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Diana's wedding dress on display in Grand Rapids
With all the build up to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day, have you been wondering where Diana, Princess of Wales’ wedding dress is? Look no further than the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan.
Thousands have been flocking from across the Midwest to see Diana, A Celebration – a traveling exhibition from Diana’s ancestral home in the English county of Northamptonshire. It features personal mementos, home videos of Diana as a child, and many of her famous outfits – including the most well-known dress of all, the one she wore on her wedding day back on July 29, 1981. It’s displayed in all its glory — puffy sleeves and vast quantities of ivory fabric, with the 25-foot train laid out in full. A parasol made to match the dress, just in case of rain, sits in a glass case nearby.
The full train of Diana's wedding gown
As they see the dress, visitors to the exhibition are instantly taken back in time, remembering how Diana, followed by her train, walked up the aisle of St. Paul’s Cathedral that day. Many here can recall getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch the wedding on TV.
Pamella Roland DeVos, dress designer, philanthropist, and honorary trustee of the museum, was instrumental in bringing the exhibition here. A Diana fan, who got married at about the same time as Charles and Diana, she’s watching the build up to William and Kate’s wedding with great interest, both professional and personal.
“Diana’s dress was very ’80s, it had the sleeves and was overwhelming,” she told me. “Kate won’t do that.” Pamella expects Kate to opt for long sleeves, with a fitted, Grace Kelly-style dress along with a full train – but not a 25-foot-long one.
Watch Laura Trevelyan’s interview with Pamella Roland DeVos.
The exhibition records how Diana saw the wedding as the happiest day of her life. Yet those who have made the pilgrimage to Grand Rapids know only too well how the story ended. Royal fan Meredith Hedeman came with her daughter, mother, and grandmother to pay homage to the woman she still sees as an inspiration. Coming face-to-face with Diana’s wedding dress is awe-inspiring for her fans – their profound hope is that William and Kate will enjoy the happy marriage which eluded Diana.
17 Comments
i love princess dianas wedding dress!!!!!! her train is 25 feet long that is pretty cool!
I was married on Aug. 22, 1970 & the train on my wedding dress was 13 ft. long. My mother made my dress & always called it her masterpiece. It had over 3,000 sequins & seed pearls & sparkled in the sun! Looking at Diana’s dress is nearly as thrilling as when I wore mine! She made a beautiful bride!
I vividly remember staying up all night to watch the wedding unfold on TV. And many times since then I’ve remarked about the fact that Diana’s wedding was the only good thing that happened to me in 1981. That was the year my first husband left me for someone else, I lost my job, I was having health problems, and I was living in Oregon (where it rains every day).
Now I live in sunny California and I can look out my kitchen window and see the beautiful Diana, Princess of Wales roses on the bush my second (and current and wonderful) husband gave me for an anniversary present one year. There are always many lovely fragrant roses blooming in spring and summer. In fact, it’s been a mild winter so far and I noticed a bud opening today!
I hope the traveling exhibition will come to our area…San Francisco. It would truly be a thrill to see Diana’s dresses in person.
I’m getting married this October and having my dress costume-made, it’s a Steampunk-themed wedding (Victorian with attitude).
My seamstress special-ordered the exact fabric that Princess Diana’s dress was made from (same mill and everything) – I’m really honoured and excited to be able to share that with her, and it’s a fact I show off to everyone that I speak to about it.
You can visit my blog to see pictures of the dress sample and follow along with the wedding plans.
I live in Grand Rapids and my mother, my 7 yr old daughter and I went to see this exhibit! It was fantastic and so worth it to see. I have to thank the GRAM (Grand Rapids Art Museum) for bringing it here and commend them on how they have her wedding dress displayed. Most places that have had the exhibit didn’t have the train of the dress fully extended, but here it is and it is fabulous to see. I remember getting up at the wee hours of the morning when I was 11 to watch the wedding and still remember the day I heard she passed…it was heartbreaking. I even started to cry watching the video they have at this exhibit of her funeral and of couse they play her song…”Candle in the wind”. It is really touching. I do recommend anyone that can see this exhibit to do it, it is so well put together and is absolutely lovely.
I was married in 1983. When the florist asked me how I wanted my bouquet, I said: :Can you make one just like Princess Diana’s?” He said, “Of course, darling.” He was an artist, and my cascading bouqet was the only bright note in a series of mishaps, accidents, misunderstandings, fights, tears, and a hole in the wall as the result of a fist. The photos of her in the dress are so beautiful….sad.
Wacthing the dress bring back a lot of memories of the good time, it is like a fary tale, i am praying that Prince William will make a great families just like the one that his mother would one to have.
God be with you Prince William..!
I love Diana’s wedding dress,and I also loved her and thought a lot of her,as a lot of other people did as well.It also brings back a lot of memories to me how beautiful she looked on her wedding day.I just hope William and Kate have a good and happy marriage forever.
God Bless You Both and may he always be with both of you.
I love Diana’s wedding dress,and I also loved her and thought a lot of her,as a lot of other people did as well.It also brings back a lot of memories to me how beautiful she looked on her wedding day.I just hope William and Kate have a good and happy marriage forever.
God Bless You Both and may he always be with both of you
I hope the Exhibit will come to the State of Georgia where I live.It would be an honoe to see Diana’s Gown up close.
I love Diana’s wedding dress,and I also loved her and thought a lot of her,as a lot of other people did as well.It also brings back a lot of memories to me how beautiful she looked on her wedding day.I just hope William and Kate have a good and happy marriage forever.
God Bless You Both and may he always be with both of you
I hope the Exhibit will come to the State of Georgia where I live.It would be an honor to see Diana’s Gown up close.
Princess Diana was one of a kind and no way can another surpass her. BUT, I feel her son who has chosen his own Lady because he fell in love with her is all that matters come his and Katherine’s wedding day. She loves him and he loves her…is more than his mom experienced with his father. I wish them well. I’m sure Kate’s dress will be just as lovely as Diana’s, if not even prettier. She is a lovely girl herself and I’m sure since she chose well with the man she’s to marry then her choice of gown will be just as handsome as her future husband.
I remember the day she married Prince Charles, shelooked ever so beautiful. My Daughter is reading a school book about London and it contained a wax work image of Princess Diana. I said that she was a beautiful lady and so searched for photos of the princess. I came across this pae to show her how gorgeous she was on her wedding day. And she was, such a waste of a lovely lady.
Princess Diana was elegant and classy. I sat through the whole ceremony with awe. Her son looks so much like her and has the same gracefulness that she had. His mother would be proud. She gave him so much more than he can ever realize, he but only has to look in the mirror to see it. God Bless you and Kate on your wedding day and your future Prince William.
P.S. The British always have such lovely manners and mostly behave with dignity.
I had the privilege of viewing the Princess Di Wedding Dress Exhibit in St. Petersburg, Fla.
several years ago. I remain in awe of the gorgeous dress. As I examined every pearl that was visible I reflected on how happy the young princess was the day she wore that dress. On the day of the nuptials, I remember thinking how fussy and overwhelming the dress was. But upon viewing the magnificent design and stitching, I realized that this dress was truly a masterpiece and a tribute to the young woman who wore it. The exhibit only galvanized my great respect for the mother of Princes William and Harry. She, by far, is the most respected of all 20th century British royalty
Will the Princess Dianna wedding dress exhibit ever make it to San Francisco? I can only imagine how magnificent the dress must be in person. What a treat it was to watch the wedding.
I quite like looking through a post that can make people think. Also, thank you for permitting me to comment!