Queen Letizia’s 2004 wedding to King Felipe VI featured a gown embroidered with real gold. Designed by the nation’s leading couturier, Manuel Pertegaz, the flowing white gown featured a high collar and a four-metre train. Although it looked simple enough, this US$8 million dress is currently the most expensive wedding dress in royal history to date, according to The Express Tribune.
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Sarah Salleh of Brunei
It seems like 2004 was the year to be a royal wedding dress designer, as yet another royal, Sarah Salleh, opted for an opulent gown when she wed the crown prince of Brunei, Al-Muhtadee Billah, and became princess of Brunei in what was dubbed the “Asian wedding of the year”. The princess’ traditional Malay outfit was resplendent in blue and gold and paired with a gemstone-encrusted headscarf, diamond studded shoes and a bouquet made of gold and diamonds. While the price is unconfirmed, it’s likely to have contributed heftily to the US$3.7 million price tag Harper’s Bazaar Australia put on the whole celebration.
Marie-Chantal Miller of Greece
When Princess Marie-Chantal Miller walked down the aisle to tie the knot with Greek crown prince Pavlos, she was dressed in white by Italian designer Valentino. The US$225,000 dress featured floral motifs, a silk skirt and long sleeves, according to Harper’s Bazaar. A four-metre long lace veil complete with butterfly embroidery elegantly finished off the regal look.Kate Middleton of Britain
Widely valued at £250,000 (US$330,000), the Duchess of Cambridge actually wore the most expensive wedding dress of all British royals. Designed by Sarah Burton of luxury fashion house Alexander McQueen, the dress was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry and featured handmade lace so delicately white that people who worked on the dress were required to wash their hands every half an hour to keep the material and threads perfectly pristine.
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Masako Owada of Japan
In 1993, Masako Owada married Japan’s crown prince Naruhito in both a white wedding dress and a kimono, but it was the kimono – valued at US$30,000 by the LA Times – that stole the show. The traditional Japanese bridal dress, called a junihitoe, is a 12-layer silk kimono that weighed over 14kg, in hues of emerald green, pastel yellow and vibrant red.
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