4 Royal Brides Who Opted For Blue on Their Big Days

We're all expecting Meghan Markle to walk into Windsor Castle wearing white on May 19, but not every royal bride has chosen to go the traditional cream and oyster route. In fact, some have chosen to say "I do" with color and given us some of the best bridal looks ever while they were at it. Here are four times royal brides wore blue!

01
The Duchess of Windsor
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The Duchess of Windsor

It was the wedding that changed the House of Windsor forever, so it's no wonder that Wallis Simpson chose a dress that stood out from the usual regal picks of the time. It was created for the new Duchess of Windsor by Mainbocher, who had it made in a shade he called "Wallis blue," which was said to match her striking eyes completely.

02
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The full-length gown, with a fitted waist, might have hit all the right fashion notes, but the matching hat was said to have gotten a thumbs down from the wedding photographer, Cecil Beaton. Wallis, a real style guru of her day, gave the dress to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1950, but it's no longer blue. The dye faded, and this royal wedding gown is now a creamy shade of white.

03
Princess Lilian of Sweden
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Princess Lilian of Sweden

Before Diana, Kate, and Letizia were making the title of royal style icon their own, there was a princess called Lilian. Born in Swansea, Ms. Davies had to wait decades for her royal wedding, but when this fashionista princess finally got to say "I do," she pulled out all the stops with a cracking creation by Elizabeth Wondrak.

04
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Lilian added a feather-strewn hat to this shantung silk coat dress with bell sleeves when she married Prince Bertil of Sweden, then heir to the throne, on Dec. 7, 1976. The couple had waited over 30 years to say "I do," but the bride's pick has stood the test of time. It recently starred in an exhibition of Swedish royal wedding dresses.

05
Camilla Parker Bowles
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Camilla Parker Bowles

It seemed the whole country had an opinion on whether Camilla Parker Bowles could, or should, wear white for her 2005 wedding to Prince Charles. While she opted for cream for her civil ceremony in the morning, by the time she arrived at St. George's Chapel for the blessing, Camilla was a bride in blue.

06
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The new duchess opted for a pale blue coat with a matching chiffon dress underneath, both by Robinson Valentine (now known as Anna Valentine). She added that knockout gold fascinator by Philip Treacy and a pretty posy picked from her own garden.

07
Princess Charlene of Monaco
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Princess Charlene of Monaco

Charlene Wittstock wore blue for her civil wedding to Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2011. Charlene picked a pale aqua silken single-breasted jacket with palazzo pants for the day she became a princess. What's more, she helped dream up the look before asking Chanel to turn it into reality.

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Charlene kept the accessories simple with no veil or hat for the ceremony, which took place in the Throne Room of the Prince's Palace in Monaco. The next day, the new princess was all in white as she wore full-length Armani for her religious wedding.