One of history’s most enduring fashion moments is Lady Diana Spencer’s bridal dress. While many were mesmerised by the dramatic gown, it might surprise you to learn that not everyone liked the bride’s final appearance on her wedding day.
On July 29, 1981, Diana, then 20 years old, exited her carriage at St. Paul’s Cathedral wearing a dress by Elizabeth and David Emanuel made of ivory silk taffeta and antique lace. However, they weren’t pleased with the final result.
The creation of the dress had taken months, and the makers had taken great care to keep the design a secret. But after the movie was over, Elizabeth acknowledged feeling “faint” when she saw Diana.
The dress reportedly cost around £9,000 and had over 10,000 pearls in total, six different fabrics, and traditional puffed-up sleeves.
150 yards of netting, 100 yards of tulle crinoline, and 25 yards of silk organza were used to create the veil. A 25-foot hand-embroidered silk procession then came after it.
However, after seeing Diana at the church and noticing how wrinkled her dress had become, the designers were “horrified.”
Elizabeth acknowledged that she “felt faint” when she saw Diana in her wedding dress during an interview on ITV’s Invitation to the Royal Wedding in 2018.
We were aware that it would wrinkle a little, but I genuinely felt dizzy when I saw her arrive at St. Paul’s and noticed the creasing.
I was truly appalled because there was a lot of creasing. It was much more than we anticipated.
