Almost a year to the day after playing host to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s nuptials, St George’s Chapel in Windsor was the scene of yet another royal wedding on Saturday, May 18. Lady Gabriella Marina Alexandra Ophelia Windsor (“Ella” to those in the know) married financier Thomas Kingston in the company of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry (sans the Duchess and baby Archie), Pippa Middleton and more, and now we have the scoop on her stunning bespoke wedding dress by Luisa Beccaria.
“I was so lucky to have my dream dress designed by Luisa Beccaria,” the bride said in a statement on the designer’s Instagram. “She and her team are exceptional, and I am thrilled with the stunning result of their craftsmanship.”
The daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, who is 52nd in line to the throne and holds degrees from both Brown University and Oxford, worked closely with the Italian designer (a family friend) to create the feminine, tulle and lace long-sleeve gown that was meant to be timeless with a twist.
“She’s such a modern girl,” Beccaria told Vogue. “[For her wedding dress,] she didn’t want to go too much into the past and do something so formal. We tried to incorporate a little bit of tradition, though. She wanted to be spontaneous. She didn’t want too much volume in the dress, so it’s quite skinny in the front, which helps to show her real figure and body. Then, in the back, there is a long train.”
After getting engaged last fall, the designer shared that Lady Gabriella flew to Milan to view Beccaria’s collections and get ideas, but she still wasn’t sure if she should choose a British fashion house instead. By the time the holidays rolled around, however, she let Beccaria know she wanted to work with her and they hit the ground running in the New Year.
“It was a lot of work — and to obtain the [correct] color was really complicated,” she explained. “We had to put so many different layers of blush and cream organdy tulle so that it looked like just a little touch of blush. We also added a bit of blush to the veil.”
While the bride had a clear sense of what she wanted, the designer said it took time to get it just right.
“She fell in love with a certain lace,” she said. “I had it special embroidered in her own color and then we combined a couple of dresses that she saw here.”
Lady Gabriella topped off the gown with a 18-foot veil and Russian Fringe–style diamond tiara that once belong to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. And her wedding party of six flower girls and three page boys also wore outfits by Beccaria that featured the same embroidery and detailing from the wedding dress.
In yet another sweet touch, Lady Gabriella’s bridal bouquet included coral sunset peonies, coral and white roses, white hydrangea, white delphiniums, apricot stocks and a creamy ivory “Ella” rose by David Austin, which was named in her honor.
