Breaking Down Every Detail on Princess Diana's Iconic Wedding Dress (2024)

Talk about making an entrance. Princess Diana had to be stuffed into her carriage on the way to St. Paul's Cathedral, as the excessive amount of fabric made it difficult for her to fit in the coach. Folding the fabric over and over to fit Diana into the carriage was what caused the wrinkles on her dress, designer Elizabeth Emanuel told the Daily Mail.

Her antique lace gown—the "something old"—was made with a fabric specially spun at a British silk farm, and a small blue bow was sewn into the waistband. For the final bit of the tradition, Diana wore the Spencer family tiara, an 18th century-era heirloom.

There is a very special square of Carrickmacross lace attached to Princess Diana's gown that once belonged to Queen Mary. Depending on the source, the square of fabric was either found in a bag of scraps or a donation from the Royal School of Needlework. Either way, it connected Diana to royal history.

Princess Diana lost a considerable amount of weight before the big day, which meant some alterations were in order before she could be stitched into the final version of her dress on the day of the wedding. “She ended up with a 23-inch waist from a 26 to 27-inch,” designer Elizabeth Emanuel told People.

As a good luck charm, the designers of Princess Diana's dress attached an 18-carat gold trinket studded with white diamonds to the label. While it wasn't visible in photographs or even to anyone near Diana at the ceremony, the horseshoe-shaped token was a sweet addition to an already extravagant gown.

One of the most impressive parts of Princess Diana's gown is the 25-foot train. Even more amazing, though, was the 153-yard tulle veil connected to her tiara that truly made the ensemble feel worthy of a princess.

A hidden accessory beneath her extravagant gown, Princess Diana's silk shoes were a glamorous addition, covered in 542 sequins and 132 pearls, according to Daily Mail. While the heels themselves remained low to the ground, the arch of each shoe included the initials C and D—for Charles and Diana.

The Emanuels were more than prepared for Diana's big day, even going so far as to design and create an umbrella with matching pearls and lace embroidery in case of rain. "It was made of such light material that it certainly wasn't waterproof," Elizabeth Emanuel told Daily Mail. "It wouldn't have done her much good!"

As it goes, wedding mishaps even happen to royals. On the day of her wedding, Princess Diana accidentally spilled some Quelques Fleurs perfume on her dress, her makeup artist Barbara Daly revealed in Diana: The Portrait. Diana was quick to tuck the front of her dress in, though, effectively hiding the stain.

The media was all over the Emanuels' design studio following the announcement that they would be in charge of Princess Diana's dress. The couple went to great lengths to keep details about the gown a secret until the day of, even installing a safe to keep designs and fabric swatches. “It sounds a bit over-the-top, but it really did seem like people would go to any lengths to find out what the dress looked like,” Elizabeth explained, according to MetDaan.

In 2005, an auction claimed to have a spare copy of the original gown up for grabs, according to CBS News. While the Emanuels insisted they never created a duplicate of the dress, they did reveal that there was an alternate dress created with a much more pronounced V-neckline and no lace, meant to be used in the event that her original dress design leaked. The second dress, however, mysteriously vanished from the studio.

Since its original unveiling in 1981, Princess Diana's dress has made appearances all over the world. In 2014, as stipulated in Princess Diana's will, the dress was passed down to her sons Prince William and Prince Harry after Harry's 30th birthday, according to People.