Best Royal brides and wedding dresses

[Moonmaiden23]

I thought Kate a very pretty bride indeed, but something was missing. I felt she completely dropped the ball with her hair and makeup for example.

The needlework on the dress was amazing. I liked the view from the back better than the front, but by wearing her hair down instead of in an upsweep you couldn't see the full effect.

Again..a very lovely bride? Absolutely.

A magnificent, regal bride to take your breath away and fire your imagination? No, not for me she wasn't.

[Artemisia]

I have to agree with you, Moonmaiden23.
Kate's dress was lovely but, well, there was no wow effect for me.
The dress featured great craftsmanship, great needlework, nice lines but that's pretty much it.

Very few royal dresses actually had that effect of taking my breath away but the two that did were Stephanie's and Mette-Marit's gowns. And Maxima's veil.

[IloveCP]

The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor: Readers' Top 10 Wedding Gowns: The Next Ones

I love Anne Marie, Mary, Cristina and Sofia's gowns. Claire, the Duchess of Kent and Anne's dresses are nice but I would not wear them. I like Elizabeth's veil but not the dress. Finally, Diana's dress was just awful!

[dbarn67]

Of that 2nd tier of gowns. I love Queen Anne Marie, Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Kent. and Sofia's gown. I know it's all pouf but I remember Princess Diana's gown as she exited from the coach and after the ceremony exited St. George's cathedral. For me it's an iconic memory of sheer princess.

[Kit]

I agree about Kate's dress. I love the back part of the dress it really looks divine. But I still dislike the neckline and the corsage was not properly made. The breast part was too dominant. I love Grace Kelly's dress this is still iconic and Stephanie's dream by Elie Saab. In my opinion the best royal wedding dress ever. AD Francesca's Versace dress was beautiful too. And Mary's dress was beautiful on the paper but the execution really had its flaws.

[Artemisia]

Originally Posted by dbarn67

Of that 2nd tier of gowns. I love Queen Anne Marie, Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Kent. and Sofia's gown. I know it's all pouf but I remember Princess Diana's gown as she exited from the coach and after the ceremony exited St. George's cathedral. For me it's an iconic memory of sheer princess.

I agree with you. Diana's dress is an horror but it's also undoubtedly iconic. Over-the-top it might have been but it was also very Princessy, so to speak.
Besides, Diana was only 21; given her age and the fashion of the time, the dress was kind of unavoidable.

[ANNIE_S]

For me:
- Princess Grace
- Princess Charlene
- Princess Stephanie
- Crown Princess Victoria
- Infanta Cristina
- Crown Princess Mette Marit

[IloveCP]

Here are my top 15 favorite royal wedding dresses. (Because 10 is not enough for me )

15. Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma
14. Crown Princess Mathilde
13. Crown Princess Letizia
12. Queen Sofia of Spain
11. Queen Margrethe II
10. Sarah, Duchess of York
9. Crown Princess Maxima
8. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
7. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie
6. Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
5. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
4. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
3. Princess Grace
2. Crown Princess Mette-Marit
1. Infanta Cristina of Spain

[dbarn67]

Originally Posted by Artemisia

I agree with you. Diana's dress is an horror but it's also undoubtedly iconic. Over-the-top it might have been but it was also very Princessy, so to speak.
Besides, Diana was only 21; given her age and the fashion of the time, the dress was kind of unavoidable.

Yes, it kind of bothers me that people complain so much about a design that is so much part of period. It's like saying Queen Victoria would look great in a sheath style. That's not what they wore in her times. Diana wore a gown that was typical of her time period...bigger and poufier than most but befitting what she was marrying into.

[martina]

My top 5:

1. Princess Claire of Belgium
2. Crown Princess Maxima
3. Duchess of Cambridge
4. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie
5. Princess Marie of Denmark

[XeniaCasaraghi]

I've said this before and I'll say it again, Sarah Duchess of York got married in the 80s and her gown was 10x better than Diana's. Grace Kelly was married in the 50s and it is still copied 60yrs later; it doesn't look anything like 1950's fashion. Queen Elizabeth was married in the late 40's and it doesn't fit in with the decade. The era in which you got married is not an excuse for bad fashion choices; if a dress is ugly it is ugly no need to try and excuse its ugliness.

[Moonmaiden23]

The only real problems with Diana's gown were that the material was wrong and Diana dieted so severely in the weeks before the wedding that it didn't fit the way it was meant to.

That gown with it's ruffles and lace and full bouffant skirt was meant to evoke a period of history-the 18th century-a period by the way in which Diana's family, the Spencers,were much in their heyday.

If the dress had fit her the way the Emmanuels intended it to fit and if it had not wrinkled so badly, it would have looked simply stunning on Diana.

[MARG]

Regardless of IMO having way too much lace on the dress, train and veil, Stephanie's gown had one of the most beautiful trains I have ever see .

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_fsZ0RLRT...78762014_n.jpg

[dbarn67]

Originally Posted by MARG

Regardless of IMO having way too much lace on the dress, train and veil, Stephanie's gown had one of the most beautiful trains I have ever see .

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_fsZ0RLRT...78762014_n.jpg

Stephanie's gown tops my list of royal wedding gowns of time. She vaulted over
Victoria, Maxima, Mette Marit, Margaret and Grace. Stephanie's dress did what royal wedding gowns are supposed to do IMO...evoke grandeur, nobility, sumptuousness and classy.

[Andolini]

Originally Posted by dbarn67

Stephanie's gown tops my list of royal wedding gowns of time. She vaulted over
Victoria, Maxima, Mette Marit, Margaret and Grace. Stephanie's dress did what royal wedding gowns are supposed to do IMO...evoke grandeur, nobility, sumptuousness and classy.

I agree

[Moonmaiden23]

Originally Posted by MARG

Regardless of IMO having way too much lace on the dress, train and veil, Stephanie's gown had one of the most beautiful trains I have ever see .

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_fsZ0RLRT...78762014_n.jpg

LOL! I have seen that particular photo about 100 times since the wedding and I catch my breath each time...it looks like a scene from a movie.

In fact, it reminds me of the wedding scenes in "The Sound Of Music" when Maria walks up the aisle of the Cathedral and you see her voluminous veil and train spread out behind her...just like Princess Stephanie's in that photo!

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by Duke-of-Earl

When it comes to the best Royal brides and wedding dresses, HRH the Duchess of Cambridge is the alpha and the omega. The Angels sang as she glided towards the alter in Westminster Abbey. Absolutely beguiling.

I loved the simplicity of Catherine's dress. There were no embellishments or unnecessary frou that would have made it look gaudy and over-the-top. It suited Catherine to a tee. I feel that Stephanie's dress suited her, and for that reason have a very hard time choosing the top favorite for myself. So, both of these gowns hold the top spot on my list.

[Andolini]

Originally Posted by Daria_S

I loved the simplicity of Catherine's dress. There were no embellishments or unnecessary frou that would have made it look gaudy and over-the-top. It suited Catherine to a tee. I feel that Stephanie's dress suited her, and for that reason have a very hard time choosing the top favorite for myself. So, both of these gowns hold the top spot on my list.

I loved Kate's dress, it had SLEEVES

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by Andolini

I loved Kate's dress, it had SLEEVES

Yes, a very important aspect in an age where for some reason women chose to wear strapless wedding gowns. I personally LOVE the ones that have sleeves, whether long or short.

[Andolini]

Originally Posted by Daria_S

Yes, a very important aspect in an age where for some reason women chose to wear strapless wedding gowns. I personally LOVE the ones that have sleeves, whether long or short.

I totally agree! The whole sleeveless wedding dress thing was getting sooo old, and not a lot of women really look good in sleeveless. I have always loved wedding gowns with sleeves, and Kate and now Stephanie's dresses hopefully will inspire other women to continue to choose sleeves!