Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones married Daniel Chatto in London on July 14, 1994. In the past, I remember thinking that it was one of the most unique wedding dresses that I'd ever seen, but now when I look at it all I can think about is another favorite gown of mine:
Inspired by two different things (Sarah by a Holbein portrait, Mette-Marit by the clothing of the late Queen Maud) and designed by two different designers (Jasper Conran for Sarah and Ove Harder Finseth for Mette-Marit), yet so many similarities. Read more about Mette-Marit's gown here.
Really, it makes sense. I think these two ladies have a lot in common when it comes to their dress sense. We always see Sarah Chatto in basics, usually neutral colors, always chic but rarely adventurous. Mette-Marit is like that too, especially in her daywear, and especially in the early years of her public life. So it's easy to see how these dresses, interesting and elegant but simple at heart, could have appealed to both.
Sarah's dress featured a corset and a skirt of draped georgette fabric with a square neckline. I love the way this fabric flows through the skirt. But I'm not a fan of the way the sleeves attach to the corset - they look as though they're just stuffed in there, perhaps detachable, but I don't think they are.
The dress may be great, but one of the most interesting elements of this wedding, I've always thought, was the bridesmaids' attire. Sarah went with older bridesmaids than is typical for a British royal wedding, and she dressed them in much the same dress as herself. This might be the only wedding I've ever seen where all the ladies in the bridal party wore white. On the one hand, I admire it - that's a lot of bridal confidence, right there - but on the other hand I think some variation would have lightened the wedding mood a little bit.
Hands down, the best part of this wedding was the bride's headgear. This is the Snowdon Floral Tiara, a gift from Anthony Armstrong-Jones to Princess Margaret for their wedding. If Sarah hadn't chosen to wear it we would have never seen it, as Margaret never wore it in public. (Poor Lord Snowdon!)
What do you think: is this one of your favorites, or is it a little bland for you?
