Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco on the day of their civil marriage, April 18th 1956
Spring/ summer 2017 has pink on the list of go to colours for brides but finding a rosy wedding gown in the royal albums for inspiration is hard work. But there is one recent wedding gown, overshadowed by a far more famous dress, that ticks all the boxes. Princess Grace of Monaco wore pink for her first wedding dress. Yep, while the lace loveliness of April 19th 1956 is rightly in the history books as one of the most gorgeous gowns ever, it was the second wedding dress that Grace wore. On April 18th 1956, for her civil marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, she wore palest pink. And it's as lovely as ever, six decades on. Here's some really royal inspiration for a pink wedding dress.
The dress Grace wore as she began her transformation from film star to royal star is mostly left to us now in black and white photos but its style stays the same. It was chosen for the ceremony in the throne room of the Prince's Palace in Monaco where, in front of 80 guests, Grace and Rainier contracted civil marriage and a princess was created. For this fairytale moment, Grace chose a dress by Helen Rose who was also responsible for her more famous wedding gown which would be revealed to the world the following day. The civil ceremony dress was very 1950s, with a fitted jacket and flared skirt made of pink taffeta covered in Alencon lace.
The jacket has a high collar with a tiny bow at the top and covered buttons while the skirt spreads out to a mid calf length finish. The hat and shoes blend perfectly and there are pale gloves as well.
After her civil ceremony, which lasted just over 15 minutes, the new princess attended a reception for 3,000 of her new fellow citizens of Monaco. There was also a chance to hear her titles read out for the first time as celebrations really got under way.
The following day, Grace appeared in a wedding dress as influential as it is iconic. The images of her as a bride on April 19th 1956 are some of the most famous in the world. But sixty years ago today was when we first saw Princess Grace in a wedding dress.
Photos: Palais Princier Facebook.
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