It's always fun to remember the iconic wedding dresses from years gone by. And especially the gowns from royal weddings we've seen just in the past few years. Maybe to get bridal ideas or maybe just to dream... Let's start with the '40s -
The 1950s had it's share of iconic wedding dresses that made their mark on bridal gown styles and continue to influence the industry today.
Another classic style from the 50s, here is Grace Kelly's bridal gown.
Princess Grace's gown is all about the lace bodice and the rouching at the waist, as well as the long fully lined lace sleeves. We actually have a couple gowns in our store with lace on top and flowy skirts with long fully lined lace sleeves. Check out our bridal gallery here.
Check this one out from the '50s. Doris Day's Lace on top, tulle on the skirt dress. Fully lined down to a very thin waist, and the classic veil!
Are you noticing anything common about these elegant wedding dresses? That's right - these classic bridal gowns are remarkably.... modest!
Of course modest styles were what brides wore back then. And these days, requirements of British Royal weddings demand very conservative designs. But gowns from the past still inspire us with their beauty, uniqueness and just plain WOW factor! The majority of brides today can't spend the $$$$$ to achieve the same overwhelming impact these classic wedding gowns did in their day. But we might pick up some features of what made these dresses so great. What do you see that you might incorporate on your modest wedding dress?
From the 1980s:
We must include Princess Diana's gown - classic 80s, right? Back then it was the most copied, most viewed, most envied gown of it's time, maybe in all of wedding history!
Here's another classic from the 80s - Maria Shriver's wedding gown. Check out the lace patter, especially around the neck. The groom is happy! (Arnold!). With Maria being from the Kennedy family, this is about as close to a royal wedding we will see in the USA.
But the gown that had the most influence on the wedding industry in the past 30 years was Kate Middleton's:
Kate's wedding dress influenced so many aspects of gown design. Take sleeves for example. Long sleeves with the illusion lace design. Her shorter fingertip veil was so lovely with the lace fringe and allowed the cathedral length train to show itself in full glory! Capped off with a simple but elegant headpiece that has so much meaning.
And most recently, everybody was waiting to see what gown design Meghan Markle would choose:
Meghan's dress became an instant classic from the day we saw it for the first time. So simple, but so elegant, and remarkably modest! No lace on the gown itself, but it's so beautiful on the edges of the veil.
Here is a style at our store from Modest by Mon Cheri that is a similar kind of cut. It looks so gorgeous on the brides who've purchased one from us. You can have a Meghan Markle kind of vibe with this design (click on image to see product)!
Hope you've enjoyed our historical view of classic wedding gowns from the past. What features of these gowns have you seen on modest wedding dresses these days? What would you like to see?
As always, follow us on Instagram and Pinterest to see the latest styles and promotions from A Closet Full of Dresses! If you are in our area, we'd love to meet you! Come visit us at:
480-868-8906