Meanings of Royal Wedding Dresses

Before Friday morning, bride-to-be Kate Middleton has successfully kept the design of her wedding dress in secret that turns her gown into the biggest mystery. Through history of British royal, wedding dresses always contain hidden meaning for each design.

Springtime for Britain and Royalty

For the postwar of Britain, the royal wedding dress of Queen Elizabeth II in her marriage to her husband Philip Mountbatten is of extreme importance. When Britain had not recovered from human and economic lost after the World War II, royal wedding dress designer Hartnell specially made this gown as inspiration from Botticelli painting "Allegory of Spring" with crystals and 10,000 seed pearls. The embedded message behind this silk and embroidered gown was the promise for a bright future to come.

Future Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip in their wedding

Royal Wedding as Public Pageant

Princess Beatrice was the first royal bride to have wedding snapshot. In earlier time, royal weddings were still of private affair. Thanks to the advance in print media and photography, wedding photos were captured and widely publicized.

Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg in their 1885 wedding

Last in a Royal Line

Princess Charlotte, the only child of King George IV, wore the last wedding dress made of precious materials.

Princess Charlotte’s wedding dress

Once More Into the Bleach

During the 19th century, white wedding dress became popular for not only European’s royal families but other classes in society as well. In the wedding to King George V in 1893, Teck's Princess Mary wore a gown which was made totally with gold and silver textiles. The famous wedding dress represented Britain's wealth and power.

Princess Mary of Teck's royal wedding dress

Nice Century for a White Wedding

Before Queen Victoria’s wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, red velvet robes and ermine were the must-wear traditional colors in wedding ceremony. However, Queen Victoria wanted her marriage to be a totally personal event, so she refused the royal protocol and donned in a white dress.

Queen Victoria’s wedding to Prince Albert in 1840

Power Couple

Prince Philip of Spain and Queen Mary I of England married two days after they first met in 1554. The couple wore wedding dresses made of silver textiles and precious gold. These dresses represented for dignity of their nation.

Prince Philip of Spain and Queen Mary I of England