Royal brides: The fairytale wedding dresses worn by real-life princesses

Finding the right dress to walk down the aisle in is the most important decision for any bride. And when the eyes of the whole world are on you, that choice becomes all the more crucial. With the impending nuptials of Sweden's future queen Victoria just around the corner, we take a look at some royal beauties who have hit the nail on the head – combining their natural elegance with a sartorial selection perfectly suited to their status…

On May 14, 2004, in Copenhagen Cathedral, Mary Donaldson married her Prince Charming, Frederik of Denmark. She chose a beautiful – and simple – sleeved gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank to wear on her big day, accessorised with an antique veil used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden on the occasion of her marriage in 1905. In honour of her Australian roots, Mary's bouquet included eucalyptus, as well as flowers picked from the royal palace's garden
All photos: © Getty Images, PA

Willem-Alexander's bride found her perfect gown courtesy of one of the world's top designers. Princess Maxima of the Netherlands married her royal love on February 2, 2002, in Amsterdam wearing a Valentino couture long-sleeved ivory gown, with a train inset with beautiful embroidered flowers. Her tiara was made especially for the occasion – its base was taken from one owned by Queen Emma, and the stars from one owned by Emma's daughter, Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Beatrix's grandmother. For her bridal bouquet, Maxima chose a cascading arrangement of white roses, gardenias and lilies of the valley

There was great excitement among British royal watchers on May 17, 2008, when Autumn Kelly married the Queen's oldest grandchild Peter Phillips in Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel. The Canadian PA wore an ivory duchess satin dress by Sassi Holford, estimated to have cost £2,000. She completed her outfit for the wedding – featured in HELLO! – with a cathedral train, a lace bolero to adorn her shoulders and a beautiful tiara, which was loaned to her by her mother-in-law, the Princess Royal. The necklace and earrings were given to her by her groom as a wedding gift

Just five months after she locked eyes on her handsome future husband at a dinner party, Rania Al-Yassin married Jordan's prince – later king – Abdullah bin Al-Hussein on June 10, 1993. The beautiful bride, who became queen in March 1999, wore a gown created by famous Lebanese designer Elie Saab

London was the setting for the marriage between Marie-Chantal and Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, who wed in Bayswater's St Sophia Cathedral on July 1, 1995. The bride – born in the British capital – said her vows wearing a silk ivory Valentino dress thought to have cost an estimated £150,000. The gown's skirt was adorned with appliquéd roses, with smaller flowers decorating its lace bodice. On her head she wore a scalloped veil made from four-and-a-half metres of Chantilly lace and embroidered with butterflies. Her diamond tiara was lent to her by the groom's mother, Queen Anne-Marie

Marie Cavallier joined the Danish royal family on May 24, 2008, after marrying Prince Joachim in Mogeltonder Church. The striking Parisian walked down the aisle in a fairytale haute couture dress designed by Swiss fashion house Arasa Morelli. The full-skirted off-white gown featured an embroidered lace bodice, made from 19th century-inspired lace and tulle, and a three-metre-long train. And Marie's tulle veil with lace bordering was held in place by a tiara belonging to her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe

Guests including Britain's Prince Charles and Nelson Mandela gathered in Madrid to see Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano marry Spain's Crown Prince Felipe in a Roman Catholic ceremony on May 22, 2004. The former journalist chose a wedding gown by veteran Spanish designer Manuel Pertegaz to wear to her nuptials, featuring an impressive train, fitted bodice and an unusual high collar

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore a wedding dress inspired by the one worn by groom Crown Prince Haakon's great grandmother, Queen Maud, for her marriage in 1896. Created by designer Ove Harder Finseth and seamstress Anna Bratland, the gown was made of thick silk crepe and draped in soft silk tulle, and featured a bodice and a flared skirt. The train reached two metres, while her veil was made from six metres of silk. Adorning her head on her big day – held on August 25, 2001, in Oslo Cathedral – was a beautiful antique tiara, presented as a gift from her in-laws, Harald and Sonja

One year later and the Norwegian royals were celebrating again at the wedding of Haakon's younger sister Princess Martha Louise. The bride married author Ari Behn in May 2002 wearing a two-piece wedding outfit featuring a dress and jacket – created for her by Oslo-based designer Wenche Lyche. The costume was inspired by the shape and colour of the Martha lily; the Swarovski-embroidered bridal jacket was made of off-white duchess satin, a three-metre train tapered to a pointed arch, while the gown was of white silk crepe. The bride – whose bouquet consisted mainly of lilies – also paid tribute to her royal heritage by holding her veil in place with a tiara originally belonging to Queen Maud

Five months after the announcement of their engagement, Britain's Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones were married in Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel on Saturday 19 June, 1999. For her wedding to the Queen's youngest son, the former PR wore a simple ivory silk and organza dress-coat created by Samantha Shaw, featuring 325,000 crystals and pearls fastened along the neck, full-length sleeves and train. As well as her corseted V-neck gown, Sophie wore a cathedral-length veil, sprinkled with more crystals, and a diamond tiara from the Queen's private collection. She was also adorned with a black-and-white pearl necklace and matching earrings designed by Edward as a wedding gift

Belgium's future king, Crown Prince Philippe, married his beautiful bride Mathilde in a winter wedding on December 4, 1999. To exchange her vows – the couple had both a civil ceremony in the town hall and a religious one at the Cathedral of Saint Michel – the princess wore a traditional gown designed for her by Belgian couturier Edouard Vermeulen of the Natan fashion house. She also wore a two-metre-long veil made from Brussels lace, which was crowned by a diamond diadem, and pearl and diamond earrings

Harvard graduate Masako Owada became a member of Japan's Imperial Family on June 9, 1993, when she married Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko's first son, Crown Prince Naruhito. For the couple's traditional Shinto ceremony, the bride wore a traditional silk bridal kimono – made up of a dozen layers – which eventually weighed 14 kilograms and cost over $100,000. Masako completed her extravagant attire with elegant long gloves and beautifully decorative jewellery including an ornate diamond tiara and necklace