Holly Madison's Wedding Dress: Designer Shares Details Behind Her Princess Grace-Inspired Gown

Costume designer Gregg Barnes talks about collaborating with the blond beauty on her gown

By Rose Curiel Sep 20, 2013 6:32 PMTags
Holly MadisonSteven Lawton/FilmMagic

Talk about a princess bride!

Not only did Holly Madison wed beau Pasquale Rotella in one of the most princess-filled places in the world—Disneyland—but the blond beauty also looked the part, wearing a voluminous gown and topping off her wedding day look off with a tiara.

And according to her wedding dress designer Gregg Barnes, the newlywed even modeled her look after a real-life princess!

"She sent me the image of Princess Grace's wedding dress from when she married Prince Rainer of Monaco in the 1950s—designed by Helen Rose the MGM costume designer—as an inspiration," he told E! News.

As it turns out, Barnes is also a costume designer. Yep, Madison's wedding designer is also the man behind her scanty Peep Show outfits for her performances in Vegas.

How's that for versatility? 

With its lacy long sleeves and full skirt, Madison's gown definitely reminds us of Grace Kelly's wedding day look, which has also been compared to Kate Middleton's Alexander McQueen gown.

But even though the bride turned to a Hollywood legend for inspiration, she still managed to make the look her own.

"I think it is truly one of the most beautiful dresses ever so I was thrilled to take that and put my own spin on it," Barnes explained.  "We tweaked the scale and Holly's dress has a different skirt shape. The hem details are unique as well but in essence I think we captured the elegance of Princess Grace's dress. The goal was to take an iconic image and reinvent to suit Holly."

Madison even had her own design ideas, deciding to add the blue sash, which perfectly matched daughter Rainbow adorable dress.

"I think it is interesting however that by having a vision—Holly's—and thinking outside the box you can customize a dress with a simple detail, like that blue sash, that makes any dress unique," said an impressed Barnes. "I didn't design her daughters dress but wish I could say that I did.  I think using that blue on Rainbow was a stroke of genius."

—Reporting by Ruth O'Neill