It’s one of the biggest moments of any fashion designer’s career – being asked to create a wedding dress for a royal bride. And as Lady Gabriella Windsor’s wedding dress designer Luisa Beccaria is likely to discover, creating a royal wedding gown brings recognition and attention on a global scale, helping to set trends and inspire a whole new generation of future brides.
We’re all familiar with the gorgeous gowns worn by recent royal brides including Princess Eugenie, the Duchess of Sussex and Duchess of Cambridge, but we very rarely get to see the designers responsible for creating royal history. So in honour of the latest royal wedding between Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston, we’re introducing the designers behind some of the most iconic royal wedding dresses of the past 15 years…
Luisa Beccaria, designer of Lady Gabriella’s 4 wedding dresses
Italian fashion designer Luisa Beccaria created not just one, but four dresses for Lady Gabriella Windsor’s wedding. The bride has long been a fan of Luisa’s designs, saying: "I've been in love with Luisa Beccaria dresses for a long time and I'm so lucky to have my dream dress designed by her. She and her team are exceptional and I'm thrilled with the stunning result of the artistry."
Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos, designers of Princess Eugenie’s wedding dress
Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos were the designers behind Princess Eugenie’s off-the-shoulder gown, which featured several sentimental nods to the bride’s heritage, including a Thistle for Scotland, the York rose, and ivy representing the couple’s home. The design duo have worked together for over a decade on the Peter Pilotto label, after meeting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
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Zac Posen, designer of Princess Eugenie’s evening wedding dress
Princess Eugenie gave American fashion designer Zac Posen the honour of designing her stunning blush pink evening wedding dress. The talented designer launched his own label in 2001, and has since become a favourite among high profile stars including Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, and Rihanna among others.
Clare Waight Keller, designer of Meghan Markle’s wedding dress
Meghan first met Givenchy artistic director Clare Waight Keller in early 2018, and chose her to create her wedding dress due to her "timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour," a statement released by Kensington Palace said. The acclaimed designer has previously worked as creative director at Pringle of Scotland, before working as creative director of Chloé from 2011 until 2017.
Stella McCartney, designer of Meghan Markle’s evening reception dress
Well established in the fashion world, Stella McCartney was approached by Meghan to design her second wedding dress for her evening reception. “I was honoured and I still am,” said Stella, who launched her fashion line in 2001, and whose halterneck wedding dress design for the Duchess of Sussex became so popular she released limited edition replicas of the gown priced at £3,500 for her Made With Love capsule collection.
Sarah Burton, designer of Kate Middleton’s wedding dresses
Within a year of becoming creative director of Alexander McQueen in 2010, Sarah Burton was given the honour of creating two wedding dresses for Kate Middleton’s royal wedding, along with the gown worn by her sister, Pippa Middleton. Sarah has said creating the dress was the "experience of a lifetime", and her work came to the attention of Kate after she created the wedding dress for the Duchess of Cornwall’s son Tom Parker Bowles’ bride Sara Buys in 2005.
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Stewart Parvin, designer of Zara Tindall’s wedding dress
British fashion designer Stewart Parvin has long been a favourite of the royal family, and has been designing clothes for the Queen since 2007. So it’s likely he was recommended to Zara Phillips when she was looking for her perfect wedding dress in 2011, which was an ivory silk gown with corseted waist and a full skirt. Stewart was presented with the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen in March 2016.
Sassi Holford, designer of Autumn Phillips' wedding dress
Autumn Kelly enlisted Sassi Holford to create her wedding dress for her nuptials to Peter Phillips in 2008. The London-based designer created a gorgeous strapless gown with matching bolero for the royal bride, and has since designed a number of other celebrity wedding dresses, including gowns for Alex Jones, Peter Andre’s wife Emily, and Helen Skelton.