Sometimes we forget about all the fancy royal weddings beyond that of Prince William and Kate Middleton (for good reason), but there are so many incredible weddings that have happened among the princes, princesses, kings and queens all over the world!
While we definitely care about their proper titles after marriage and all the decorations and planning that go into these royal weddings, there's one thing that always stands out among the rest, no matter the year or even the decade...the dress!
There's no messing around when a princess or queen must pick out her royal wedding gown for the big event, considering millions of eyes are on her. With that being said, here are our top five picks for the best royal wedding dresses of all time:
5. Princess Mabel Wisse of Orange-Nassau: While we might not choose this dress for our own weddings, a great amount of work went into the intricate details of the duchess' gown during her wedding to Prince Friso in 2004.
Dutch designers Victor & Rolf reportedly spent 600 hours creating the silk gown, which was adorned by a total of 248 handmade bows.
4. Queen Rania al Yassine of Jordan: The fashionista married King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein in 1993 and her wedding dress had the world talking.
The royal donned a gold-embroidered wedding gown designed by Bruce Oldfield—who also designed many of Princess Diana's evening gowns—which featured exaggerated lapels, short sleeves and a large belt that resembled a power suit. Rania had drawn influence from Syrian formal dresses that had been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London at the time.
3. Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco: The American actress married Prince Rainier III in April 1956, wearing one of the most gorgeous gowns in royal history.
The beauty donned a custom-designed lace number by Helen Rose, which featured long sleeves with a high neck, a corset-like waist and a billowing skirt. The dress even inspired Ivanka Trump's gown during her 2009 wedding, over 50 years later.
2. Princess Diana of Wales: Though it may look outdated today, Princess Diana's gown from her 1981 nuptials to Prince Charles will go down in history as one of the most famous dresses of all time.
The ivory-silk, taffeta and lace confection was designed by husband and wife team David and Elizabeth Emanuel. It was embroidered with more than 10,000 pearls and and included a massive, 25-foot train. She looked straight out of a fairytale!
1. Duchess Kate Middleton of Cambridge: During what's been deemed the "wedding of the century" to Prince William in 2011, the Duchess of Cambridge donned a custom-made Alexander McQueen dress that combined royal tradition with her modern sense of style.
The dress, which was designed in collaboration with designer Sarah Burton, gave us major Grace Kelly vibes with its lace sleeves and billowing skirt. The pleated skirt was made to resemble an "opening flower" and the bodice was "padded at the hips" to draw "on the Victorian tradition of corsetry."
The bodice and skirt's lace appliqué was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework, while the dress was made of ivory and white satin gazar.
Launch the gallery above to see all the major royal wedding dresses.