King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and Silvia Sommerlath: June 19, 1976


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Such a beautiful young woman, wearing one of the plainest, most unflattering wedding dresses ever. It's Dior so it must have cost a fortune...yet it looks like an 8th grade sewing class project. :ermm:
 
I am reading about the wedding now in a book by Bobby Andstrom and it is making me tear up- the details he is giving about the day are amazing... The fact that they talked to each other at the altar and no one could hear what they were saying and he describes the glances that they gave each other and the atmosphere in the room. For someone who has never seen the actual wedding tape-it is amazing!
 
The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor: Wedding Wednesday: Queen Silvia's Gown

This has got to be one of my least favorite royal wedding dresses. I like simple wedding dresses but, this is just too simple. It's very unflattering, shapeless, plain, and ill-fitting. This does not look like a Dior gown at all. The only things that I like about the look are the tiara and veil.
I couldn't disagree more with your opinion of the dress. To me, it absolutely screams Dior, silk duchesse satin, simplicity itself. Yes, they did not anticipate the waving and then the dress appears not to fit, but otherwise, the fit is perfect.
Mostly, it is a product of the times. If you look at other 70's brides, the dresses are all very simple, and most certainly not as nice. check P Anne's first wedding or even P caroline of monaco (dior)
But, to showcase the cameo tiara and the veil, the dress is perfect. Her daughter wore a very simple dress also, almost the same design.
 
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I agree that they could've made the dress for figure flattering, if you're gonna spend all that money it should look good
 
Silvia's dress is one of my favorites. It is plain but I think it is perfect for a girl who is becoming queen. Silvia didn't have a royal background so most likely she was not used to wearing elaborate gowns. The symbolism of the plain dress representing a normal girl paired with the large cameo tiara (another one of my favorite) representing royalty is strong.
 
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Not one of my favourite wedding dresses, this one. Why couldn't she have just let her train trail down the steps as Diana did at her wedding?
 
I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but that dress was awful. Very simpleand bald, it looked like a tent put just over her... :(
 
Today, on their 40th wedding anniversary, the royal court has put a link to the video of the highlights of the king and queen's wedding to their Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Kungahuset

And a photo to court Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG00r45v8lX/?taken-by=kungahuset

Beautiful. I loved watching the wedding again. :flowers: Queen Silvia is such a classy lady. She is a pleasure to watch.

BTW Does anyone know why Silvia did not enter the church with her father? Was it because she was marrying a reigning monarch? I have never thought to ask before, oddly enough, but watching this time it struck me.

It was charming to see the older gentleman - Prince Bertil, I believe - come to the rescue and adjust Silvia's train when she was walking out. :flowers:
 
BTW Does anyone know why Silvia did not enter the church with her father? Was it because she was marrying a reigning monarch? I have never thought to ask before, oddly enough, but watching this time it struck me.

That is tzhe tradition in the swedish protestant Church that the bridal Couple walks in together. Before Victoria's Wedding there was a huge discussion as the Church thought she and Daniel should walk in together. Therefore a compromiss was reached and half the way in the Church Daniel waited for her and they walked the last part together.
 
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:previous: Thank you, Stefan. :flowers: Not anything I had ever noticed before.
 
Beautiful. I loved watching the wedding again. :flowers: Queen Silvia is such a classy lady. She is a pleasure to watch.

BTW Does anyone know why Silvia did not enter the church with her father? Was it because she was marrying a reigning monarch? I have never thought to ask before, oddly enough, but watching this time it struck me.

It was charming to see the older gentleman - Prince Bertil, I believe - come to the rescue and adjust Silvia's train when she was walking out. :flowers:

I agree. It was a lovely ceremony. So funny to see the King try to gently push James Ambler and have him and Amelie Middelschulte walk faster. He has said later that the children walked so slowly that he didn't thought they would reach the altar until the processional music was over but they precisely did :-D

How nice to see Queen Silvias paternal uncle being one of the assisting priests. I also liked that they choosed traditional organ music as processional and ressecional music.

The man in morning dress helping out with the train came from where Silvias brothers sat so i think it was one of them.
 
Not one of my favourite wedding dresses, this one. Why couldn't she have just let her train trail down the steps as Diana did at her wedding?


Like her two daughters, and her daughter in law in recent years. This is not one of my favorites either, as it was very understated for a queenly wedding gown.
 
Still no love for Silvia's wedding dress. But it was so lovely to see the smiles on their faces as they made their way down the aisle. Young Carl Gustaf was a handsome devil, and we can see that Victoria is nearly a clone of her mother.
 
King Carl Gustaf & Silvia Sommerlath - June 19th 1976

OMG I totally forgot it was their 40th anniversary on Sunday! My parents will be married 40 years on August 21st; two months from tomorrow. They don't want a big party like my dad's sister and her husband had for their 40th just about two years ago; they had a sit-down dinner party with all their family and friends at a local Italian restaurant with a then-and-now photo board and a guest book. (Their youngest son's wife is Italian, and they go there all the time.)


Sent from my iPod touch using The Royals Community
 
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I agree. It was a lovely ceremony. So funny to see the King try to gently push James Ambler and have him and Amelie Middelschulte walk faster. He has said later that the children walked so slowly that he didn't thought they would reach the altar until the processional music was over but they precisely did :-D

How nice to see Queen Silvias paternal uncle being one of the assisting priests. I also liked that they choosed traditional organ music as processional and ressecional music.

The man in morning dress helping out with the train came from where Silvias brothers sat so i think it was one of them.

Thank you, Hans-Rickard, for the information. :flowers:
 
For me it was a remarkable wedding. It was as simple and quiet as one could have it, given he was a King and she became a Queen in that moment. The simplicity of her dress was just part of it. Coming out of that doorway, they could have been any couple imo. I love it, every detail. :flowers:
 
I had never watched the ceremony before, I have to admit it, but I have decided to watch the summary video that the royal court uploaded on theri youtube channel. It did seemed as a cute and lovely wedding, but I was left a bit puzzled as to why there wasn't much empathy or many PDA from the couple. I don't know, maybe it was the time and the environment that wasn't so laid back as today, but I was a bit dissappointed. (Not that I had expected a kiss or something, but just some kind of affectionate guestures either coming from CG or Silvia).
 
I think Silvia's wedding dress was beautiful and simple and the bridesmaid's floral crowns were cute, too. Looking at old video clips, it seems that there was a warm atmosphere at the wedding and the public appeared to rather jubilant. I think Silvia also looks almost identical to Victoria in the wedding photos, their resemblance is quite remarkable!
 
I had never watched the ceremony before, I have to admit it, but I have decided to watch the summary video that the royal court uploaded on theri youtube channel. It did seemed as a cute and lovely wedding, but I was left a bit puzzled as to why there wasn't much empathy or many PDA from the couple. I don't know, maybe it was the time and the environment that wasn't so laid back as today, but I was a bit dissappointed. (Not that I had expected a kiss or something, but just some kind of affectionate guestures either coming from CG or Silvia).

I see love shimmering in every glance, especially from Silvia as she says her vows. So beautiful. :flowers: I have been smitten with her since a child. For me she was the one-and-only royal of any note. ;)

Carl Gustav is brusque, it is true. Not quite 'in the moment'. He has always been that, but he is clearly in love with her. Proud of her. Delighted with her. I see it. It's very charming. :flowers:
 
I see love shimmering in every glance, especially from Silvia as she says her vows. So beautiful. :flowers: I have been smitten with her since a child. For me she was the one-and-only royal of any note. ;)

Carl Gustav is brusque, it is true. Not quite 'in the moment'. He has always been that, but he is clearly in love with her. Proud of her. Delighted with her. I see it. It's very charming. :flowers:

I know what you mean, because that's what I see in Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip every time I see them, for example. They have rarely been touching in public, and yet their mutual love shine through nontheless.

But I disagree on Silvia and CG. It's fine, I think it's just a matter of personal feelings or approach at things, but I only saw two people disconnected wth each other-not unhappy- only disconnected and like the wedding was more like a state business than a love union.
 
There's really nothing good I can say about her wedding dress. The dresses of the Swedish royal brides are very dissapponting.
 
Just found out the dress was designed by Dior.Very surprised. The sketch looks way better than the actual dress, which, imo, was awfully plain.
 
One of the wedding gifts, from the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces and the commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/UYMAAOSwtfhYqMla/s-l1600.jpg

Gift from Marcus Wallenberg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/-f8AAOSwax5YqMlk/s-l1600.jpg

A royal wedding mirror.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV8Bu85Da4N/?tagged=kunglig

42 years ago, a gallery from Svensk Damtidning
Se 17 bästa bilderna från kungaparets bröllop! _ Svensk Damtidning

Stella Pictures
https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=203317266e540b4a1b454ebda77eb6b8&oe=5BBCC69A

Grand duke Jean, grand duchess Joséphine-Charlotte and Louis Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten of Burma
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Estelle (countess Estelle Bernadotte) and Carl-Erik Ekstrand
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