From the bride to guests like Kate Middleton, see how royals championed modest fashion at the marriage ceremony
The dress code for the royal wedding between Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II of Jordan and his bride, the Saudi architect Rajwa Al Saif, was simple enough: black tie, no tiaras. That much was revealed by The Royal Watcher last month.
Still, when the couple tied the knot at the Zahran Palace in Amman on June 1, it was clear that everyone who graced the Islamic marriage ceremony was following another unspoken rule: to dress modestly.
The bride, now known as Princess Rajwa of Jordan, graciously set the bar. The 29-year-old made her entrance in a floor-length white silk crepe sheath gown, fitted with long sleeves. Her custom wedding ensemble, created by Lebanese couturier Elie Saab, may have been modest, but boring it was not.
There was the drama of the long train that trailed behind her, adorned with laser-cut flowers, pearls and crystals. The bride also pinned a cathedral veil to her sparkling Fred Leighton diamond tiara. And there were little quirks that made Princess Rajwa’s wedding look truly hers, like the asymmetric neckline of her dress, and her decision to wear a pair of white flats.
Read more: How Kate Middleton honoured Princess Diana at King Charles III’s coronation
Princess Rajwa’s mother-in-law, Queen Rania of Jordan, was another champion of modest fashion at the wedding reception. She greeted guests in a black Dior haute couture gown with a high neckline and embroidered cuffs, looking every bit as stately as her esteemed title called for.
Royals and dignitaries from around the world that were invited to the wedding also made special considerations to dress conservatively. Kate Middleton was a stellar example: while the Princess of Wales is partial to midi dresses, she chose to wear a blush pink gown with a sweeping skirt. The dress, a look from Elie Saab’s fall/winter 2017 collection, originally featured sheer panels and a belt, but Middleton had these details altered away to look more presentable.
Similarly covered up were Middleton’s royal relative, Princess Beatrice, who donned a long-sleeved blue dress from British label Needle & Thread, and Princess Mary of Denmark, who was clad in a white floral Erdem dress. US First Lady Jill Biden, meanwhile, arrived in a lilac column dress by Lebanese bridal designer Reem Acra.
