Princess Diana Wedding Dress Exhibit Debuts In Minnesota's Mall Of America (PHOTOS)

The Princess Diana wedding dress has finally gone up in the Mall of America -- but don't worry, it's not for sale.

That famous David and Elizabeth Emanuel-designed gown, which features 10,000 mother-of-pearl sequins and pearls and a 25-foot train, debuts as part of the "Diana: A Celebration" exhibit in Bloomington, Minn., which will run from Feb. 4 through June 10. The voluminous dress arrived at the mall on Wednesday, where handlers took care to steam the long train and you know, not rip it or anything.

FYI, Di also had a backup wedding gown in case the design of the first one had leaked.

In addition to the poufy bridal gown from Diana's 1981 wedding to Prince Charles, the traveling exhibit includes 28 of Diana's designer dresses (hopefully including some of these!), family heirlooms and personal keepsakes like home movies and photos.

Lady Di would have been proud.

Check out pics below of the dress being carefully unveiled below! If you're in the Minnesota area, click over to CBS to find out how to score tickets to see the Diana exhibit in person.

PHOTOS:

Comments

[dlwunsch]

10:34 AM on 03/17/2013

I had the privilege of seeing this dress, and others, in person when this exhibit was near me. This dress looks better in person than in the photos, and the beadwork on it is absolutely stunning and on its own is worth the price of admission. As someone who sews, I remember looking at it from a lot of different angles, and taking in the detail that went in to the making of it. Diana was beautiful, and she was the only one who could have carried it off. As I remember it, the proceeds from THIS particular exhibit benefit the charities supported by Diana; I feel fortunate to have seen this particular exhibit, and encourage others to see it also if given the chance. The exhibit is owned by Althorp, which is her family estate.

[Laurie McNeil]

08:46 AM on 03/14/2012

Does anyone one know who owns these dresses and who is benefiting from the proceeds generated by their tour of the US? Is it Lady Di's charities?

[dlwunsch]

10:36 AM on 03/17/2013

I believe that her charities do benefit from it. If the exhibit makes a stop near you, take the time to go and see it.

[jantuoferm]

11:16 PM on 02/06/2012

That dress was ugly then and it's ugly now.

[emlr]

01:08 PM on 02/05/2012

It's ironic that this beautiful lady who would become one of the best dressed women of her time would choose this gawd awful dress to be married in
1

[jimmybr]

06:20 PM on 02/06/2012

Even at the time, the commentators were pointing out that the dress was made "big" so that Diana would be seen in such a vast cathedral - thus big sleeves, big train...

[MamaBird62]

06:16 PM on 02/04/2012

This dress was more a costume than a wedding dress. Something you'd expect to see on stage, with exaggerated details that would show from afar. And Lady Diana wearing it was the consummate actress on her wedding day.

[DCpuppets]

02:16 PM on 02/04/2012

I always thought that dress was a hideous choice for the lovely Diana.

[lensamy]

12:49 PM on 02/04/2012

Only lady D was able to rocked that dress, the style is a bit iffy for my taste but she did look good in it.

[PrunellaC]

12:34 AM on 02/04/2012

I'm on an email loop that shares an interest in royalty. I've been on the loop for 12 years and it existed some years prior to that. We've been discussing the dress all over again. The consensus on our loop is that however beautifully it was made, they style is just...awful. I've said before that the style is fine if you're a 12 year old milkmaid with a Laura Ashley fetish.

The contrast with Kate's dress couldn't be more stark.

[ABXNOMORE]

01:49 PM on 02/04/2012

True, Diana is very young and looks girlish, soft, feminine, glowing and radiant--a picture perfect bride for the times, over 30 years ago. Kate looks harsh and overly made up. Nothing soft, or delicate about her appearance.

Diana's dress was in keeping with a historical Victorian design and was perfect for the very feminine young girl that she was. Better not to compare. Two different women of entirely different backgrounds, appearances and generations. However, she never looked like a Milkmaid. I'm yet to see one wear such a lovely sierra and while Laura Ashley may see way out- of -date now, it was a very popular look in the 80's. Remember, it was the 80's and the 20th century.

[PrunellaC]

02:18 PM on 02/04/2012

Don't you think comparisons are inevitable?

[ski55118]

09:44 PM on 03/16/2013

I'm glad to see there is someone out there that understands why Lady Di wore the dress that she did and reminded people of the "times". She was after all under the control of the Queen at the time.

[Hermione1973]

05:26 PM on 02/04/2012

The style definitely is dated. But for the person she was at the time, it was perfect. My fashion tastes certainly changed from the time I was 19 or 20 to when I got married at 32, and hers became more sleek as she got older. She was a very naive 20, and that whole time in fashion was becoming more about romance after the menswear/Annie Hall look of the 1970s. In the early 80s, that whole big skirt/puffy sleeves/frilly lace look was a hallmark of the Emanuels, who designed Diana's dress. (Diana's gown actually looked very much like some designs from one of their recent lines in that time period). Kate had much more time to develop her own style during her 20s. Kate's dress hit the perfect note of being timeless, elegant and suitable for such a grand occasion. Though I do wish it had looked a bit more original because it followed the design of Grace Kelly's wedding gown a little too closely, but that's just a minor quibble. It was a beautiful gown.

[chuckleatlibs]

09:21 PM on 02/03/2012

Boy, that dress certainly didn't pass the test of time. Eek!

[schatsie]

09:02 PM on 02/03/2012

Who in the sam hill needs 10,000 mother of pearl sequins and pearls and a 25 foot train....Thank God for Kate Middleton....

[ChiaBaby]

07:13 PM on 02/04/2012

I didn't like Kate's dress (apparently I am the only one). I haven't seen her in an outfit that I would want to wear.

[GracieGiraffe]

08:42 AM on 02/03/2012

I've heard that the dress has healing powers....

[agness nutter]

05:51 PM on 02/03/2012

Is it true his Loathsome Lordship hawks vials of holy water from the Diana Fountain from his online giftshop/dating service?

[GracieGiraffe]

11:23 PM on 02/03/2012

Yes, when he's not behaving like his Daddy....

[Rozanna]

08:41 AM on 02/03/2012

Beautiful IMO.

[trumbull desi]

07:31 PM on 02/03/2012

I have to admit, I've never really cared for it. It always looks wrinkled to me. But different strokes for different folks.

[topkatnc]

06:54 AM on 02/03/2012

If only .

[agness nutter]

05:07 AM on 02/03/2012

What an absolutely PERFECT setting for that dress to be displayed.

[GracieGiraffe]

08:30 AM on 02/03/2012

Hahahahahaha! So true, Agness, so true....

[Kellybelle22]

03:15 PM on 02/03/2012

Its display location has been one of the ideas that has entertained the back of my mind since first reading this location. I wondered if its mall tour had Diana turning over in her grave, but then I realized that she would probably have thought the whole situation immensely funny and be doubled over with laughter.

[Hermione1973]

05:28 PM on 02/04/2012

If she was here in the States at the time of the exhibit, I bet she would have tried to sneak in for a peek and a giggle.

[Rae48]

03:20 AM on 02/03/2012

That dress is a train wreck and Diana's beauty couldn't even help it.