LONDON, England (July 27, 2007) It was at St. Pauls Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981, that Lady Diana Spencer became a real life princess as the entire world watched live on television. One of the days many highlights was Dianas unforgettable wedding gown. Now, we can reveal what it took to get the look.
We were introduced to [her through] Vogue magazine and originally they asked us for a blouse, designer Elizabeth Emanuel told Access Hollywood. Diana loved the blouse so much she asked who made it and she made an appointment with us to come in.
Lady Diana made an appointment with designer Elizabeth Emanuel and her husband at their London studio to secretly design her wedding dress.
She really was a child then and very sweet [and] nervous, Emanuel said. She looked at all the shapes, tried things on and eventually she settled on one shape that looked really good on her with a tight waist [and] frills.
Elizabeth showed Access her personal album, detailing the secretive construction of Dianas dress.
Diana lost a lot of weight and we didn’t want to start cutting into the actual fabric until she stabilized her weight a bit, Emanuel explained. At the end she had a 23-inch waist.
Elizabeth and her mom did all the embroidery on the silk taffeta gown with a 25-foot train. The veil was covered in thousands of tiny sequins, each one hand knotted on.
They were there so when the light hit them, you would just see the sparkle, she said.
Lady Di went to Emanuels studio for about eight fittings.
She came to us, Emanuel said. We did have one at the Palace because the train was so long. They closed off one of the corridors. It was quite awesome actually.
Elizabeth hired two guards to watch over the dress and it was stored in a safe.
Twenty-six years ago this Sunday, Princess Dianas historic wedding day, Elizabeth, accompanied Lady Diana to Clarence House one of the royal homes, to get ready.
It was such a good atmosphere. Outside you [had] all the crowds screaming and shouting, Emanuel recalled. I was a complete nervous wreck but Diana throughout, was calming us all down.
After the wedding, we got a call about 6 oclock in the evening, which [was] her thanking us, which was so sweet. Wed just seen her go off on her honeymoon. We honestly didnt expect her to think about us.
Elizabeth saved the unused original materials the dress was made from. With the new special edition of her book A Dress For Diana, costing $2000, you get a piece from the original cut of fabric from the princess gown.
It was a happy day and I think its important for people to remember there are happy days out there as well, Emanuel said.
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