George Boyle
Princess Diana's wedding dress is arguably the most famous in royal history. The ivory silk taffeta gown was designed by husband-and-wife duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel and embellished with antique lace, thousands of hand-embroidered sequins, and 10,000 pearls. The dress was a closely guarded secret until the royal wedding, with the designers going to great lengths to keep the details under wraps. The dress's immense cultural significance makes it priceless, but its estimated value at the time was £9,000 (approximately £28,000 or $48,000 today).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the wedding | 29 July 1981 |
| Designers | David and Elizabeth Emanuel |
| Head Seamstress | Nina Missetzis |
| Fabric | Taffeta, silk, antique lace |
| Colour | Ivory |
| Details | Sequins, frilled lace, 10,000 pearls, 18-carat gold trinket, 25-foot train, 153-yard tulle veil |
| Cost | Estimated £9000 at the time, which would be approximately £28,000 today |
| Current Owners | Princess Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry |
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What You'll Learn
The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel
Princess Diana's wedding dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, a husband-and-wife team. The Emanuels' design studio was inundated with media attention following the announcement that they would be designing the dress. The couple went to great lengths to keep the dress design a secret until the big day, even installing a safe to keep designs and fabric swatches under wraps. Elizabeth Emanuel told the Daily Mail that the excessive amount of fabric made it difficult for Princess Diana to fit into her carriage, which caused the wrinkles on her dress.
The Emanuels' design was an ivory taffeta gown intricately embroidered with sequins, frilled lace, and 10,000 pearls. The gown also featured a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil. The silk tulle veil featured mother-of-pearl sequins, held in place by a diamond tiara owned by the Spencer family. The dress was valued at an estimated $115,000.
The Emanuels' wedding design became a "massive trend in bridal wear", with replicas and designs inspired by it flooding the market. The dress's use of tulle and ruffles marked a departure from the "more conventional, stiff, A-line creations" of the 1950s. The influence of Princess Diana's wedding dress on the bridal world can still be seen today.
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It cost an estimated £9000 at the time
Princess Diana's wedding dress was designed by the husband-and-wife team of David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The ivory taffeta gown was intricately embroidered with sequins, frilled lace, and 10,000 pearls. The dress was valued at an estimated $115,000, which equates to approximately £9000 at the time. When adjusted for inflation, the dress would be worth approximately £28,000 today.
The dress was kept a closely guarded secret until the wedding day, with the designers going to great lengths to ensure that no details were leaked to the public or the press. The dress was created using ivory-coloured silk taffeta, with a heavier weight to give the dress its distinctive shape. The exterior of the dress was made from silk taffeta, while the inner lining was made from slightly coarser ivory-coloured silk. The train, which was 25 feet long, was made from the same silk taffeta as the exterior, with a border of elegant ivory-coloured fine lace. The bodice, train, and foot of the dress were trimmed with beautifully intricate spangled lace, with a segment of the longer strand backed with the silk taffeta material used for the dress.
The dress was designed with large puffed sleeves and a full skirt, a departure from the more conventional, stiff, A-line creations of the 1950s. The silhouette of the dress included Romantic-style full skirts and puffed sleeves with lace flounces on the neckline and cuffs. The veil, also designed by the Emanuels, was made of ivory silk tulle and featured mother-of-pearl sequins, creating a "fairy dust" effect as Diana walked down the aisle. The veil was cathedral-length, measuring 153 yards, and was held in place by the Spencer family tiara, an 18th-century heirloom.
The dress has since become one of the most iconic garments ever worn by a British royal and has had a lasting influence on bridal wear. Replicas and designs inspired by the dress flooded the market, and the Emanuels' use of tulle and ruffles became a massive trend in bridal wear. The dress is now owned by Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, and is considered a priceless relic of one of the most extraordinary lives in recent history.
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The fabric was sourced from British mills
Princess Diana's wedding dress was designed by the husband-and-wife team of David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The ivory taffeta gown was intricately embroidered with sequins, frilled lace, and 10,000 pearls. The fabric for the dress was sourced from British mills, with the antique lace being her "something old". The gown also included a square of Carrickmacross lace that once belonged to Queen Mary. This fabric was either found in a bag of scraps or donated by the Royal School of Needlework.
The silk taffeta used for the exterior of the dress was created in a heavy weight to give the dress its distinctive shape. Britain's oldest silk-weaving company, Stephen Walters, wove the taffeta. The company also created the lining for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation gown and Princess Anne's wedding dress. The ivory-coloured silk used for the inner lining of the dress was slightly coarser than the silk taffeta used for the exterior.
The fabric for Princess Diana's wedding dress was sourced from various British mills and suppliers. The silk taffeta used for the exterior and interior of the dress was provided by Stephen Walters, while the antique lace for the "something old" tradition came from a British silk farm. The square of Carrickmacross lace that once belonged to Queen Mary may have come from the Royal School of Needlework.
The intricate spangled lace used to trim the bodice, train, and foot of the dress was likely sourced from a British mill, as it matches the description of the fabric used for the rest of the dress. The ivory-coloured fine lace used for the train's border and the lace used for Princess Diana's wedding shoes may have also come from British mills, as they match the colour and style of the other fabrics used in the ensemble.
The fabric used for Princess Diana's wedding dress was sourced from British mills and suppliers, with each piece playing a significant role in the overall design and symbolism of the gown. The use of British-sourced fabric not only adhered to royal tradition but also contributed to the cultural significance and value of the dress.
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It featured a 25-foot train and cathedral-length veil
Princess Diana's wedding dress, designed by the husband-and-wife team of David and Elizabeth Emanuel, is arguably the most famous wedding dress in royal history. The ivory taffeta gown was intricately embroidered with sequins, frilled lace, and 10,000 pearls. The dress, valued at an estimated $115,000, featured a 25-foot train and a cathedral-length veil, the longest ever worn at a royal wedding.
The train and veil were made from ivory-coloured silk taffeta and fine lace. The lace, which was used to trim the bodice, train, and foot of the dress, featured a three-petal floral pattern. The veil was made of ivory silk tulle and featured mother-of-pearl sequins, which were almost transparent, creating a fairy dust effect as Diana walked down the aisle.
The 25-foot train was a dramatic feature of the gown, and Diana had requested that it be extended. It was so long that it had to be unravelled during the final fitting at Buckingham Palace, as the showroom at the Emanuel's studio was too small. The train, along with the excessive amount of fabric used in the dress, caused Diana to be stuffed into her carriage on the way to St. Paul's Cathedral, and the folding of the fabric resulted in wrinkles on the dress.
The cathedral-length veil, attached to Diana's tiara, was 153 yards long and truly made the ensemble worthy of a princess. The veil, like the train, featured mother-of-pearl sequins, which sparkled in the light. The combination of the 25-foot train and the cathedral-length veil created a theatrical and dramatic look for Princess Diana's wedding, adding to the fairy-tale character of the event.
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The dress is now owned by her sons
Princess Diana's wedding dress is one of the most iconic garments ever worn by a British royal. Designed by husband-and-wife team David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the ivory taffeta gown was intricately embroidered with sequins, frilled lace, and 10,000 pearls. The dress, valued at an estimated $115,000, sparked multiple copycat dresses and set a new trend in bridal wear.
Today, Princess Diana's wedding dress is owned by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The dress was previously displayed at Althorp House, where Princess Diana is buried, until it was loaned to Kensington Palace in 2021 as part of a royal fashion exhibit, "Royal Style in the Making".
The late princess's wedding ensemble is known as one of the most trendsetting and iconic bridal dresses of all time. The world wanted to catch a glimpse of Princess Diana's awe-inspiring wedding dress, and the media was all over the Emanuels' design studio following the announcement that they would be in charge of creating it. The couple went to great lengths to keep the design a secret, even installing shutters on their windows and putting the wrong colour threads in the bins to throw off reporters.
In addition to the dress, Princess Diana's wedding shoes were also a glamorous addition to her ensemble. The hand-made ivory silk slippers were adorned with 542 sequins and 132 pearls, centred around a heart-shaped design. The hand-painted arch soles bore the initials 'C' and 'D', for Charles and Diana, and featured a kitten heel. These incredibly detailed shoes took cobbler Clive Shilton about six months to create.
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Frequently asked questions
Princess Diana's wedding dress cost an estimated £9,000 at the time. Adjusted for inflation, it would be worth approximately £28,000 today.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was designed by the husband-and-wife team, David and Elizabeth Emanuel.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was an ivory silk taffeta gown embellished with antique lace, thousands of hand-embroidered sequins, and pearls. The fabric was sourced from British mills, with the antique lace being her "something old".
Princess Diana's wedding dress was displayed at Althorp House, where she is buried, until 2014. The dress is now owned by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who loaned it to Kensington Palace in 2021 for a royal fashion exhibit.
