At her wedding to the Prince of Asturias on May 22, 2004, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (now Queen Letizia of Spain) was attended by four pageboys, three young bridesmaids, and two older bridesmaids. The attendants’ 18th century themed attire was designed by Spanish designer Lorenzo Caprile who took inspiration from Francisco de Goya’s painting The Duke and Duchess of Osuna and their Children (1787).

The elder two pageboys (Prince Felipe’s nephews Froilán and Juan) wore white knee breeches and frilled shirts with embroidered waist coats and knee-length coats in gold silk. The younger pageboys (Prince Felipe’s nephews Pablo and Miguel) wore cream silk trousers, lace trimmed shirts and gold silk waist sashes.

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The three young bridesmaids (Prince Felipe’s niece Victoria, Letizia’s niece Carla Vigo Ortiz and Victoria Lopez-Quesada y de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, granddaughter of Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria) wore cream and gold silk dresses trimmed in lace embroidered with the same motifs as Letizia’s veil.The young girls also wore cream headbands with cream and gold multi-looped bows on the side. I thought it was adorable how the size of the hair bow was directly proportional to the size of the bridesmaid!

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The two older bridesmaids, Ana Codorniu Álvarez de Toledo (daughter of the Marquess of Casa Loring) and Claudia González Ortiz (Letizia’s first cousin) wore gold silk dresses with a tightly corseted bodice, square neckline, three quarter length ruffled sleeves and full, pleated skirts. A white lace apron overlayed the front of the skirt and a white lace shawl was added for the ceremony. The bridesmaids’ ensemble was topped with a white snood which covered the back of their heads.

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I have always been intrigued by the attendants’ attire at this wedding as it was such a striking contrast to Letizia’s rather modern dress. The 18th century fashion gave a sense of long-rooted history to the event and added a very romantic touch. As much as I loved it, it seems incredibly fussy (especially those snoods!). As always, I am interested to hear your opinions- what did you think of the ensembles worn by attendants at this Spanish royal wedding?

Tomorrow, we will focus on the hats and headpieces worn by family members of the bride and groom.

Photos from Museo Nacional del Prado;  Dusko Despotovic via Corbis;  Getty as indicated

King Felipe and Queen Letizia are vacationing in Mallorca this week with their daughters and other members of the King’s family. In May this year, they celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary; as they and most other royals are on vacation this week, we’re going to take advantage of this lull in royal engagements to take a look back at the many hats worn at their grand wedding, ten years ago.

Journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano’s wardrobe was filled with business suits when she and the Prince of Asturias shocked the world with the announcement of their engagement. As such, Letizia followed the the recommendation of Queen Sofia and asked 87-year old Spanish designer Manuel Pertegaz (longtime designer of Spanish royal gowns) to create her dress. Pertegaz  designed an elegantly simple gown with high collar, v-neck, bell sleeves, slim bodice, and A-line skirt that flowed into an unusual circular train. Made of silk from Valencia, the creamy-hued dress was embroidered with intricate patterns of clover, strawberry tree berries, wheat, flowers and the Asturias fleur de lys in luminescent gold and silver thread.

Amazingly the dress was cut from single, continuous panels from shoulder to the end of the fifteen-foot train. While the circular design of the train flowed beautifully out from the dress and looked absolutely stunning when Letizia was stationary, it dragged in heavy, folded layers behind her when she walked up and down the aisle of Almudena Cathedral.

It appears that a slinkier lace dress was worn underneath the main gown.

Letizia topped her dress with an ivory silk tulle veil cut in the same circular shape as the train of her dress. It was also hand embroidered with motifs of ears of wheat, flowers, and the the Asturias fleur de lys. A gift from Prince Felipe, the veil was a lovely match for Letizia’s gown.

The veil was anchored by the Prussian Diamond Tiara, on loan from Queen Sofia (the history of this tiara is detailed here and here). I think The Greek key and laurel leaf design of this tiara coordinated well with the embroidery on Letizia’s dress; the scale of the tiara was also perfect for this very petite bride. Letizia’s only other jewelry were a pair of delicate diamond drop earrings, a gift from King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.

I love this dress but wonder if it would be better suited to a taller bride. I think the cut overwhelmed Letizia and the incredible visual effect of the circular rain was lost when Letizia moved. In many photos, she appears to be drowning in fabric- not a good look for a royal bride. On a more positive note, the intricate embroidery gave a personal touch to the dress and coordinated so beautifully with the veil and tiara. Looking back at it now, I am afraid that this bridal ensemble looked best from a closeup view. I am curious, dear readers, what do you think?

Later today, we will look at the unique outfits (with headpieces!) worn by the attendants at this wedding.

Photos from Odd Andersen, Pascal Le Segretain, AFP, Pedro Armestre, and A. Jones/J. Whatling/J. Parker/M. Cuthbert via Getty; Boris Roessler, Dusko Despotovic and Gustavo Cuevas via Corbis; AFP, Pool, Javier Soriano, Pedro Armestre, Pool, Pool, AFP and AFP via Getty