On Saturday, 30th July 2011, Miss Zara Phillips, the daughter of the Princess Royal and the eldest grand-daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, married Mike Tindall in Canongate Kirk, Scotland.
Zara Phillips wore a silk faille and silk duchesse wedding gown by Stewart Parvin at her wedding to Mike Tindall. Photo credit: Getty Images.
As she stepped from her black Bentley, she waved and smiled to the cheers and warm applause from the crowd of 6,000 onlookers who had gathered outside the kirk, the secret of another Royal wedding dress was unveiled.
Miss Phillips wore an off-the-rack ivory silk faille and silk duchesse satin gown by Stewart Parvin, a couturier to both the Queen and the Princess Royal.
The gown featured a chevron-pleated bodice, a dropped waist, a chapel train, and was designed to create a “bell-shaped” silhouette.
It was chosen from the White Room boutique in Minchinhampton, Glos, near her mother’s Gatcombe estate – a low-key choice in contrast to the Duchess of Cambridge’s Alexander McQueen design.
The bride also wore a Greek Key diamond tiara given to her by her mother, the Princess Royal.
The gown featured gathered silk organza over-the-shoulder straps and covered silk buttons all the way down the back centre line of the gown. Photo credit: Getty Images.
Her pared-down, natural make-up was by Bobbi Brown, while her hair was worn in a swept-up chignon, styled by Evangelos Tsaipkinis, of the Mayfair salon Michael John.
The bride was accompanied by her maid of honour, the horse trainer Dolly Maude, whose six-year-old son Ted, six, Miss Phillips’ godson, acted as page boy. The bridesmaids were Stephanie Phillips, Miss Phillips’s half-sister, the daughter of Captain Mark Phillips and his second wife Sandy Pflueger, Nell Maude, Jaz Jocelyn and Hope Balshaw. The bridal party all wore dresses by Sue Palmer, a local dressmaker.
The couple were joined by around 400 guests at the Kirk, which was decorated with white stargazer lilies, roses and carnations, and beech and box trees. The guests were piped into the Kirk by Derek Potter, the Queen’s pipe major.
But, for all its informality, this was not quite a “normal” wedding.
Not when the guests included the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family and an array of stars from the worlds of sport, acting and television.
The Royal wedding party was led by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and included Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Also among the guests were the England rugby stars Jonny Wilkinson and Ben Foden and their manager Martin Johnson, all Mr Tindall’s close friends.
The 30 year-old Miss Phillips, once known as the “royal rebel”, sprang a surprise when it emerged that she would not take Mr Tindall’s name following their marriage.
The decision to keep her maiden name was taken because of her success as a world champion equestrian – and was very much in the spirit of the day.
Miss Phillips, who is 13th in line to the throne, had spent her final night as a single woman partying on the Royal Yacht Britannia with younger guests and stayed at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official Scottish residence. It is believed that the couple are also not taking a honeymoon, and are returning to usual work commitments on Monday.
Hilary Thacker – Editor – The Bride Style Blog
