On September 10, Princess Maria Laura of Belgium was married to William Isvy.
For the civil ceremony at Brussels town hall, the bride wore a 1960s-inspired ecru mini dress with pleated empire waist by Gucci.
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Princess Maria Laura paired the dress with modern diamond and pearl drop earrings (the same ones worn by her sister-in-law Princess Elisabetta at her wedding in 2014) and ecru chunky heeled Gucci pumps.
That afternoon, the couple’s marriage was celebrated at a religious ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula before 500 guests.
The bride turned to British designer Vivienne Westwood for her custom silk gown. Westwood utilized both her corset mastery and inspiration from 18th century women’s fashion for the gown’s beautifully draped bodice. The open neckline is anchored with cap sleeves and the gown “falls from the hip is reminiscent of ancient Greek statues.”
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It’s a gown that relies entirely on construction and drape for its statement. Couture royal gowns are not a new thing – we’ve seen many! – but sometimes they overwhelm the wearer. This one does not.
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Less successful, I think, is the 4 meter (13 foot) long train which attaches by a belt at the waist, “especially created for Maria Laura, to create the drama and presence needed for the cathedral.” Maybe it was the wind on this very blustery, rainy day, but something about the belt attachment doesn’t quite work from all angles.
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The unembellished dress creates a stunning background for the lace veil. Made of exquisite Brussels lace, the floral patterned veil with scalloped edge is a family heirloom originally worn by Queen Paola’s Belgian grandmother, Laura Mosselman du Chenoy, in 1877. After Queen Paola wore it for her 1959 wedding, it has became a tradition for Belgian royal brides- we’ve seen worn previously by Princess Astrid, Queen Mathilde and Princess Claire.
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Princess Maria Laura anchored the veil with the Savoy-Aosta Diamond Tiara, an heirloom piece from her father’s Austrian royal family. It makes for an overall bridal look that’s a lovely mix of modernity and tradition, the dress, veil and tiara pairing so beautifully together while incorporating pieces from both sides of her family. The ensemble was completed with diamond drop earrings.
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Young pages and bridesmaids, including Princess Maria Laura’s niece Anna and nephew Maximillian, were in mustard yellow silk ensembles, the bridesmaids with wreaths of fresh flowers in their hair. Princess Laeticia corralled the group in an ivory blouse and yellow floral skirt topped with an emerald silk ruched bandeau headpiece.
Princess Maria Laura was further attended by her other sister Princess Luisa, sister-in-law Princess Elisabetta and cousins Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein and Princess Olympia Napoleon. Luisa, Elisabetta and Marie-Astrid wore bandeau headpieces in yellow, red and pink while Olympia wore a bandeau of gold flowers.
Wind and rain did not keep radiant smiles off the bride and groom’s faces!
See hats worn by family members from the Belgian, Austrian, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein royal families
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I love an unembellished wedding gown! The draping is lovely on this slim bride, and the style sets off the veil beautifully. There could be a little less décolletage to my eye, but of course, this is Vivienne Westwood! No bride would wish for a rainy wedding day, but those teal umbrellas make a striking background.
Oh, we just can’t get along without the weddings, especially the Belgian ones!!!! Thank you!
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How lovely to see a full scale royal wedding again. (Though a missed opportunity perhaps for a sixties inspired pillbox hat for the civil ceremony. And chunky heels seen in profile look rather… well, chunky, especially in white. I wish they went out of fashion again.)
The draped wedding dress combined with the beautiful lace veil and heirloom tiara suited the bride very well and both bride and groom looked radiantly happy!
I wonder how they managed to fold the 4 meter long train into that tiny old timer sports car! Did she take it of?
That’s a good point about the civil ceremony — a pillbox would have worked well with the ’60s style mini.
I thought the draped gown in plain satin suited this mature but slender bride very well. I loved her veil, tiara, hair ensemble too. The Savoy-Aosta makes a perfect wedding tiara.
I thought it was very sensible to give her adult attendants a “dress code” of their choice of floral attire with a headband, rather than bridesmaid gowns, especially as she already had a gaggle of tinies!
I look forward to the guests.
bridesmaid gowns for young ladies aren’t really a thing in Europe.