14 dazzling second royal wedding dresses: Princess Kate's feathers, Meghan Markle's halterneck masterpiece, and more (2024)

The royal rulebook reportedly dictates that royal brides must have no short hemlines, no low necklines, and no shoulders on display for their big day. but what did they wear once they were away from the cameras?

Princess Kate, Princess Charlene, and many more royal fashionistas swapped their iconic wedding dresses for a bolder look for their private evening receptions.

We're talking about Meghan Markle's shoulder-baring halterneck gown and Princess Eugenie's colourful pink frock, for example. After all, if you can't let your hair down in a dazzling dress on your wedding day, when can you?

Keep scrolling to see some of the most incredible second royal wedding dresses. They don't disappoint...

Princess Kate

Princess Kate, 42, wore one of the most famous wedding dresses of all time when she arrived at Westminster Abbey in 2011 in a heavily embroidered Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown. But for her wedding reception, the mum-of-three changed into a simpler gown by the same designer featuring a satin A-line skirt and a sweetheart neckline, which she accessorised with a sweet cream cardigan.

The second dress had the added bonus of no train, meaning she no longer needed sister Pippa on hand to get around! We also loved how she added a touch of glitz with the bejeweled belt.

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle revealed her love of sharp tailoring and clean silhouettes when she married Prince Harry in 2018 in a beautifully simple bateau neck gown by Givenchy. For the evening reception at Frogmore House, she decided to show a little more flesh, opting for a gorgeous halterneck dress by Stella McCartney.

Sarah Ferguson

Sarah Ferguson changed out of her puff-sleeve Lindka Cierach bridal gown and into a floral co-ord as she headed to the Azores for her honeymoon with her ex-husband Prince Andrew.

She was pictured waving to royal crowds in a horse-drawn carriage as she made her way to Heathrow Airport in a short-sleeved peplum jacket with a nipped-in waist and a pleated ankle-length skirt.

Flora Vesterberg

Princess Alexandra's granddaughter Flora Vesterberg (née Ogilvy) wore several stunning weddings for her nuptials with Swedish financier, Timothy Vesterberg.

For her 2020 nuptials at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace, Flora was a beautiful bride in a modern gown by Emilia Wickstead, but she opted for a lacy creation for her marriage blessing in 2021.

She wore a Phillipa Lepley gown featuring a romantic sweetheart neckline, sheer long sleeves and delicate embroidered flowers which she said "was influenced by the knowledge of botany that my landscape designer father, James, had taught me." She later rocked a third pink mini dress for a celebration at Claridges Hotel in London.

Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie wowed royal watchers when she changed out of her gorgeous, white Peter Pilotto-designed wedding dress into an equally-divine blush pink Zac Posen frock for the evening reception. The 33-year-old also switched up her hair and accessories, letting her chestnut waves fall loose and adding a pair of eye-catching chunky earrings.

Princess Charlene of Monaco

The wedding of Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco was an exceptionally grand affair, even by royal wedding standards, featuring a civil ceremony followed by a huge Catholic mass. For the evening she changed out of her white Giorgio Armani couture dress into this gorgeous ruffled design featuring rows of sequins.

Her iconic pixie cut that she is known for now was nowhere to be seen as the Princess sported a low side bun with a bejeweled Alice band in her hair.

Princess Sofia

Princess Sofia of Sweden's second dress was more daring than her first. The former model wed Prince Carl Philip in 2015 wearing an Ida Sjöstedt gown with long lace sleeves, but she later changed into another frock from the designer with a lace one-shouldered silhouette.

Princess Diana

After saying 'I do' in her iconic puff-sleeve wedding dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, Princess Diana changed into a pink suit which became known as her 'honeymoon outfit'.

The late Princess of Wales was pictured wearing a beautiful bespoke pink dress and jacket designed by David Sassoon for Bellville Sassoon on her wedding day, which she later recycled on the royal tour to Australia in 1982, and to open a hospital in Grimsby in 1983. The outfit featured frothy tulle detailing around the arms and collar, as well as on the coordinating hat.

Lady Gabriella Windsor

While we didn't get to see her second wedding dress in all its glory, Lady Gabriella Windsor's fashion designer Luisa Beccaria shared a sketch of the sleeveless, floor-length white tulle dress, which was embroidered with mother of pearl exclusively with HELLO! Isn't it gorgeous?

Charlotte Casiraghi

After surprising in Saint Laurent for her civil ceremony, Charlotte Casiraghi changed into a custom-made white silk Chanel strapless dress for her reception. The beautiful bride accessorised the dress with her grandmother Princess Grace's Cartier diamond necklace with her hair styled into sleek old Hollywood-style curls.

Marie Chevallier

Louis Ducruet's bride Marie Chevallier wore a jumpsuit for her civil ceremony and princess-style gown for their second ceremony at Monaco Cathedral, before changing into a third outfit at their wedding reception. The royal bride dared to bare her legs in a Rosa Clara mini dress, which featured embroidered lace and a tulle overcoat.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden

The youngest child of King Carl and Queen Silvia, Madeleine decided to mix up a new trend with an old tradition when she married financier Christopher O'Neill in 2013. Like other royal brides, she changed out of the showstopping Valentino lace dress for something simpler – a vintage ballgown previously worn by her mother to a Nobel peace prize dinner, making it her 'something borrowed/at the same time. It was later exhibited along with other Swedish royals' dresses.How lovely!

Beatrice Borromeo

The Italian aristocrat took the royal wedding dress tally to dizzy new levels when she wed Pierre Casiraghi, the son of Princess Caroline of Hanover, in two separate weekend ceremonies featuring five different outfits. However she chose to save the best until last – for the final evening reception, for which she arrived by boat, she wore an Armani-designed silk tulle gown with a deep neckline, micro pleating, and a dramatic pleated train that featured two diamond family heirloom brooches.

Her hair was swept off her face in a bun that was surrounded by a plait detail that showed off her classic drop earrings.

Ekaterina Malysheva

For her wedding to Prince Ernst of Hanover, the fashion designer worked not one but three stunning bridal looks, all created by Lebanese designer Sandra Mansour and covered in beautiful embroidery inspired by her Russian heritage. Her bridal look was white and traditional with a long train, while she went for an off-the-shoulder design at the afterparty and a gorgeously feminine pale pink look for the pre-wedding dinner. Beautiful!

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