Wedding Wednesday: Your Favorite Bridal Gown of 2011

As we wind down and look back upon what really has been the Year of the Royal Wedding, it's only natural to ask...

Which is your favorite 2011 royal wedding gown?

Catherine Middleton married Prince William of Wales

Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg married Alexander Johannsman

Charlene Wittstock married Prince Albert II of Monaco

Zeina Shaban married Prince Rashid bin El Hassan of Jordan

Zara Phillips married Mike Tindall

Princess Sophie of Isenburg married Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia

Jetsun Pema married the King of Bhutan

Vote here!

Your favorite 2011 gown?
	Catherine Middleton
	Princess Nathalie
	Charlene Wittstock
	Zeina Shaban
	Zara Phillips
	Princess Sophie
	Jetsun Pema
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Wedding Wednesday: Favorite Winter Wedding Gowns

Winter wedding gowns are tricky, especially when you're having a royal wedding with lots of balcony appearances and other assorted outdoor shenanigans. Since that time is upon us now (well, it's upon me - if you're in Australia or something...bookmark and come back in six months I guess?), I thought we'd throw some praise at those royal wedding dresses that have leapt their climate hurdles valiantly.

Two winter brides stick out from my personal list of favorite royal wedding dresses - Máxima (February) and Mathilde (December).

Of course, I have always loved a high collar on a grand wedding gown, that's just me.

But if you want something that just screams winter wedding, fur's the way to go.

Queen Fabiola of the Belgians, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, Archduchess Catharina von Österreich

I confess, I'm not a huge fan of fur used on a wedding gown, but there is something about a winter wedding that lends itself to things that seem a little farcical otherwise...

...which brings us to a personal favorite in this category, Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza's gown from her January 1993 marriage to Archduke Karl of Austria.

At any other time, in any other place, this wedding outfit would have been too much. The lace-up front, the enormous ball skirt, the heavy 200-year-old Habsburg veil held in place with a small pearl and diamond bandeau tiara, even the bride carrying a Mass Book instead of a bouquet - it's a Versace design that could have come straight from a movie set, and borders on comical for use in real life (even for a character such as this bride).

But set in an Austrian winter scene? It's completely enchanting.

What's your favorite winter wedding gown?

Photos: Zimbio/Rex/Hola/The Royal Forums

Gold Star: Queens with Diplomatic Flair

Dressing diplomatically is an art form, if you ask me. The outfits on a royal foreign trip are not the point of the thing - even someone as frivolous as I can admit that - but when they're done just right, they can help the whole operation along. A detail here or there can be just the thing, a little exclamation point, to emphasize thoughtfulness, consideration, and respect for the other country. Today we're handing out gold stars to two queens for just such exclamation points.

Many of you have asked to be kept updated on the lovely new Queen of Bhutan, so here you go: it seems the photogenic King and Queen haven't stopped moving since the wedding. They've paid state visits to India and Japan, and have touched down in Singapore and Thailand. This past week has seen them visit the United Kingdom. Talk about your trial by fire, and for a 21-year-old queen at that: Jetsun Pema laughs in the face of royal brides taking the slow route into their new lives!

Naturally, she's brought with her a whole array of colorful national dress options, some of which are shown above. It's nice not to have to spend time coming up with synonyms for beige for a change, isn't it?

We also got a few tastes of her Western style, just for a little variety.

Well, there's that beige problem again, but the only thing we can conclude here is that Her Majesty has a taste for expensive handbags: I spy Chanel and an elusive Hermès Birkin bag.

This is not what she gets her gold star for, though. Diplomatic dressing, that's our point here.

Her white outfit, worn while debuting the King's photography book in New Delhi, is both gorgeous and the perfect nod to Indian style; but the real winner is the kimono in Japan. Their visit seemed to be a great success, and gamely sporting another culture's national dress is the perfect sartorial expression to sum it up. Well played.

From a 21-year-old queen just getting her feet wet to one that's the definition of a pro, our second gold star goes out to Queen Elizabeth.

This week saw the Queen host a state visit to Britain from Turkey, including some married people cuteness and a little forward-facing side-eye directed at the First Lady's intriguing taste in footwear. (Suddenly I'm dying if she noticed Sheikha Mozah's icicle boots.)

It's the state banquet, though, that gets our star. And not just because she seems to have decided to go with "giant diamonds" as her accessory theme for the night, either (though that's certainly grounds on its own). She chose this night as her first public outing of Queen Victoria's magnificent waterfall brooch, and it was no mistake: the brooch includes diamonds given to Victoria by the Sultan of Turkey. Sneaky little diplomatic gesture, isn't it?

She wore the brooch with the coronation necklace (also from Queen Victoria) and a pair of earrings once worn by her mother which were another fabulous part of the Greville inheritance. The brooch is supposed to be a part of the summer exhibit at Buckingham Palace next year, "Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration". Start shopping for plane tickets now if you need them, kids.

Another notable brooch popped out to say farewell to the Turkish guests: an emerald carved with a rose on the front and surrounded by diamonds, a gift from the Ladies of India to Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar in 1911.

Since we're talking jewels, you know, as we do, this trip also gave us good shots of two royal ladies we don't usually get to see in their state visit finery: Princess Anne sat in Camilla's spot for the banquet (Camilla was out sick) wearing the Festoon Tiara, and Princess Michael played the lead royal lady role at the Guildhall banquet (that's usually the Duchess of Gloucester's spot these days). She wore one of my favorite Kent tiaras, an oh-so-pretty diamond and pearl number, and paired it with a rather costume-ish bodice decoration. I suspect that it's fake (look at the size of those pearls!) and that it might even be a part of the gown, which is...odd. She did manage to cover up appropriately for the devout Muslim guest of honor, so I suppose points have to be awarded for that.

Do you have a favorite moment from these trips?

Photos: Getty Images/Reuters/Daylife/Hello/Royal Collection

Wedding Wednesday: New Bridal Tiaras

Royal weddings are prime showcases for heirloom tiaras - after all, a girl does need something borrowed - but they're also often showcases for new tiaras. Whether you are honoring a new gift, you just feel like something new, or the family was plain out of tiaras for the new girl to have, there are plenty of weddings that have brought us new jewels to gaze upon.

Left to Right: Princess Claire of Belgium, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

The Belgian royal family is not sitting on a huge stash of tiaras, so when Claire Coombs married in, they had to rustle up something new for her (reported by some to be a converted necklace from Queen Elisabeth). Norway has a fair amount of diadems, but not really anything that would fill the "all-purpose, small, and diamond" category for a new Crown Princess, so they bought one when Mette-Marit joined up. And though you might disagree with me, I've always thought that was part of the reason Crown Princess Mary got a newly purchased tiara too. Apart from the tiara that now sits on Princess Marie's head, smallish diamond gems that are not already in constant use seem to have been nonexistent.

L to R: Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent; Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg (then a Princess of Belgium)

I'm afraid the days of lavish wedding gift jewel hauls are gone for most brides, but once upon a time getting multiple tiaras for your wedding was commonplace for a royal bride. Honoring a relative by wearing their gift on your big day is always smart, but perhaps even smarter is honoring the institutions that give you gifts. Greek Princess Marina wore a fringe tiara given to her by her new home, the City of London, while Belgian Princess Joséphine-Charlotte honored her home country by wearing both the Belgian Scroll Tiara and the Congo Diamond Tiara to marry into Luxembourg's royal family.

L to R: Sarah, Duchess of York; Princess Margaret; Empress Farah of Iran; Crown Princess Sarah of Brunei

Sometimes, for whatever reason, you just want something new. Sarah Ferguson wore a new tiara from Garrard, and Princess Margaret's Politmore Tiara was bought specially prior to her wedding day. Farah Diba wed in the Noor-ol-Ain Tiara which was created by Harry Winston for the occasion. I'd wager a guess that the tiara worn by Sarah Salleh for her wedding to Brunei's Crown Prince was freshly made too. All of these ladies could have worn something from their respective royal families, but for whatever reason - and I would guess the reasoning here is quite diverse - they opted for new instead.

L to R: Sophie, Countess of Wessex; Princess Máxima of the Netherlands; Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau

Finally, if you can't get something new, you settle for a new configuration of old stuff instead. Sophie wore a (new to us) configuration of old pieces when she became the Countess of Wessex, and Máxima put a new spin on an old gem by topping a pearl button tiara with diamond stars instead. Her sister-in-law Mabel did a similar thing by using the diamond-only setting of the family's large sapphire tiara.

As lovely and meaningful as traditions can be, I suppose there's something to be said for making your own mark, or putting special memories together with a piece that you'll call your own for the rest of your marriage. My personal favorite version is Máxima's - that sly little magpie was already showing us just how much fun she intended to have with the family jewel box.

If it was you...would you rather have an old tiara or a new one for your wedding day?

Flashback Friday: Princess Alexia's Wedding Guests

As promised, a look today at the fashions of the guests at Princess Alexia's wedding in 1999. Greek royal events are always well attended - far better attendance than most of their fellow non-reigning royals get, at least. Why? Because it's all in the family: King Constantine is the brother of Queen Sofia of Spain, and Queen Anne-Marie is the sister of Queen Margrethe of Denmark. Family ties go much farther back as well; Prince Philip was born into the Greek royal family, as was the late Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. The guests at this wedding were not only plentiful in number, they were plentiful in Easter egg 1990s fashion too.

Best in 90s Simplicity

Princess Madeleine

Left to Right: Crown Princess Margarita of Romania, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

I don't know, maybe it was sheer backlash from the overly frilly 1980s, but the Nineties had a tendency towards simplicity bordering on dull. Princess Madeleine has to win this one, if only because the pretty pink gives us at least some clue she wasn't headed to a meeting at her lawyer's office.

Best Loudest Statement

Infanta Elena

L to R: Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleberg, Infanta Elena of Spain, Queen Sonja of Norway

Tame as it might have been for Margrethe, but her literal interpretation of a Spring garden still stands out from the crowd. Not nearly as much, though, as her sister Benedikte's ruffled Big Bird wonder or Queen Sonja's iridescent lime affair. But nobody - nobody - made a bigger fashion splash than Elena and the hat she crafted from the skin of a dead Muppet.

Best in Elegance

Queen Silvia

L to R: Queen Ingrid of Denmark, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Princess Michael of Kent, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Noor of Jordan, Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, Infanta Margarita of Spain

With the few exceptions noted above, the older generation at this wedding turned out in an array of purely elegant ensembles, from Ingrid and Anne-Marie's lilac numbers which made them unofficial members of the bridal party to Noor's simply chic mourning affair (King Hussein died earlier that year). I loved Princess Michael and her giant hat, but something about Queen Silvia's unique take on the traditional suit and skirt wins it for me.

Best in Typical

The Duchess of Gloucester

L to R: Princess Alexandra of Kent, Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, the Duchess of Gloucester, Queen Sofia of Spain, Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg

These ladies showed up in their regular elegant uniform, basically. Queen Elizabeth rarely ever attends foreign royal weddings, but since this was in London she made a sunny appearance. My best, though, is the Duchess of Gloucester, elegant in blue.

Best in Show

Princess Rosario

L to R: Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Princess Miriam of Bulgaria, Princess Rosario of Bulgaria, Infanta Cristina of Spain

Of all the elegant appearances at the wedding, these four were my favorite. Cristina's maternity outfit nearly won it, but in the end Rosario takes it home. Not for the suit - for the hat. It may have been a Greek wedding, but it was in London after all; you have to have some kind of crazy millinery!

Who was your best dressed from this wedding?

Photos: Getty Images/Gammarpho/Tim Graham/Hola/The Royal Forums

Wedding Wednesday: Queen Soraya's Gown

 HIM The Shah of Iran and Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari

February 12, 1951

Tehran, Iran

A reader request today, for one of the most fairy tale royal wedding gowns of all time, worn by a royal bride that ended up living a fairy tale gone wrong.

The beginning was certainly straight out of a storybook: the recently divorced (from Princess Fawzia of Egypt) Mohammed Reza Pahlavi fell in love immediately with a picture of the young half-Persian, half-German Soraya. He asked for her hand in marriage after just one meeting, and sealed the deal with a massive 22.37 carat diamond engagement ring.

The fantasy continued at the couple's grand wedding at Golestan Palace. Soraya's Christian Dior gown is quite possibly the most couture couture gown ever seen at a royal wedding; it's just utterly, unabashedly over the top. Made of 37 yards of silver lamé studded with pearls, 6,000 diamond pieces, and 20,000 marabou feathers, the creation weighed a whopping 44 pounds (20 kilograms).

The strapless dress came with a matching jacket and veil for the ceremony itself as well as a full-length white mink cape to keep the bride warm. In the evening, both jacket and veil were discarded and an emerald and diamond parure from the crown jewels was added.

 

But as we all know, things are rarely what they seem, and not even the wedding was as much a fairy tale as it appeared. The ceremony, originally scheduled for December 27th, had to be postponed when Soraya came down with a serious case of typhoid fever. She still wasn't entirely well in February but further postponement wasn't possible, so she had to soldier on. The bride could barely move in her heavy gown, as you can see in this video:

Seeing her stagger, the Shah ordered a lady-in-waiting to take a pair of scissors to the priceless gown and cut the petticoats and train until she could walk again. She also had to deal with the chill in the non-heated palace; there were wool socks underneath that voluminous skirt.

Seven years later, the Shah and his Queen found themselves in a predicament: Soraya had not been able to have children, and the Shah needed a son to continue the dynasty (he had one daughter with his first wife, but a boy was required). In 1958, the Shah tearfully announced their divorce. It was "a sacrifice of my own happiness," Soraya said. Given the title HIH Princess Soraya of Iran and generous funding, she lived the rest of her life as a jet-setting socialite in Europe, but she never managed to find real happiness. Even a romance with director Franco Indovina ended tragically with his death in a plane crash. Soraya became known as the "princess with the sad eyes" and titled her memoir Le Palais des Solitudes, or The Palace of Solitude. She died on October 26, 2001; her belongings were auctioned off and that famous wedding gown sold for $1.2 million.

The Shah married again, to Farah Diba, and had four children including two boys. The Shah was exiled in 1979 and the heir he fought to have has never had the opportunity to rule Iran.

What did you think of Soraya's gown?

 
Photos: Life/Corbis

Wedding Wednesday: A Royal Wedding in Bhutan

HM King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan and Jetsun Pema 
October 13, 2011 

Punakha, Bhutan

You know when you're in the midst of a royal wedding boom when a single year brings you the weddings of not one but two reigning sovereigns. First we had Albert II's Mediterranean affair, and now Asia brings us the colorful wedding of the 31-year-old King of Bhutan and his 21-year-old bride.

Bhutan is a pretty isolated country, so it's no surprise that this was a royal wedding without foreign royal presence. The King is seen as quite progressive, though, and has won praise for holding hands and kissing his bride in public, as well as for declaring that she will be his only wife (his father is married to four sisters).

The ridiculously attractive Jetsun Pema (well, they're just a ridiculously attractive couple on the whole, really) studied at Regent's College in London and is the daughter of an airline pilot. The youngest queen in the world right now donned the most wonderfully colorful array of national costumes for her multiple wedding celebrations. It's a refreshing break from white, isn't it? Especially the shoes. Are you seeing her shoes? (And his shoes too, for that matter?) 

Colorful clothes and colorful headgear too. During the wedding, the King placed a silk brocade crown atop her head, while a later celebration saw her with a more traditionally shaped tiara. And then there was the king's own crown, which is something else indeed.

I don't know much of anything about Bhutan or its royal family, but I'm a fan of any monarchy that brings us this level of cuteness.

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/AP Photo

Royal Splendor 101: Tiaras and Hair

Do you  know why I have such a fanatical affection for tiaras? It's the fantasy thing. (Why yes, Cinderella was my favorite fairy tale growing up, thanks for asking.) Personally, I'd be happy to imagine that these magical diadems are delicately placed atop a royal head by a troupe of wee birds chirping a merry tune. But not all of you are willing to be so naive, apparently, since the question of how exactly these things stay on comes up regularly.

In reality, ladies today are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to tiara attachment. Tiaras can be a century or two old - think how much hairstyles have changed since the initial designs were completed. Use of wigs and hairpieces used to be incredibly common, plus people didn't wash their hair all that often. All of that made it easier to wear a tiara. Also, tiara attachment isn't exactly a specialty of modern hairstylists as it once would have been. But they make it work regardless, bless 'em, and today we're talking about a few of the ways they do it.

Tiaras with full circle frames: the Delhi Durbar Tiara (left) and Princess Mary's (daughter of George V and Mary) Fringe Tiara (right)

Tiaras themselves offer some sort of assistance in terms of noggin attachment, obviously. These things are meant to be used after all. On something like a circlet, where the gems wrap all or nearly all the way around the head, attachment is pretty self-explanatory. Other tiaras may include a full circular base even if the gems are only semi-circular.

The Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara (left) and the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara (right) with their back elastics

If the frame does not encircle the entire head, an elastic can be added at the back (there are often small loops for this) to hold the tiara snugly to the head. Diana, Princess of Wales' hairdresser confessed to using a knicker elastic to get the job done. Doesn't matter what you use, it should all be concealed underneath the hair at the back of the head.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden wears the Connaught Diamond Tiara at her sister's wedding

Some tiaras have a base that can be wrapped in fabric or ribbon - something with a bit of cushion to it, preferably. This helps not only with comfort but can add some traction for use with shiny, freshly washed hair. It also gives the hairpins a better spot to hang on to, as hairpins are another obvious method of sticking a tiara to a hairdo. (As some of you noted on when we discussed Sophie's Wedding Tiara, there was a very visible pin in the close up picture.) For best results, the wrapping should match the wearer's hair color as closely as possible so as to disappear - Madeleine makes a painfully obvious example for us above while wearing a tiara customized for her mother's dark hair on her bleached blonde locks. The most attractive tiara appearances, if you ask me, are the ones that use the rest of the hair to conceal the base as completely as possible, a feat that is notably easier on longer and darker hair.

From L to R: Crown Princess Margarita of Romania's unnaturally red base sticks out from her red hair; the Princess of Wales and Queen Sofia have shorter hair which doesn't conceal bases as well; and Crown Princess Mary's flat part doesn't conceal anything

From here, it's really up to the royal hairstylist to come up with methods to get the tiara to sit attractively and securely, something that seems to be an easier task on thicker locks with more texture to them (and that's why it was a simpler feat in the days of wigs and unwashed hair).

Tiaras with braids, L to R: Princess Astrid of Belgium, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Duchess of Cambridge

One sneaky tactic to help secure a tiara is to make a small braid in the hair where the tiara will sit. Braids can just be decorative, of course, but they can also be functional: they give you a secure place for sticking pins, or even for sewing the thing on. Yes, sewing it on: stitching into a hidden plait is precisely how the Duchess of Cambridge's team ensured the Halo Scroll Tiara would not fall off on her wedding day.

Queen Silvia, 2010 Nobel Prize ceremony

There's really no end to the trickery a hairstylist can come up with to get these things in place. The shot of Queen Silvia's hair at the left gives away a little hint of the understructure involved in creating what looks like an effortless 'do.

While we're killing the magic of wearing a tiara, we might as well go all the way and answer yet another common question: are tiaras uncomfortable? Yeah, sometimes. Some ladies are better suited to handling the perils of tiara wearing, while others suffer. And some tiaras are better suited to being worn than others; weights vary, and some have better capabilities to be adjusted for different head shapes.

Sweden's Nine Prong Tiara, or Queen Sophia's Diamond Tiara if you prefer, is apparently quite inflexible and can be rather uncomfortable. It certainly looked like a painful fit when the King's sister Princess Birgitta wore it to Victoria's wedding, and she apparently had problems with it staying on properly. Another uncomfortable gem in the Swedish collection is the Braganza Tiara; Queen Louise complained that it left her with a sore head and a headache. (We'll tackle this beast - including how much it actually weighs - on Thursday.)

Diana, Princess of Wales found the whole tiara-wearing experience uncomfortable. Not only was the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara heavy and headache-causing, the swinging pearls clanked around noisily in their arches. Part of the reason she used her family's tiara as an alternative was because it was lighter, but even that one reportedly left her with a splitting headache on her wedding day.

Comfort levels, L to R: Princess Birgitta in the Nine Prong Tiara, Queen Louise in the Braganza Tiara, the Princess of Wales in the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, Queen Beatrix in Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara, Queen Elizabeth in the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

Another royal headache victim is Queen Beatrix, and one imagines it is no coincidence that she frequently picks from the small and moderately sized tiaras in the family collection. Her favorite seems to be Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara with its small floral motif. Queen Elizabeth also has her favorites, the top of which is the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. Among the reasons she's said to love it so: it's light. (Queen Elizabeth puts on her own tiaras, by the way. I suppose that's just another benefit of keeping the same hairstyle for decades at a time.) Too bad I'm not right about those singing birds, hmm? Just think of the variety we could have if none of this was a factor in tiara selection...

Photos: Geoffrey Munn's "Tiaras: A History of Splendour"/Polfoto/Life/Svensdam

Wedding Wednesday: Crown Princesses and Their Pre-Wedding Style

I do believe it was the lovely Ali that suggested a while back we take a look at the gowns some of our royal brides wore to their pre-wedding galas. Well, it ended up snowballing into the rest of the pre-wedding events, which in some cases can just be an exhausting run of public appearances in addition to private things like rehearsals and the like. I didn't even attempt to gather them all, and look what happened. Today, we focus just on our crown princesses (and assorted others in the same spot with different titles, you get the idea) and their prize-winning style.

Most Dated

Left to Right: Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece at her pre-wedding party and a luncheon on the Queen of Denmark's yacht before marrying Prince Pavlos in 1995; Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein at events before marrying Prince Alois in 1993

Marie-Chantal is such a fashion plate, but sometimes that can work against her. I'm sure her 1995 pre-wedding gown was Valentino couture and the height of glam at the time, but I doubt she'd be caught in a gown (or a hairdo) like that today. And speaking of hairdos...is that Fabiola?? Oh no, it's just Sophie (formerly of Bavaria), who doesn't even have the "wild" and "crazy" styles of 1993 to blame for that barnet.

Biggest Single Event Change

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway at a private party, a fjord cruise, and a dinner before wedding Crown Prince Haakon in 2001

We've talked about the princess transformation of Mette-Marit before. But even though it would take a few years for her to fully find her stride, there's no better indicator of what was to come than her pre-wedding events. From unshowered Heidi to glam princess in a day or two: now that's potential.

Smallest Single Event Change

Princess Máxima of the Netherlands at a luncheon, a public party, and a pre-wedding dinner before marrying Prince Willem-Alexander in 2002

Sometimes people ask why I've never done a transformation post for Máxima. My answer? Because I don't think she's really had a transformation. Not sartorially, at least. And here's your proof: basic business-type stuff in the day, better in the evening, and best for the fanciest of evening events (such as this amazing orange Valentino that she would repeat later on).

Best Crafty Reuse

Princess Letizia wore silver for the dinner before her wedding to Prince Felipe of Spain in 2004 (far left), and then redid the gown twice after

She's not just frugal with her high street clothes! Letizia made a splash in her silver Lorenzo Caprile gown before her marriage, and then did it again when she had Caprile recut the top later on. Most recently, she had a different designer change the gown a second time...and I have to say, she should have stopped with the first alteration.

Best Variety

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attended galas, receptions, and parties galore before marrying Crown Prince Frederik in 2004

When I said Denmark went all out for their Crown Prince's wedding, I wasn't kidding. Pre-wedding events started nearly a month before the ceremony. I haven't even attempted to gather them all here (here's another selection), but these are a few of the last highlights. What we have here are Mary's first two tiara appearances, sporting that major ruby parure. Now that's a way to make an entrance. (As is arriving at parliament and losing your hat...which also happened. Oops.)

Best Pre-Wedding Prize

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden attended a governor's dinner, a private dinner, a reception, and a dinner/concert before marrying Prince Daniel in 2010

You might think she wins the prize for me because she's the most recent, and thus the most fresh in my memory...but you would be wrong. It's the Elie Saab, darlings! Gray Elie Saab at the private dinner and couture for the reception and the most amazing evening gown. Always a win.

Which crown princess had the best pre-wedding style?

Photos: Hello/Seeger/CoverPress/Life/Getty Images/Daylife/Corbis