Wedding Wednesday: Princess Alexia's Gown

HRH Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark and Carlos Morales Quintana

July 9, 1999

London, England

Another popularly requested wedding gown today - that of the eldest of the ex-King and Queen of Greece's five children, Princess Alexia.

Today, Alexia and Carlos live in the Canary Islands with their four children. But before she could marry her cute, younger, sailing-mad Spanish architect, there was a pre-wedding bash to be had, and Alexia showed up in my favorite Alexia look of all time:

She married Carlos in London's Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia in an understated gown from Austrian designer Inge Sprawson (a favorite of her mother, Queen Anne-Marie).

The dress featured a wide v-neck with a strong shoulder shape formed in heavy off-white satin. The slim fit bodice has a cross seam detail and the long sleeves and back are accented with embroidered and beaded buttons. A longer train extended from her waist at the back.

Like many family members before her, Alexia opted to drape her great-grandmother Crown Princess Margaret's Irish lace veil over her chignon, and topped the whole thing with the family's traditional wedding tiara, the Khedive of Egypt Tiara, and a pair of diamond earrings.

I'm usually a sucker for a simple gown paired with a lace veil, but I go back and forth on Alexia's dress. In some pictures, the tight fit is incredibly flattering, and in others, it betrays her. I suppose, in the end, I can't get behind a dress that's dicey like that. I can, however, get behind the use of purple as one's wedding colors:

Bridesmaid Princess Theodora (Alexia's little sister) escorting Princess Mafalda (daughter of Kyril and Rosario of Bulgaria) and Princess Maria Olympia (daughter of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal of Greece)

Click here to see the fashions from the royal guests at this wedding.

Alexia's gown: a favorite, or not?

Photos: Tim Graham/Getty Images/Gammarpho/Hello