Who See the Wedding Dress Before the Wedding?

[Lady Felicity M]

There's something that has been bugging me for a while as I look at all the royal weddings and that is do other royals know what the wedding dress or bridal party dresses look like as the Royals don't look at all suprised by what htye see, some don't really show any emotion at all. At Victoria's wedding there was no reall wow looks on thier faces just meh looks, sure there were a few wispers here and there but nothing to outstanding.

Like Maxima, Mathilde and Mette Marit, see Victoria's dress before the wedding?

[jonc93]

My theory for Victoria's wedding was, all the royal guests were downstairs in some informal brunch reception while waiting to walk to the church and Victoria was prob upstairs and probably allowed the royal ladies to come up and keep her company. And if not all the young royal ladies at least the ones whose kids were in the Bridal Party. Now that's just what I think, we will really never know unless we ask her.

[Maura724]

My guess would be that it's pretty much like a normal wedding with a normal family, in this respect. I have a good friend who is getting married this summer, and she has shown all of her female friends and relatives at least a picture of her dress. I wouldn't be surprised if Victoria had done the same. The day of the wedding, all of us bridesmaids will be with her while she's getting dressed, as will important relatives like her mom, grandma, closest aunt, etc. I would expect it to be the same for Victoria...only she might invite even more people up to see her before the wedding, as jonc93 suggested, in order to get some brief family time that she wouldn't have much opportunity for at the huge ball that evening.

Of course, it's entirely possible that no one had seen anything. There was nothing that unusual about her dress, so I wouldn't have expected anyone to fall out of their chair with shock if they hadn't seen it. But I bet at least a sketch or photo of Victoria's dress had made the rounds of the royal emails, like my friend's dress is currently doing.

[Lady Felicity M]

I agree with the 2 of you, it was a big day so she might have invited some of the ladies to come see the dress before the walk down the isle. When I got married I didn't let anyone see the dress, the only people that saw it was my bridemaids and my most important family members, everyone knew what veil Iwas wearing but that was it, nothing else.

[nascarlucy]

When a couple of my friends got married, I saw the dress before they got married. I wasn't in the bridal party but went in to talk to them before the wedding. One friend I traveled quite a distance to see her and hadn't seen her dress. She had told me about it but I couldn't picture it until I saw it.

Some people like a lot of people to be with them before they walk down the aisle. Some people want it more quiet. I guess it would depend on the royals preference.

[Jacknch]

I imagaine that only Queen Silvia and Princess Madeleine saw the dress before the wedding. To ordinary folk, a royal wedding dress is a huge surprise and will draw gasps if admiration. Most of the royal folk will have already worn equally sumptuous gowns and so the surprise element we experience is more subdued. Also, royals are not given to great emotional surprise in public, but I am quite sure that at the reception, all the royal ladies will have buzzed around Victoria and complimented her on how she looked.

[Lady Felicity M]

True Jachnch. I actually like the whole the brides use the same veil and its pasted down to generation to generation. I wore my mothers veil at my wedding, it was something old and classic, I told everyone that I was wearing it and I think some of them sort of guested the style of the dress from that. Nascarlucy I like your reply, at my friends weddings most of thier close friends came in and took a sneak peak at the bride or hung around, my sisters it was just her bridesmaids and my mum that stayed at mine I had my bridesmaids and a few close friends hang around, it got a little stressful so I was like if you don't need to be here then don't be!

I did see in some of the reception videos espcially after the dance and you can see Victoria walking to some of the ladies to have a chat tha they were complementing on each other such as Sophie of Wessex

[Catherine Helvin]

The Queen Mother saw Diana in her wedding dress before she left for St Paul's Cathedral.