Why was Princess Diana’s wedding dress so creased?

Love it or loathe it, Princess Diana's wedding dress will forever remain as one of the most iconic royal wedding dresses of all time.

Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the gown broke all records with its 10,000 pearls and mega long train and veil (it cost £9,000 at the time), and was accessorised with shoes that featured a romantic detail nodding to Prince Charles.

Whilst many thought it was the perfect fairytale princess dress, at the time others did criticise one particular detail: the fact that it had creases.

In fact, it even shocked designer Elizabeth, who said during an ITV appearance for Meghan and Harry's wedding, 'We did know it would crease a bit but when I saw her arrive at St Paul's and we saw the creasing I actually felt faint. I was horrified, really, because it was quite a lot of creasing. It was a lot more than we thought.'

This happened despite many dress rehearsals in the run-up to the big day, and the wrinkles were apparently due to the carriage ride, according to the designer.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Elizabeth said that the rehearsal hadn't factored in the fact that Diana would ride in the carriage with her father, or how big her dress had gotten, as the Princess apparently kept asking for a bigger train.

'In the tiny carriage, it had crumpled far more than we’d anticipated. We’d done a rehearsal, but not with her father, Earl Spencer, in the car, too — and he was quite a large man. It was a hot day, there was so much volume in the net and she was nervous, so she kept grabbing hold of it in her hands. Fortunately, we knew the fabric would pull out — that’s why we were there', she said.

However, in the end it all worked out, as the designer said the wrinkles added romance to proceedings.

'When she came out of that carriage, it was the most wonderful vision I’d ever seen. She looked like a butterfly emerging from her chrysalis, unfurling her wings and about to fly. It was so romantic. Oddly, the imperfections seemed to make her even more beautiful,' she added.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.