Cotton Lace Overlay

Wedding Dress Tradition And Queen Elizabeth's Love

Wedding dresses are more often than naught, the center piece to most weddings. With that being the case, can you imagine if that wedding was a royal one? We often think of beautiful gowns made from the finest of materials. That hasn't always been the case. Sometimes it's the love affair that overshadows the dress. That was evident in the love between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Queen Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, were distant cousins that met each other when the Queen was just a 13-year old princess. It was known that Elizabeth was completely smitten with Philip and therefore, not only were they cousins, but also became good friends as evidenced from their letters to each other. Although they had a very long courtship, the couple finally decided to get engaged in 1946, but chose to keep it a secret.

Throughout their courtship, Queen Elizabeth and Philip had a number of things pulling at their relationship. Often royalty married other royalty, whether they were related or not. However, a couple of strikes against Philip was that he was not a wealthy man, as well as he was Greek Orthodox.

Regardless, the thing that brought the most hardship to the couple was that Elizabeth's mother did not want her to marry Philip. The reason she was so against their impending marriage, was that back in 1946 England had just come out of World War II and even though Philip was not German himself, he did spend some of his school years in Germany. In addition, the word was that Philip's three sisters had married German Noblemen, in which led others to believe he had some Nazi ties.

Despite her mother's disapproval, their engagement alfred angelo ct was announced publicly on July 9, 1947. The wedding took place just four months later on November 20, 1947. Although the war was over, it still caused some problems for the wedding. Elizabeth was eventually allowed to marry Philip; however his German relatives were not allowed to attend the ceremony.

During the war, England had a system of rationing in place. So even though she was royalty, Elizabeth still had to save up her rations for fabric so that she would be able to purchase her wedding dress. Fortunately she was able to get enough rations set aside; otherwise it would not have been a true royal wedding without a spectacular wedding dress.

Her dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, who started to work on the dress three months before the wedding so that it would be done in time. Hartnell started his design with a great understanding for what kind of a dress he had to make. wedding dresses stores After all, this was for the royal wedding and with that he knew everyone would be watching, so he wanted it to be perfect for Queen Elizabeth's special day.

After receiving the payment for the dress, Hartnell said he "searched the London art galleries for a classic inspiration and found a Botticelli figure in ivory silk with a trail of smilax, jasmine, syringa and some white rose like flowers." Finding the right materials for the dress was hard due to the aftermath of the war, so in the end the designer ended up having to order 20,000 pearls from the United States.

The gown's fabric for the train was satin from a mill at Lullington Castle in England, which he did not want to use at first, but Elizabeth's mother insisted that it be from there. The body of the wedding dress was a soft Chinese silk from a Scottish firm called Winterthur, which caused a little controversy because they were saying it was made by enemy silk worms from Japan. However, Hartnell was able to prove that the silk was from China. The dress was embroidered with orange blossoms, syringa, white rose and jasmine. Wheat was also included in the design, which represented fertility.

The embroidery also included sparkling crystals and pearls that outlined the neckline, hem, sleeves and the 15-foot train. The dress also included a silk tulle veil, with a small diamond tiara and a simple yet beautiful pearl necklace to wear around her neck. The beautiful bride walked down the aisle of the famous Westminster Abby with her father King George VI.

Elizabeth had a very sweet bouquet that was made of white orchids with some sprigs of myrtle, which had come from the bush that Queen Victoria had planted and grown from her own wedding bouquet. After the wedding the bride placed her sweet bouquet at the grave of the Unknown Soldier which is a tradition in England's royal weddings.

Wedding Dress Features That Daringly Depart From Convention

There are many brides who thrive on traditional weddings. This type of bride is all about formal invitations, stylish bridal portraits, and special first dance songs. She yearns to sachet down the church aisle to ere Comes the Bride?while hundreds of her friends and family members gaze upon the beauty of her classic wedding dress.

And then there is the other kind of bride. The free-thinking, non-conforming lady. The woman who doesn follow convention for convention sake. The one who has always marched to the beat of her own drum.

It is this independently-minded lady who will likely opt to stroll down the aisle in a wedding dress that daringly departs from all convention.

If this woman is you, here are 10 ideas about wedding dress features that you may want to consider for your upcoming nuptials:

One Shoulder Ball Gowns

There are plenty of strappy and strapless wedding dresses out there, but you rarely see any single-strap styles. Platinum offers a dress with a strap that stretches over the left shoulder. The strap attaches at the hand draped bodice with an eye-catching jeweled brooch.

Above-the-knee Hemlines

If your goal is to make all of your female wedding guests flush and your male guests gawk, just show off your legs with an above-the-knee skirt. The Strapless Silk Radzimir Dress has a hem that stops about two inches short of the knee. The tulip skirt shows off numerous Venice Lace floral appliqu which nicely complement the corset seamed bodice.

Jacket s

This is even more daring than a short hemline dress! Melissa Sweet Jake style incorporates a taffeta ?sleeve jacket with a mid-thigh, ini-skirt?hemline. The outfit boasts a crew neckline and a checkered pattern which is heavily embroidered.

Lavender Colored

Almost every wedding dress ever made is white, off-white, eggshell, or some other shade of the white-hued family. But Platinum offers a Silk Satin Fit to Flare Strapless Gown which is available in lavender. This dress also comes with a full-pleated train and a jewel-encrusted hip and bust line.

Cotton Lace Overlay

While most dresses are basic silk, satin, or tulle, some are nestled underneath an overlay of cotton lace to create a more textured appearance. Melissa Sweet Hallie style dress features a silk charmeuse strapless gown underneath a sheer French lace overlay. It accented by woven ribbon detail over the hem and bodice as well as a sweep inset train.

Swirled Skirt

When you think of the bottom of a wedding dress, you envision long, clean lines of fabric. But a swirled skirt can break up the monotony of an ordinary fabric dress. The Strapless Silk Shantung Mikado Fit to Flare Gown by Platinum is offset beautifully with a skirt that is swirled with organza and tulle.

Ultra-Slim Gown

While slim wedding gowns do not flare outward around the legs, ultra-slim gowns practically cling to the legs. Such is the case with Vineyard Tatum style Guipure Lace Slim Gown, which portrays the illusion of pants as the bride walks down the aisle. The dress also comes with slit detail, a large waistband, and a bow at the back.

Scarf Accessory

While this isn part of the wedding dress itself, a scarf accessory can have a substantial impact on the entire nuptial ensemble. For instance, a white silk scarf perfectly complements Platinum Silk Crepe Georgette Strapless Slim Gown and its scoop neckline. The scarf covers only the front of the neck and the top of one shoulder; it hangs down over the back of the dress and is tied in orange homecoming dress a bow at the center of the back.

Flounced Halter Neckline

Standard halter wedding dresses are not all that unusual, but a flounced halter leaves no doubt as to whom the center of attention is at the event. This style is displayed in Vineyard Elke Organza Fit to Flare Gown. The flounced halter neckline contrasts nicely with the dress open back.

Pockets

On a wedding dress? Really. Theye perfect for a bride who wants to carry something old, new, borrowed, and/or blue down the aisle with her; and also come in handy during the ollar dance?at the wedding reception. There are hidden pockets in the Silk Double Faced Satin Strapless Ball Gown by Platinum. The dress also features a large front skirt appliqu? elaborate beading, and a silk satin belt.

So if youe the type of woman who has flipped through hundreds of bridal magazine pages without finding the dress of your dreams, these ideas may be appealing to your unique tastes.

After all ?you were your own woman long before you met your mate. And even though youe looking forward to having a partner for life, you still want to be identified by the traits and attributes which you worked long and hard to create and nourish ?and not just as Mrs. So-and-So.

An unconventional wedding dress is the first step toward reminding those in your life that you won remodel your personality and lifestyle just because youe wearing a wedding ring. And when your guests see your extraordinary wedding dress, theyl get the message loud and clear.