Stephanie of Luxembourg in Elie Saab on her wedding day, October 20th 2012
(photo Grand Cour Ducale)
When you're the bride at what's being billed as the last big royal wedding of a generation then there's quite a lot of pressure on the dress. There was a huge amount of interest in the marriage of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Stephanie de Lannoy on October 20th 2012, partly because of the stellar royal guest list and partly because the groom was the last heir to a throne of his generation to say 'I do'. When Stephanie stepped onto the red carpet leading to Luxembourg Cathedral, she certainly wowed in a wedding dress that did royal and modern all at the same time.
The gown, in palest cream, was by Lebanese designer, Elie Saab, and is heavily lace dominated. From the start of the scoop neck to the tip of the train, every part of this dress is covered in lace and it's rather lovely for it. It's made of silk crepe and satin organza with Chantilly lace and Calais lace.
The fitted bodice has three quarter length sleeves and a cinched waist with belt while the skirt flares out gently into a full length dream of a dress with the lace embellishments giving it more shape and structure.
Stephanie showed she was a royal bride who really thinks ahead - much of the wedding ceremony would see guests looking at her back and she made sure it was interesting. The bodice featured a dip on the back created in lace which was just visible beneath the cascading veil.
All royal wedding dresses need a train and Stephanie's was a whole 13 feet long, filling the aisle of the Cathedral as she walked towards her groom. Along with the rest of the dress, it was scattered with over 50,000 pearls and 80,000 crystals.
Stephanie's veil, held in place by a comb in her updo which was topped off with her family tiara, covered the train completely, adding to the ethereal feel of this dress.
