The Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson - 3 June 1937

[aussiechick12]

Can we post some pictures and information of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpsons wedding? I heard she had a photographer come a few days before the wedding and have some formal shots done. Does anyone have any pictures of this?

 

[wymanda]

Just for you - & thanks to Corbis

 

[Elspeth]

Cecil Beaton took some shots the day (or a few days) before the wedding; if you can get hold of a copy of his book of royal photos there are a few of them there.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

HRH the Duke of Windsor & Wallis Warfield - 3 June 1937

3 June 1937
The former king Edward VIII, born HRH the Prince Edward but always known as "David" to his nearest and dearest, legally made twice-divorced Wallis Warfield his wife on this day. The couple took the vows of marriage in the Château de Candé, near Tours, France. The sixteen uests included Herman Rogers, Major Metcalfe, and the bride's "aunt Bessie". The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Robert Anderson Jardine, the Vicar of St. Paul's, Darlington. The bride wore a design by Mainbocher. The Duke wore a morning suit.
Unfortunately, no member of the royal family could attend the service, because the King's position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England would have been compromised, being that the Church would not sanction the wedding.
The couple took a honeymoon in Venice, Italy. Ms. Warfield became Her Grace the Duchess of Windsor.

References
* Edward VIII of the United Kingdom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
* Mainbocher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
* Chateau de Cande - Monuments Touraine Loire Valley


Rex 1
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Getty 1
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[CasiraghiTrio]

Topfoto 1
Topfoto 2
Pic 3 (from Fashion History Costume Trends and Eras, Trends Victorians - Haute Couture)

Here are some pics I have found on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor thread in the British forum. They were originally posted by Morgaine and Royalsa.
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4

 

[Lighthouse]

This story of what a man would do for love blows my mind.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

I just love David. I don't care what anyone says. The man had style.

 

[ellenw]

I've seen the Duchess of Windsor's wedding gown on display at one of the Metropolitan Museum's costume exhibitions. She was very petite. The dress itself must have faded considerably - as I recall, it was created in a blue shade, but it is now a dull, mauve color.

 

[STEVEN]

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh277/16falco/EdwardVIIIWallisSimpson0.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh277/16falco/EdwardVIIIWallisSimpson1.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh277/16falco/EdwardVIIIWallisSimpson2.jpg

 

[Yeo-wang]

They may not have been the favored couple of their time but their matrimony made history......very stylish couple indeed.

 

[Wisteria]

I've seen the Duchess of Windsor's wedding gown on display at one of the Metropolitan Museum's costume exhibitions. She was very petite. The dress itself must have faded considerably - as I recall, it was created in a blue shade, but it is now a dull, mauve color.

He was petite too, so you don´t notice it that much in photos.
The wedding dress was created in a special blue for her and was called Wallis blue. She was very stylish but this wedding gown must be one of the ugliest wedding dresses for a royal wedding in history. It was ghastly and not at all flattering.
She always looked best in a plain well cut dress with her gorgeous jewellery.
Bu she had at least one dreadful evening dress which stands out in my mind with embroidered sparkly lobsters , but on the whole she had good taste.
Another interesting point was that she had a largish mole which was usually removed in photos at her request. I have seen one or two old photos where you can see it but it was usually removed or perhaps later on she had it surgically removed. I personally don´t think it mattered but she obviously
did. If you look closely at the first wedding photo you can see it just under her bottom lip to the left (it would be on her right) of the picture.

 

[Yeo-wang]

The Duchess had a fashion sense to outshine the stylish beauties of her time without possessing conventional beauty.

I wonder if they had stylists/fashion advisors like they do now, or were her fashion entirely self-chosen.

Now that I look at her wedding gown again it's a bit dull, but it's understandable considering the couple didn't have the usual royal wedding ceremony.

 

[Wisteria]

I think their stylists and fashion advisors were their chosen dressmakers. Also of course their own flair for fashion.
Wallis was very careful with her dress and makeup but her real flair for style was in the various houses she lived in, from what I have read and heard she was a genius for decorating them and for entertaining.
As for the wedding dress it was far too tight and even made the stick thin Duchess look as though she had a fat tummy, strange that her usual impeccable taste seemed to be missing on that day, and it wasn´t as though she didn´t have time to think it through as the Duke and Duchess had to wait for her divorce to be final for quite some time before they married.
Perhaps someone has some more photos of dresses made for her by Mainbocher so as to decide whether this ghastly dress was her fault or his....

 

[Yeo-wang]

Wisteria, you referred to her wedding dress as "ghastly" dress and though it sounds a bit harsh the design really wasn't a recommendable one for such a happy occasion. The design was much too conservative and, as you described, too tight, emphasizing her shapeless lean figure.

Let's blame it on the designer for the sake of the Duchess since she was not well accepted by many for her role in the abdication of the throne.

As for her outstanding sense in decorating and entertaining, I couldn't agree with you more since the photos of her lavish apartment in Paris were proof enough that the Duchess was gifted in that department. And socializing/entertaining was likely to have been a "career" for the Duke and the Duchess.

 

[MARG]

The Duchess had a fashion sense to outshine the stylish beauties of her time without possessing conventional beauty

I wonder if they had stylists/fashion advisors like they do now, or were her fashion entirely self-chosen.

Now that I look at her wedding gown again it's a bit dull, but it's understandable considering the couple didn't have the usual royal wedding ceremony.

She was the epitome her dictom “A woman can't be too rich or too thin.” Her wedding attire proved the lie. She was both rich and thin and she looked just plain awful.

I have often wondered if the "Ghastly Chic" of her wedding dress wasn't a statement about what she thought about the "Hole in the Corner" wedding as I don't think I ever saw a photo of her in anything quite so ugly either before or after the wedding.

 

[Yeo-wang]

Oh my, people do have strong opinions on the "ghastly" wedding dress.

What can I say......a bad chose can last a lifetime......hahaha...and I doubt she chose the dress to make a statement...but who knows.. you may be...right.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Yeah I'm bumping it! More talk about the wedding please.
When I think of Wallis I unfortunately envision this dress; for someone who was supposed to be so stylish and glamorous, her choice of wedding dress is dreadful. I wonder if the new movie tried to make it look better in a similar fashion as they made Wallis, Edward, and Elizabeth look better physically.

 

[Osipi]

Yeah I'm bumping it! More talk about the wedding please.
When I think of Wallis I unfortunately envision this dress; for someone who was supposed to be so stylish and glamorous, her choice of wedding dress is dreadful. I wonder if the new movie tried to make it look better in a similar fashion as they made Wallis, Edward, and Elizabeth look better physically.

Just did a little bit of digging around and found out that in the new movie, they will be using a replica of Wallis' wedding dress.

The Materials Girl

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

When I googled Wallis Simpson's fashion, a picture of Paul McCartney's wife, is her name Naomi or Nicole? Anyway, it was a Stella McCartney dress that apparently was modeled after Wallis' wedding dress.

 

[cinrit]

The name of Paul McCartney's current wife is Nancy Shevell.

 

[Patra]

I did think that Nancy Shevell's dress was reminiscent of Wallace Simpson's wedding gown, and I liked it!

 

[Alexey 1904]

I'm a little surprised by the comment of 'The story of what a man would do for love is mind blowing.' I think he was very brave to do what he did. His family didn't accept it, obviously, shutting him out of their lives until his funeral and then his wife's funeral. But, look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and to a lesser extent,Prince Charles and Camilla. Charlie's mother wasn't too thrilled, and I wonder if she thought of her uncle when she finally approved of their getting married. Theirs was a love marriage and people just had to learn to accept it, no matter how much grief it may have cost others close to them.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

I did think that Nancy Shevell's dress was reminiscent of Wallace Simpson's wedding gown, and I liked it!

I actually think Stella improved on the original greatly. Better color, more attractive skirt and length, and a better fit.

 

[Nikki63]

The BBC miniseries "Edward and Mrs.Simpson" from 1978, has Cynthia Harris wearing almost an exact replica of this gown in the last episode. For those that have a Netflix account, they have all 7 episodes on instant view. I've already watched it straight through about a dozen times. Very interesting and well acted.

 

[IloveCP]

The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor: Wedding Wednesday: The Duchess of Windsor and Her Dress

I know this was an appropriate dress for this type of wedding, but I don't love it. I do think the dress is elegant, (however I hate that collar) though I am not fond of it. But I would love to see it in it's original color. Also, I think the hat is horrible, and I don't like the bracelets for a bride. Nevertheless, it's nice dress, just not an all time favorite of mine.

 

[AdmirerUS]

If you like the ROSS article - go see the Met's page for the wedding suit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Wedding ensemble

That back view of the collar shows what couture is all about. There's also a view with the jacket open. He and she donated a lot of clothing to the Met. His original Navy tails are there as well as many of his other suits, shoes, etc.

 

[NoorMeansLight]

I too think that the gown was quite elegant, but there was nothing bridal about it.
And I don't really think this was an appropriate June dress at all!

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Wallis' bouquet consisted of red, white, and blue flowers tied with a tricolor ribbon. This was a gift from French Prime Minister Blum.
June 3rd was also the birthday of Edward's father, King George V.

 

[Gaudete]

It's a shame that the gown has lost it's blue colour. It must have been quite striking when it was brand new.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Wallis's gloves were made of the same blue silk crepe as the dress.
Edward wore a white carnation in his buttonhole.