We didn’t know who created Meghan Markle’s wedding dress until she walked down the aisle of St George’s Chapel on Saturday to tie the knot with Prince Harry. However, we can rest assured that her dress will be a source of inspiration for the wedding trends for the years to come. If the past is a source, Markle, like the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, has scrutinized the dresses worn by royals of the past before deciding on her dress.
Some have said that Markle could not wear white since she’s divorced (she had a marriage to actor and producer Trevor Engelson until 2013). However, the custom of wearing white at the altar has never been a standard of wedding dress. In the late nineteenth century, the color white – which was the color to mourn for French royals – was not often observed. Black was the preferred color among Scandinavian brides.
An important precedent was established in the choice of white as the color of Queen Victoria for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. The Queen chose this pure color to show thriftiness and did not want to appear extravagant before her British guests. The Queen did, however, prohibit anyone else from wearing white at her wedding. She also she had the design for her gown destroyed so that it could not be replicated.
Her choice to wear a wreath of orange blossoms and a tulle veil over traditional bonnets has created an interest in fashion that has continued until today.
Royal weddings have produced one of the most memorable bridal experiences. The Queen Mother got married to George VI in 1923. George VI, in 1923, wore an elegant wedding dress similar to the time when Chanel created unstructured wedding dresses as fashion. The 1930s saw a lot of weddings that were second marriages resulting from the horrors of the war in the First World, and it led to a change in the traditional wedding dress.
Most famous was the infamous ceremony of the Duke of Windsor to the couple who had twice divorced, American Wallis Simpson. To match the sad time, Wallis had a plain blue dress by Mainbocher, who was the designer of her clothes. It was among the top sought-after garments of the time.
In the wake of austerity measures after the war, material for wedding dresses was in short supply in the 1940s. Innovative solutions were sought using parachute fabrics, or the more substantial silk used to protect the items taken from military aircraft were reused to create bridal gowns.
Ration coupons for a queen
Even then-Princess Elizabeth was forced to use clothing coupons for rations to purchase the duchess satin heavy of her wedding dress in 1946. The British government granted the princess an additional 200 coupons as her dress was considered to be an investment of the nation and one of the products of its time. The train symbolized revival, optimism and growth during the time that followed the end of World War.
Kate Middleton’s wedding dress of 2011 was designed by Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen. It was a 1950s-style gown composed of satin gazar, organza, and lace, which was tucked into the waistline with a full skirt that was designed to look like an opening floral arrangement.
The dress was based on the famous gown Grace Kelly wore for her 1956 wedding to Prince Rainer III of Monaco. The dress was created by Helen Rose, a costume designer from the department of wardrobe of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. the gown was made of taffeta and adorned with 125-year-old lacing. It was adorned with three petticoats: an edging one as well as a ruffled and an edging Petticoat.
