Deborah Chan
Princess Diana's wedding dress is one of the most famous dresses in the world, but it was also wrinkled. The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel and was made of ivory silk taffeta and antique lace with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil. The dress was so large that Princess Diana had to be stuffed into her carriage, which caused the wrinkles. The designers had done a rehearsal, but they had not accounted for the presence of Princess Diana's father, Earl Spencer, who was a large man. Despite the wrinkles, Princess Diana's wedding dress is still considered iconic and set trends for wedding dresses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for wrinkles | The dress had an excessive amount of fabric, which made it difficult for Princess Diana to fit into the carriage. The fabric had to be folded over and over again, causing the wrinkles. |
| Weight loss | Princess Diana lost a considerable amount of weight before her wedding, which required alterations to the dress. |
| Stained dress | Princess Diana spilled perfume on her dress while getting ready. |
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What You'll Learn
The dress was stuffed into the carriage
Princess Diana's wedding dress was an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil. The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who described it as a dress that "had to be something that was going to go down in history".
The dress was so large that it had to be stuffed into the carriage, which caused it to become wrinkled. Elizabeth Emanuel, one of the designers of the dress, said that they had done a dress rehearsal before the big day, but they had used a different material, so fewer creases accumulated then. She also said that they hadn't accounted for Diana's father, Earl Spencer, who was in the carriage with her and was "quite a large man".
The excessive amount of fabric made it difficult for Princess Diana to fit in the carriage. The fabric had to be folded over and over to fit her into the carriage, which caused the wrinkles on her dress. The wrinkles were visible when she arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral for the ceremony.
Despite the wrinkles, Elizabeth Emanuel said that Princess Diana still looked beautiful: "When she came out of that carriage, it was the most wonderful vision I'd ever seen. She looked like a butterfly emerging from her chrysalis, unfurling her wings and about to fly. It was so romantic. Oddly, the imperfections seemed to make her even more beautiful."
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Princess Diana lost weight before the wedding
Princess Diana's wedding dress was one of the most famous dresses in the world. The ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil, was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The dress was a closely guarded secret until the big day.
Princess Diana lost a significant amount of weight before her wedding. She went from a size 26-27 inch waist to a 23-inch waist, dropping from a dress size 14 to a size 10. This weight loss was due to her struggle with bulimia. The seamstress was concerned about this drastic weight loss as it meant that alterations had to be made to the dress, and there were fears that it might not fit as it should.
The excessive amount of fabric on the dress made it difficult for Princess Diana to fit into her carriage on the way to the ceremony. The fabric had to be folded over and over again to fit her into the carriage, which caused the wrinkles on her dress. Elizabeth Emanuel, one of the designers, said that she felt horrified and faint when she saw the number of creases on the gown.
Princess Diana also had another wardrobe malfunction on her wedding day. She accidentally spilled perfume on her dress while getting ready. To hide the stain, she placed her hand over the spot as she walked down the aisle.
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The dress was made from ivory silk taffeta
Princess Diana's wedding dress was an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, valued at the time at £9,000 (equivalent to $43,573 in 2023). The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who described it as a dress that "had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved". The Emanuels worked with Maureen Baker, who had made the first wedding dress of Princess Anne, during the construction of the gown. The woven silk taffeta was made by Stephen Walters of Suffolk.
The ivory silk taffeta gown was intricately embroidered with sequins, frilled lace, and 10,000 pearls, and was valued at an estimated $115,000. The dress was designed with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil connected to Diana's tiara. The gown was also decorated with hand embroidery, centering on a heart motif.
The dress was kept a closely guarded secret before the wedding, and security guards protected the garment while it was being made. At the end of each day, the dress was locked in a safe. Princess Diana also had a backup dress in case something went wrong with the original, or in case its design was revealed before the wedding day. The backup dress was made of pale ivory silk taffeta with embroidered scalloped details on the hem and sleeves, and pearls sewn on the bodice.
The wrinkles on Princess Diana's wedding dress were caused by the excessive amount of fabric, which made it difficult for her to fit in the carriage that brought her to the ceremony. Elizabeth Emanuel, one of the dress designers, said that they had done a dress rehearsal before the big day, but they had used a different material, so fewer creases accumulated then.
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The dress was a closely guarded secret
Princess Diana's wedding dress was one of the most closely guarded secrets in fashion history. The late princess personally selected the husband-and-wife designer duo, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, to create her wedding gown. The Emanuels described the dress as something that "had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved" and would be "suitably dramatic in order to make an impression".
The Emanuels went to great lengths to ensure that the dress remained a complete surprise. Security guards protected the garment while they worked, and at the end of each day, it was locked away in a safe. In fact, the dress was such a closely guarded secret that even the spare dress, which would have been used if the design of the original had been leaked, has gone missing. Elizabeth Emanuel stated that she does not know where the backup dress is stored, saying, "It just disappeared".
The dress was so large that Princess Diana had to be stuffed into her carriage on the way to St. Paul's Cathedral, which caused the excessive wrinkling on the dress. Elizabeth Emanuel admitted that she was horrified by the number of creases, saying, "We did know it would crease a bit, but when I saw her arrive at St. Paul’s, and we saw the creasing, I actually felt faint… It was a lot more than we thought."
The dress was an ivory taffeta gown with intricate embroidery, featuring sequins, frilled lace, and 10,000 pearls. It was valued at an estimated $115,000. The gown also had a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil connected to her tiara. Princess Diana's wedding dress has gone down in history as one of the most famous dresses in the world, setting wedding fashion trends and sparking multiple copycat dresses.
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The dress was stained with perfume
Princess Diana's wedding dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who described it as a dress that "had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved." The Emanuels had to make several alterations to the dress as Diana lost a lot of weight before her wedding day, going from a 26/27-inch waist to a 23-inch waist. The final version of the dress was an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil. It was valued at the time at £9,000 (equivalent to $43,573 in 2023).
The dress was kept a closely guarded secret until Diana's wedding day, and the designers even created a backup dress in case the original was revealed or damaged before the wedding. Unfortunately, Diana did stain the original dress with perfume on her wedding day. According to her makeup artist, Barbara Daly, Diana accidentally spilled some Quelques Fleurs perfume by Houbigant on her dress while trying to apply it to her wrists. Daly advised her to hold the stained spot as she walked down the aisle to make it seem like she was lifting her dress, effectively covering the stain. Luckily, no one seemed to notice the stain, and photos of the dress have helped to keep it an iconic and influential piece even decades after the wedding.
Elizabeth Emanuel recalled feeling "horrified" and even "faint" when she saw the creases on Diana's dress upon her arrival at St. Paul's Cathedral. The creases were caused by the excessive amount of fabric, which made it difficult for Diana to fit in her carriage, and the dress had to be folded over and over again. The wrinkles were especially unfortunate given the designers' efforts to prepare for any mishaps, including the creation of the backup dress.
Despite the last-minute stain, Princess Diana's wedding dress remains one of the most famous and influential dresses in history. It set wedding fashion trends, with large puffed sleeves, full skirts, and "soft touch fabrics" becoming popular requests after the wedding. Copies of the dress were available within hours of the wedding, and it is still considered a "gold standard" in wedding fashion.
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Frequently asked questions
Princess Diana's wedding dress was wrinkled because it was difficult to fit the excessive amount of fabric in the carriage she rode in to the ceremony. The dress had to be stuffed into the carriage, which caused the wrinkles. The dress's 25-foot train also posed problems, as it was too long for the carriage and got crushed.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was designed by the husband-and-wife team of David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Diana personally selected them because she was fond of a chiffon blouse they designed for her formal photo session with Lord Snowdon.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, valued at the time at £9,000 (equivalent to $43,573 in 2023). The dress was embroidered with 10,000 pearls and featured a 153-yard tulle veil connected to her tiara.
