Posts Tagged: wedding dress

Royal Weddings — 3 Comments
19
Nov 12

Royal Weddings: Queen Elizabeth II

It has been a very special and unforgettable year for Queen Elizabeth: the sovereign marked her Diamond Jubilee, hosted the 2012 Olympic Games and on the 20 of November she celebrates 65 years of marriage. Here we take a look back at her nuptials to Prince Phillip - then known as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten – which took place in 1947 and was broadcast to 200 million radio listeners around the world.

The dress

In order to make her wedding dress, the young Princess famously saved up ration cards to purchase the material needed. The beautiful gown, designed by Normal Hartnell, was made of ivory duchess satin and decorated with around 10,000 white pearls imported from America, silver thread and tulle embroidery.

 

Her bridal ensemble also included a 15-foot patterned full court train attached at the shoulders, and a silk tulle veil held in place by a tiara lent to the princess by her mother. Normal Hartnell’s inspiration for the gown was Botticelli’s Primavera, which symbolizes the coming of Spring.

The Shoes

On her feet, the Queen wore ivory duchess satin high heels, embellished with silver and pearls.

The Bouquet

Elizabeth’s bridal bouquet was made up of white orchids and a sprig of myrtle – from the bush grown from the myrtle in Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet. The following day it was laid on the grave of the unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey.

The Wedding Cake

After the wedding ceremony, a celebratory lunch was held at Buckingham Palace where guests were presented with posies of white heather and myrtle as favours. The wedding cake was a grand affair, standing at nine-foot high, weighing 500 pounds and featuring four tiers. Made from ingredients received from the Australian Girl Guides, the cake was cut using Philip’s sword. One layer was kept until the christening of Prince Charles and another was sent back to Australia by way of thanks.

The Fringe Tiara

This tiara, which can also be worn as a necklace was made for Queen Mary in 1919. It’s not, as has sometimes been claimed, made with diamonds that had belonged to George III but re-uses diamonds taken from a necklace/tiara purchased by Queen Victoria from Collingwood & Co as a wedding present for Queen Mary in 1893. In August 1936 Queen Mary gave the tiara to Queen Elizabeth, from whom it was borrowed by Princess Elizabeth for her wedding in 1947.


The Duchess of Teck’s earrings

These earrings, which originally belonged to Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, were bequeathed to her niece Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck and by her to her daughter, the future Queen Mary, in 1897. They were given by the Queen to her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth on 31 January 1947, and she wore them at her wedding later that year.

The Necklaces

The shorter of her two pearl necklaces was the ‘Queen Anne’ necklace, said to have belonged to Anne, the last Stuart Queen. The longer ‘Queen Caroline’ necklace was said to have belonged to the wife of King George II. Both were left to the Crown by Queen Victoria and were given to Elizabeth as a wedding present by her father, King George VI.

 

Celebrity wedding / Wedding dresses — No Comments
15
Nov 12

Celebrity brides who think pink on their big day

Many will think that Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel were the first celebrity brides to ditch the traditional white wedding dress for a pink gown, but they weren’t! Looking back in time, I have discovered other stars that have given their big day a touch of pink. Gwen Stefani, Reese Witherspoon and Sharon Stone are just some of the A-Listers that have broken with tradition, and here we take a closer look at their unforgettable looks.

Sharon Stone

Actress Sharon chose a pink creation when she married Phil Bronstein on Valentine’s Day in 1998. The star’s dress was designed by Vera Wang and was made of chiffon with A-line silhouette.

 

Gwen Stefani 

In 2002 rock star Gwen married Gavin Rossdale in a white wedding dress with shades of pink on the bottom designed specially for her by John Galliano.

 

Julianne Moore 

Julianne married her husband Bart Freundlich in an intimate ceremony and didn’t go for the usual wedding dress, instead she opted for an elegant, sleeveless pink/lilac silk Prada dress. She completed her look with sparkly earrings she had borrowed from Barkin.

 

 Portia De Rossi

When Portia and Ellen DeGeneres tied the knot, the actress donned a Zac Posen gown that featured a blush tulle skirt. 

Reese Witherspoon 

For her wedding, which was featured in HELLO! Magazine last year, Reese opted for a blush-hued gown with a Chantilly lace corset bodice and full tulle A-line skirt by Monique Lhuillier.

 

Anne Hathaway

Anne wore custom-made Valentino dress for her big day. It was an off-the shoulder creation with swathes of chiffon, and a Twenties-inspired headband and a flowing veil.


Designer Valentino then released a sketch of the bespoke gown that he personally designed for her. “Anne’s gown is a strapless ivory silk point d’esprit tulle dress, which included a beautiful pink hand-painted shaded train and embroidered with satin flowers,” he said.

 

Jessica Biel 

Jessica is the last of the girls to take on the rising trend. For her October nuptials to Justin Timberlake she wore a Giambattista Valli rose-pink strapless gown, enhanced with layers of delicate tulle, specially designed for her.

Which is your favourite dress out of the above? Which celeb would like to see in a pink gown instead of the traditional white? According to some sources, Blake Lively added a bit of pink to her bridal gown. We will soon find out! The actress’ wedding will be featured in the December issue of Martha Stewart Wedding magazine.

MB xx

Royal Weddings — 2 Comments
6
Nov 12

Royal Weddings: Princess Grace of Monaco

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Princess Grace‘s death and 56 years since her unforgettable nuptials to Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

The wedding, watched by an estimated 30 million people on television and dubbed the “The Wedding of the Century”, was attended by 600 guests, including Hollywood stars such as Gloria Swanson, Ava Gardner, Cary Grant and David Niven.

Grace Kelly‘s wedding dress, designed by Helen Rose, is still considered one of the most beautiful ever and has inspired brides worldwide, including Kate Middleton, who chose a very similar design for her big day.

Here we take a closer look at all the details.

The wedding dress

Truly fit for a princess, Grace’s wedding gown was a gift from the MGM film studios and was designed by Helen Rose who worked on it for six weeks with three dozen seamstresses. The dress, featuring a high collar and long sleeves, had a fitted bodice and voluminous skirt.

The bodice was made of reassembled rose point lace over silk net which had been re-embroidered by two seamstresses who worked on it for a month. Thousands of seed pearls were added to accentuate the patterns in the lace.

Bridal headpiece

Grace decided against the customary tiara and instead opted for a Juliet cap decorated with orange blossoms and a veil that was reportedly 90 yards long. The circular veil was edged with lace motifs, but the majority was left sheer, so that the princess’s face would be visible through it.

Wedding Bouquet

Grace’s bridal bouquet was made from Lily of the Valley and the ribbons of her bouquet had small sprigs attached to them. She left the bouquet on the altar of the Chapel of St. Dévote after the wedding.

Meanwhile, Grace’s matron of honour, her sister Peggy, and six bridesmaids carried bouquets of tea roses, whilst the flower girls carried white daisies.

Wedding Shoes and Bible

The shoes paired with Grace’s wedding dress were from Evins, New York, and were designed by David Evins. At the bride’s request, a copper penny was built into the right shoe for good luck.

Grace carried Rev. J.M. Lelen’s Bride’s Manual: A Manual of Catholic Devotion with Mass for the Marriage Ceremony and the Nuptial Blessing during her wedding to Prince Rainier. The book was a gift from family friend and was decorated by MGM’s wardrobe department.

Engagement ring

Rainier originally proposed to Grace with a Cartier eternity band of rubies and diamonds. When he saw other leading ladies in Hollywood were flashing bigger rings, he quickly ordered a 10.47-carat emerald-cut diamond ring with two baguette diamonds mounted in platinum. Grace can be seen wearing it in the aptly named film High Society – her final screen performance before becoming a princess.

Wedding dress sketch

This sketch of the gown was drawn by Helen Rose herself. The design of the dress was carefully guarded in the two months leading up to the wedding. It never left the fitting room,  the workspace was enclosed in partitions so no-one could catch a glimpse, and the dress was locked away every night.

According to historian Stephen Englund, who had access to MGM’s archives, the dress cost £4,500 (£36,000 today) in materials and manufacture, not including Helen Rose’s salary.  MGM stated that 23 metres of heavy taffeta, 23 metres of silk taffeta, 91 metres of silk net and 274 metres of lace were used, but the finished dress used only about a quarter of these amounts.

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