the letters C & D painted under each heel with Charles & Diana written beneath.
Elizabeth and David Emanuel even added a lucky charm – a gold horseshoe-shaped trinket studded with white diamonds to bring luck – onto Elizabeth’s dress label as part of her good luck charms for their marriage ceremony. A blue bow also graced its waistband.
The bouquet
The wedding dress of 1981 of Princess Diana is one of the most iconic bridal looks ever, having influenced the bridal style for decades to come. Breaking an old-fashioned pattern at her time, Princess Diana’s huge, cascading bouquet distinguished itself from others; traditionally, small posies or floral designs were carried to a wedding. This set a trend for more elaborate blooms on brides’ bouquets at weddings worldwide.
Diana’s wedding bouquet, made by Longmans Florist, was a profusion of gardenias, stephanotis, odontolglossum orchid, lily of the valley, Earl Mountbatten roses, freesia, veronica ivy myrtle, and trasdescantia.
Its enormous size did not detract from its beauty or balance; on the other hand, it was imposing—like a statement piece—into which the air of Westminster Abbey would have been regaled with sweet fragrances.
According to NBC, her wedding bouquet included flowers that paid tribute to both Prince Harry and his late mother, NBC reported. Prince Harry himself had chosen several blooms-including Osborne Myrtle sprigs-that long have been used in royal bouquets to symbolize love, marriage, and fertility.
While a bouquet can be an integral part of any look, it is essentially crucial at royal weddings. Since Queen Victoria, every royal bride carries myrtle sprigs in their bouquet to refer to love, marriage, and lasting fertility.
