Royal Wedding Dresses: The Bad and the Beautiful (PHOTOS)

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While royal and style watchers anticipate the gowns Kate Middleton and Charlene Wittstock will wear for their weddings in 2011, here's a look back at some wedding dresses of princesses and commoner-turned-princesses, with a few queens added for good measure.

These gowns were all one-of-kind creations, and ranged from demure to over-the-top, tasteful to fanciful. As befitting a royal wedding, none were strapless or low-cut. In fact, a few had such high necklines and were so austere that they looked somewhat like nuns' habits - if it weren't for the dazzling tiaras which crowned the ensembles. Then there were a couple, such as Gloria, Princess of Thurn und Taxis, and Clotilde, Princess of Savoy, whose bridal gowns were designed to conceal their pregnancies. Definitely not nun-like.

Valentino created the wedding dresses of both Princess Maxima of the Netherlands and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, and Bruce Oldfield was the man behind Queen Rania of Jordan's gold-embroidered wedding gown. However, most of the current crop of crown princesses patriotically chose their own countrymen (or women) for their wedding day. Letizia, Princess of Asturias wore a gown by Spaniard Manuel Pertegaz, Crown Princess Masako of Japan was in Hanae Mori, Mary of Denmark wed in Uffe Frank, Mathilde of Belgium went with the Belgian designer Edouard Vermeulen, Mette-Marit of Norway's gown was by Norwegian Ove Harder Finseth, and recently in June 2010, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden got married in a dress by Swedish designer Par Engsheden.

British royal brides tend to favor British designers. Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret both wed in Norman Hartnell wedding gowns, Lady Diana chose David and Elizabeth Emmanuel for her controversial but iconic wedding dress, and Sarah Ferguson selected Lindka Cierach. Grace Kelly went from Hollywood princess to real-life princess in a fairy-tale gown by MGM costume designer Helen Rose, which many consider to be the most beautiful royal wedding dress of all time.

Will brides-to-be Kate Middleton, Zara Philips and Charlene Wittstock top some of these show-stopping royal wedding gowns? We'll have to wait and see.

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Princess Maxima of the Netherlands

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Valentino designed Princess Maxima of Netherlands' wedding dress

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Valentino designed Princess Maxima of Netherlands' wedding dress

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HuffPost Blogger Yvonne Yorke said on 2 Sunday 2011 am31 4:24 am: While it's true that Greece is now a republic, the entire Greek royal family have retained their courtesy titles, and they are recognized as royal by all the other royal families. In fact, most of them are related to the Greek royal family. For instance, Queen Sofia of Spain is the sister of (ex) King Constantine of Greece. Queen Margarethe of Denmark is the sister of (ex) Queen Anne Marie of Greece. Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh) is Constantine's nephew which makes the British royal family direct relations as well. They are also cousins to the Swedish royals, and so on.

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Comments

[dovelove]

10:31 AM on 02/25/2011

Diana's was too much flounce and bounce, but probably very representative of that time period. I like that all of them have some sort of sleeves. Strapless is very nice, but it seems to be about the only thing we see in the US anymore, even if the wedding is in the middle of winter.

[JTWallace]

11:46 AM on 02/23/2011

There are some very beautiful photos of famous weddings. Among the most beautiful were Grace Kelly, Victoria of Sweden to name just a couple. The gown of Diana was a bit too Victorian and yes, a bit gaudy but I suppose the very young Diana hadn't yet come into her fashion sense. The simple designs seem to survive as fashion goes through so many changes.

[MTer]

08:17 PM on 02/07/2011

I not only watched the marriage of Princess Diana and Charles on television but a few years ago was able to personally view her wedding dress when it came into town. I did not like her dress when she married and still did not like when I saw it. I admired her so much as a person and was in awe of seeing the collection. It had other dresses as well, some I had seen in film clips. She was so much more stylish before and in her later years. The dress itself was just too much flounce, too much material, too boufant looking. I am American but have always been extremely interested in the pomp and circumstance with the royals.

[dbonedig]

11:11 PM on 02/01/2011

A women, no matter what the accassion wants all the attention on them. This is why a wedding, no matter what the look, is solely purchased, to attend to them. This is the last time, in their life, that anyone will ever care who they are. Unless, you shoot your Parents. Ladies, save your Money, the best a church or their sexual biased preacher can guarantee that the Union will last more than 2 years, is in the 60% range. Marriage is going out! At least when it comes to a Man and a Women. Churches have long been known to harbor the true Homosexuals of the World. Most of the World, are to closed end, to see it! But it is happenning to your children on a weekly basis. This is why churches know teach school. The Soul of a Child can be bent, easely, away from the Birth Parents, and into the Arms of an Waiting Army of Barbaric Winged Thugs. Once the Sixth year comes in a childs life, they have gathered all the information that will make or brake them. After the sixth year, all you are, are the monetary supporters of your childs misguided ways. If you are not involved in every aspect of your Childs Life, until they are 18 Years Old. You are nothing more than Parents with a Child Tax Rabate, from the IRS.

[Karama]

07:43 AM on 01/08/2011

I found this wedding picture of the Shah of Iran and his 2nd wife, Soraya. I remember reading it was by a French Couture House.

http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/shah/shah_01.jpg

[Trudy Trejo]

01:47 PM on 01/05/2011

A nation of free human beings does not recognize any form of royalty or monarchy. This is America. Take your "royals" and send them down the toilet with a royal flush.

[definitive]

01:29 PM on 01/05/2011

I do hope Ms. Yorke clarifies the "controversial" remark regarding Diana's dress. Why was it considered so? I remember there being a bit of hand-wringing when the Queen got married in 1947 as there was a still rationing of material goods and she had a serious amount of silk in that dress, that was paid for by her use of ration cards. (Novel for a Queen, wouldn't you say?) If Diana's very long train and dramatically puffed sleeves were controversial, I fail to see why the use of an extravagant amount of material in 1982 was an issue.

[Yvonne Yorke]

09:37 PM on 01/05/2011

Diana's wedding dress was controversial in the sense that no other royal wedding dress have caused so much discussion and polarizing views - people seemed to either love it or hate it. It was considered either the epitome of a fairytale wedding dress, or an over-wrought meringue concoction.

[Carsy]

11:51 AM on 02/23/2011

1981

[michaleenflynn]

09:55 AM on 01/04/2011

All beautiful, all demure, all ladylike, all elegant.

All things we could do with more of.

[Christine Neeley]

02:49 AM on 01/04/2011

Princess Margaret looked like a true Princess. her Gown has always been my all time favorite

[ABXNOMORE]

09:42 AM on 01/04/2011

She does look lovely. I really like her tiara, too. What's more she carries herself as a princess with lots of self confidence.

[Karama]

07:47 AM on 01/08/2011

Do you know that her tiara was sold at the auction of her belongings? It was bought for a bit under a million dollars.

[jesushammer]

04:57 PM on 01/03/2011

What is up with the Europeans and their 'royalties'. Get them a real job.

[HyperBart]

05:34 PM on 01/03/2011

Agreed, I'm Dutch and all for becoming a Republic as we once were long before other republics came to be (1581–1795).

[Karama]

03:04 AM on 01/04/2011

I didn't know The Netherlands was a republic from 1581-1795! Did a German aristocrat seize power and declared himself king in 1795? I know that your national anthem says in it's first sentence, "I'm of German blood!"

[Karama]

10:33 PM on 01/03/2011

LOL That IS their job, until the people decide otherwise. There are republican movements in all those monarchies.
Did you know that, technically, Australia is a monarchy? We have a monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Yes, the British queen is our monarch. We had a referendum in the past, but the monarchists won, because the republicans couldn't decide how to choose the president!

[quarrelous squirrel]

03:09 PM on 01/03/2011

Diana was perfection personified in that gown. Grace was elegant & would outshine the rest of these
gowns & the ones wearing them if not for Diana, who looked like an artist's ideal of a beautiful
princess. I doubt Kate will even come close - she hasn't got that special 'presence.'

[ABXNOMORE]

08:35 PM on 01/03/2011

Agree X2

[traceymarie]

10:38 PM on 01/03/2011

Her gown was a hideous mess. Norway and sweden were elegant. Diana looked like a disney character

[ABXNOMORE]

11:37 PM on 01/03/2011

That's your opinion and you are entitled to it.

[simplelivingmama]

02:53 PM on 01/03/2011

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway's dress in my top choice. Dianna's dress, although I loved her, is my least favorite.

[Ljilja]

02:21 PM on 01/03/2011

Grace Kelly is the winner.

I don't know if the dress would be the most beautiful one on its own, but Grace Kelly makes it so.

http://graciouslivingdaybyday.com/

[dublin1]

09:29 AM on 01/03/2011

I notice that most of the dresses have sleeves. I love them. They're so beautiful and demure all at the same time. I heard that strapless dresses are for cotillion and ball room dances. I believe these images proove that point. I wish I hadn't worn such a "strappy" dress to my own wedding!

[Amanda Donovan]

11:17 PM on 01/04/2011

its so refreshing! i had 3/4 length lace sleeves on my wedding dress in 2003, and it was IMPOSSIBLE to find. everything was strapless. im so glad i had what i had- it was very vintage. at the shop, they only had three dresses for me to try with arms.

[frieda406]

01:01 AM on 01/03/2011

they all look lovely on their wedding days.