Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's Wedding Day

One last look back before we turn our attention to our televisions for William and Kate Middleton's wedding.  This time, the wedding day of Elizabeth and Albert, better known as the Queen Mother and King George VI.

Date:  26 April 1923
Place:  Westminster Abbey, London
Event:  Wedding of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Prince Albert (later King George VI)

Elizabeth's dress was designed by Madame Handley Seymour and is often looked back upon as dowdy and unfashionable. However, the dress was quite fashionable for the time but simply did not suit the bride's figure.

The dress was made of silk, ivory moire with a drop-waist and square-neck. Elizabeth wore a veil made of Flanders lace, borrowed from her mother-in-law and worn low over the brow in imitation of cloche hats that were en vogue.

The wedding was held in Westminster Abbey--the first royal wedding to happen in the Abbey in over 500 years. Elizabeth spontaneously laid her bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in the Abbey as she walked down the aisle. Thus, in the official portraits afterward, she is holding no bouquet. We may see Kate Middleton lay her bouquet at the tomb tomorrow.

With the recent success of The King's Speech, interest has been high in Elizabeth. Her wedding dress never seems to inspire any kind sentiments. By the late 1930s, when she became Queen, she had found a style that suited her much better with the creations of Norman Hartnell (who eventually created both of her daughters' wedding dresses).

Now--stay tuned to Fashionably Royal for a look at the fashions from Kate and William's wedding!

Queen Victoria's Wedding Day

Today, on the last day of being single for Kate Middleton and Prince William, we examine the grandmother of weddings--that of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Date:  10 February 1840
Place:  Chapel Royal, St. James Palace, London
Event:  Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Victoria became queen less than a month after turning 18 years old in 1837.  As long as she remained unmarried, she was obliged to live with her mother with whom she had a strained relationship.  So, it was two and a half years after her ascension that she married her German first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony.

Queen Victoria's wedding is most notable for setting a trend in wedding dresses; specifically, she chose to wear white and it sparked a craze that remains today. Before, most wedding dresses were expected to be practical and worn again, thus white was an unlikely choice because it was difficult to keep clean. You can bet your boots that Kate Middleton will be wearing white on Friday, and she can thank Victoria for that.

Victoria's dress was made of yards of satin and complemented by a veil made of ornate Honiton lace.  Honiton lace was also used to trim her neckline and sleeves.  The English town of Honiton had been known as a center of lace-making since the middle ages.  Additionally, she wore a massive diamond necklace and earrings.  Nestled at the center of her bosom was a sapphire brooch gifted to her by Prince Albert.

It is not known exactly who created her dress, but her shoes were created by Gundry and Sons, a London-based cobbler.

Around her head, Victoria wore a crown of orange blossoms as dramatized here in the film The Young Victoria (2009; quite a visually and dramatically worthy film if you are interested in this time period). It is said that Albert also chose the orange blossoms for his bride.

Stay tuned to Fashionably Royal for more wedding fashions in celebration of the big wedding tomorrow!