The second dress – the dress worn after the wedding, to the wedding reception – is becoming a must-have for many brides, especially if your main wedding dress is heavy or long, and doesn’t let you move around as freely as you’d like to. Many royal brides have leaned into the second dress – here are six who pulled it off splendidly.
1. MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX
Meghan Markle wowed the world on her wedding day with a magnificent gown by Givenchy. For the evening reception at Frogmore House, she opted for a mesmerising halter neck dress by Stella McCartney that showed off her toned shoulders.
2. KATE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE
For her wedding reception, the Duchess changed from the heavily-embroidered Alexander McQueen number that made global headlines to a simpler gown by the same designer, featuring a satin A-line skirt and a sweetheart neckline, and accessorising it with a nifty little cardigan to keep the chill at bay.
3. PRINCESS EUGENIE
After her wedding, Princess Eugenie traded her gorgeous, white Peter Pilotto-designed wedding dress for a stunning blush pink Zac Posen frock for the evening reception, switching up her hair and accessories to match.
4. BEATRICE BORROMEO
The Italian aristocrat wore not one, not two, but five different outfits to her two-ceremony wedding to Pierre Casiraghi, the son of Princess Caroline of Hanover. For her final evening reception, she wore a showstopping silk tulle gown by Armani with a deep neckline, which featured a pleated train with two diamond family heirloom brooches.
5. PRINCESS CHARLENE OF MONACO
Princess Charlene wore a Giorgio Armani silk wedding gown with five-metre long train studded with thousands of crystals at her 2011 wedding to Prince Albert of Monaco. For the evening she changed into a more lightweight Armani Prive ruffled dress featuring rows of sequins.
6. EKATERINA MALYSHEVA
For her wedding to Prince Ernst of Hanover in 2017, the fashion designer wore three different bridal looks, all created by Lebanese designer Sandra Mansour and covered in Russian-influenced embroidery. Our favourite is the delicate pale pink look which the princess for the pre-wedding dinner.