When Princess Diana Stepped Out On Her Wedding Day, The Dress Designer Was Horrified By One Detail

Some 750 million pairs of eyes were fixed on the glass carriage when it pulled up to St. Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of London. As the door opened, out stepped Lady Diana Spencer, who’d soon become a princess upon uttering her vows to Prince Charles. Her wedding gown was, of course, fit for royalty. But among the millions of in-person and television viewers was one of designers of the dress. This was Elizabeth Emanuel – and she was horrified to see an error in the once-in-a-lifetime garment.

In spite of that flaw, Princess Diana’s dress has gone down as one of the most iconic wedding gowns of all time. It didn’t make waves for its understated features, though. For one thing, this dress had a train measuring 25 foot in length. It was so long, in fact, that it required an aerial shot to fully capture its scope and grandeur.

But it wasn’t just the train that turned heads. Diana’s dress had so many over-the-top details that only an ’80s wedding gown could have. The ivory-colored, silk taffeta frock had puff sleeves and a slight v-neck, all of which were accented by a layer of ruffles. More than 10,000 pearls bedecked the fabric’s surface.

The ball gown had plenty of fabric space to stitch in a few personal details, too. There was a piece of lace that’d previously been owned by Prince Charles’ great-grandmother Queen Mary. Diana also had her wedding dress designers sew a small sky-colored bow into her waistband – something blue for her big day.

Princess Diana’s show-stopping gown cost $115,000 when she bought it in 1981. Adjusted for inflation, that would’ve been roughly $342,800 in 2020. Designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel – who, at that time, were a married couple – had the honor of creating the royal’s iconic look on one of the biggest days of her life.