When Princess Madeleine married Christopher O’Neill on 8 June 2013, she wore a bespoke Valentino creation.
Madeleine chose the Italian designer to create her white lace gown with a wide neck, tight waist and large skirt. The dress featured appliquéd ivory-hued Chantilly lace and pleated silk organza. The upper half of the gown featured lace and an off-the-shoulder look. The bottom of the dress had lace over the silk that extended out to the four-metre train.
Madeleine’s five-metre veil was made of silk organza and held in place by the Modern Fringe Tiara, owned by the Princess, with sprigs of orange blossom on the base. The veil also featured tulle scatted with point d’esprit dots and small Chantilly lace orange blossom. As is tradition for Swedish royal women, a sprig of myrtle was also in her hair.
Valentino also designed her shoes for the day with ivory white organdie and woven point d’esprit dots.
Of the dress, the Royal Court said on the day of the wedding, “The wedding dress is made from pleated silk organza with appliquéd ivory-coloured Chantilly lace. The upper section of the bodice is lace with a deep-cut back. Narrow vertical pleats open up from the accentuated waist above the wide skirt, which ends with a four-metre-long train. The veil is also silk organza and is edged with tulle scatted with point d’esprit dots and small Chantilly lace orange blossom. The Princess’s shoes are ivory white organdy with woven point d’esprit dots.”
Madeleine’s bouquet consisted of myrtle, white roses and lilies of the valley.
Designer Valentino Garavani said Madeleine was very easy to work with and added: “She is a very lovely girl. She is modern, fun, full of energy and enthusiasm, and she is so beautiful! It has been a pleasure and an honour.”
Princess Madeleine revealed a few years later that she had issues with the dress on the morning of her wedding. She had lost a lot of weight, and the gown was too big. Workers had to hurry to solve the issue while her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, waited in the hall to escort her down the aisle.
The dress caused problems for Madeleine during the day, as the gown kept falling off her shoulders. However, Madeleine did not let this bother her as she celebrated her happy day.
Princess Madeleine later changed into her mother’s Nina Ricci pearl-encrusted gown for her reception that featured a tulle princess skirt. Queen Silvia originally wore the gown in December 2001 for the Nobel Prizes.
Royal Central has published a special book about royal weddings. You can buy Royal Weddings: An Anthology via Amazon.
