If you want to talk fairy tale weddings then Grace Kelly‘s wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco was the real deal.  One of the world’s biggest movie stars marrying a prince in a bonefide Royal wedding? You can’t beat that!

Of course once she married into the Royal Family and became a princess she had to give up her acting career, but it’s still fabulously romantic!

Her dress was designed by Oscar-winning MGM costume designer Helen Rose, and took 36 seamstresses six weeks to complete.  Helen Rose also designed Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding dress when she married Conrad ‘Nicky’ Hilton.

Grace Kelly’s wedding dress was a wedding gift from MGM studios and is said to be one of the most influential dresses of the 20th Century (Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was said to be inspired by it). The wedding ceremony itself was watched by over 30 million people live on television and was a massive media event.

The dress consisted of a high-neck Brussels lace bodice embroidered with seed pearls, which was attached to a strapless under-bodice and a bell-shaped skirt of ivory peau de soie supported by numerous petticoats and a skirt support.

She wore the dress with a pearl-encrusted accessories including a headdress, shoes, circular silk net veil and a prayer book which she carried down the aisle.

The dress is now owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art but is not currently on display.

Interestingly the couple also had a civil ceremony in the Palace Throne Room the previous day, which lasted just 16 minutes. For the civil ceremony Grace Kelly wore another dress designed by Helen Rose:  a pale pink two-piece lace suit, with hat which you can see (along with details of the rest of the wedding outfit) in my Pinterest gallery here:
Follow We Heart Vintage’s board Grace Kelly’s Wedding Dress on Pinterest.