Skip to main contentSkip to footer

York royals as brides! Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Sarah Ferguson on their wedding days

See how the York royal weddings differed...


york royal weddings
Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
July 20, 2020
Share this:

After marrying in the midst of a global pandemic, it's no surprise that Princess Beatrice's royal wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on Friday 17 July was a unique affair.

Although there were some sweet nods to her family, in the form of her dress and tiara which both belonged to the Queen, the royal's nuptials continue to be very different from her sister Princess Eugenie and her mother the Duchess of York's own wedding days.

PHOTOS: Royal brides and their tiaras: All the most stunning looks

WATCH: Buckingham Palace releases new images of Princess Beatrice’s wedding

We take a look at the York royals as brides, including their wedding gowns, flowers, venues and attendees...

Sarah Ferguson

Dress

For her wedding to Prince Andrew on 23 July 1986, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, wore an embroidered ivory silk gown by British couturier Lindka Cierach. The royal bride's choice of dress had some sweet hidden details, including her 17ft train which was emblazoned with the letter 'A', as well as her personal coat of arms. 

sarah ferguson wedding dress

Both the Duchess of York and her daughter Beatrice borrowed a diamond wedding tiara from the Queen

She accessorised with a stunning diamond wedding tiara, borrowed from mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II, which was visible at the end of the ceremony.

Flowers

Sarah carried a cascading bouquet of gardenias, cream lilies, yellow roses, lilies of the valley and a sprig of myrtle, which is a traditional detail in British royal wedding bouquets. But those weren't the only flowers featured on her big day - we still love the stunning floral crown she wore to the altar, before removing it to reveal her tiara! 

sarah headdress

Sarah Ferguson removed her stunning floral crown to reveal her tiara

Wedding party

Westminster Abbey provided the perfect location for Sarah and Andrew to marry in front of all of their friends, family and well-wishers. Among the wedding party was four-year-old Prince William, who was one of the page boys and was dressed in a sailor suit and flat-brimmed hat. The young royal was pictured sitting among the flower girls who wore peach lace dresses with blossoms in their hair.

Princess Eugenie

Dress

Princess Eugenie ensured all eyes were on her dress during her wedding to Jack Brooksbank on 12 October 2018. Designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, her custom gown featured a low back silhouette to show the scar from a surgery she underwent aged 12 to correct scoliosis. Meanwhile, the ivory gown also included a number of intricately-woven symbols that held special meaning to the Princess. The fabric of the dress featured the White Rose of York – Eugenie's family name – as well as ivy, representing the couple’s home of Ivy Cottage. 

princess eugenie wedding bouquet

The back of Eugenie's dress was designed to show her scoliosis surgery scar

And her big day was the first time the Queen's granddaughter had ever worn a tiara! The bride borrowed the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara from Her Majesty, which is made of brilliant and rose-cut diamonds pavé set in platinum, with six emeralds on either side. "It was the most incredible thing to wear such a piece of history that my grandmother had lent me, very proud moment and the beautiful earrings were a gift from my husband," Eugenie explained in an audio commentary.

Flowers

In keeping with her autumnal wedding, Princess Eugenie opted for a pretty bouquet of flowers created by celebrity florist Rob van Helden. As well as a spring of myrtle, it included lily of the valley, white spray roses, trailing iris and ivy – which may have been another nod to her and Jack's home.

Wedding party

It's safe to say that plenty of people were there to support Eugenie and Jack on their special day, which took place at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle! Those playing starring roles on were bridesmaids Princess Charlotte, Savannah and Isla Phillips, Mia Tindall, Theodora Williams, and Maud Windsor, and pageboys Prince George and Olivier De Givenchy. The young children were looked after by Lady Louise Windsor - who also had a big part in her cousin's wedding by being named as a Special Attendant. 

eugenie bridesmaids

Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Mia Tindall were among the bridesmaids and pageboys at Eugenie's wedding

And Eugenie thoughtfully even put together bespoke gifts to keep the young members of the wedding party entertained! A source told HELLO!: "All the bridesmaids and pageboys were given bespoke packs to entertain them during the long day from KeepEmQuiet.com. The packs, which had individual names on, included colouring books, tailored games, figurines and puzzles. They also had dress up glasses and magic painting."

Princess Beatrice

Dress

Unlike other royal brides, Princess Beatrice opted for a very unusual wedding dress when she tied the knot to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a private ceremony on 17 July 2020. The 31-year-old wore a vintage dress by Norman Hartnell, on loan from the Queen. It was made from Peau De Soie taffeta in shades of ivory, trimmed with ivory Duchess satin, encrusted with diamanté and it featured a geometric checkered bodice. She added organza sleeves to the Queen's original strappy gown to make it suitable for the Church wedding - and we can't help but notice a few similarities between Beatrice and her mother Sarah's bridal dresses, such as the puff sleeves and embellishment. 

princess wedding photo© Benjamin Wheeler

The royal borrowed her wedding dress and tiara from the Queen

Like her mother, Beatrice also borrowed a tiara from Her Majesty, but hers was the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara which was worn by the Queen on her wedding day. The tiara was originally made for Queen Mary by Garrard and Co. in 1919, from a diamond necklace given by Queen Victoria for her wedding.

Flowers

However, there were a few traditional elements of her wedding, including her bouquet which was made by Patrice Van Helden, co-owner of RVH Floral Design. Beatrice carried an arrangement of trailing jasmine, pale pink and cream sweet peas, royal porcelain ivory spray roses, pink O'Hara garden roses, pink wax flower and baby pink astilbe, as well as sprigs of myrtle. In keeping with royal tradition, Beatrice's bouquet was also placed on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, like other brides before her.

princess beatrice official wedding photo© Benjamin Wheeler

Princess Beatrice married at All Saints Chapel, Windsor

Wedding party

Beatrice and Edoardo were married in a small family ceremony at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, after being forced to postpone their wedding in May following the coronavirus pandemic. 

Instead of saying 'I do' in front of hundreds of people with crowds eagerly waiting outside to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds, the royal couple's final ceremony included only "close family". In total, fewer than twenty people are believed to have attended the wedding, including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of York, the Duchess of York, Princess Eugenie (who served as her sister's maid of honour) and her husband Jack Brooksbank. 

However, two surprising guests in attendance were Edoardo's niece and nephew, Coco and Freddie, the children of his sister Natalia Yeomans. The two children took on the role of bridesmaid and pageboy, alongside Edoardo's four-year-old son Christopher (also known as Wolfie), who played both pageboy and best man.

READ: Inside Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's luxury wedding breakfast

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Weddings

See more