Wedding Wednesday: Autumn Phillips' Gown

 Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly

May 17, 2008

St. George's Chapel, Windsor, England

The wedding of the Queen's eldest grandchild, Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips, was both a royal and non-royal affair. In royal fashion, they were married at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle with a reception at Frogmore House; in non-royal fashion, the wedding was not televised (and was instead covered by Hello! in a paid exclusive, but that's a different story). In royal fashion, Autumn turned to British bridal designer Sassi Holford for a bespoke wedding gown.

 

Holford's creation was made of Italian duchesse satin and Chantilly lace with an A-line skirt and a three-tiered sash at the waist. A beaded bolero of ivory Chantilly lace was included to cover the bride's shoulders (in royal fashion).

Autumn seems to be a traditional, modest girl when it comes to fashion - after all, this is a girl that has publicly admitted to seeking out fashion advice from her utilitarian mother-in-law - and so her direction to the designer was that she didn't want to stand out too much on her wedding day. The solution was a dress with a simple front and more interest in the back in the form of a 2 yard cathedral train with Chantilly lace inserts and hand-tied bows.

The whole affair was topped by a Swiss silk tulle veil with a beaded Chantilly lace border, echoing the panels and the bolero.

Autumn borrowed the Festoon Tiara from her mother-in-law, Princess Anne, and accessorized with a necklace and earrings given to her by her groom.

The bride paid an estimated £2,000 - £3,000 for her custom dress (certainly less than what most royal gowns would cost these days, one assumes). Her pistachio bridesmaids wore strapless Vera Wang gowns.

I think the gown is lovely and it certainly suits this happy bride well; but it is, to me, more on the non-royal side of the spectrum. It may have the train and the tiara, but it lacks that certain je ne sais quoi I've come to look for - that mark that sets it apart from something you or I could buy at the local bridal shop. What do you think?

Photos: Hello/BBC/PA/Life