Doves, golden thrones and matching bright purple reception looks, even after two decades Victoria and David Beckham‘s wedding remains undeniably iconic. On July 4, 1999, the superstar couple tied the knot in a lavish celebration at Luttrellstown Castle. While only 29 loved ones witnessed their ceremony, their reception guestlist was estimated to be 230 with famous faces including Elton John, George Michael, a flurry of football stars and all four Spice Girls.
Media outlets from around the world gathered at the guarded gates of the luxury five-star venue to try and get a glimpse of the A-listers as they celebrated becoming Mr and Mrs. Planning a destination wedding can be challenging and not even one of the most famous couples in the world was spared logistical hiccups.
To walk down the aisle, the pop princess wore a dazzling champagne-coloured ballgown wedding dress by Vera Wang with a strapless bodice, a voluminous pleated skirt and a dramatic 20-foot train. Estimated to cost $100,000 at the time, it was her dazzling designer dress that caused a headache right before the wedding. In fact, she nearly did not get to wear it!
Inside Victoria Beckham’s Wedding Dress Drama
While their wedding was held in Dublin, Victoria’s dress was constructed in London and New York City.
Vera Wang is renowned for going above and beyond for her brides to ensure the perfect fit and she nicknamed Victoria’s gown the ‘transatlantic dress’ given the amount of air miles it wracked up during its construction.
The architectural bodice was the mastery of London-based couture corsetière Mister Pearl. His waist-shrinking corsets have been worn by Madonna, Beyoncé, Dita Von Teese, and Kim Kardashian who made headlines with her Met Gala dress that was so tight she was willing to ‘wet herself’ in order to wear it.
“The bodice flew back and forth four times on the Concorde,” US-based designer Wang told People who jetted to London to fit the corset section of the gown on the former Spice Girl.
The bride-to-be also hopped on several planes to New York for fittings as well.
Yet despite being immensely well travelled, the dress proved to be a big hurdle when they took their flight to Ireland for their wedding.
Andy Jeffrey, an aircraft refueller at Stansted Airport, revealed all the dress drama that almost saw the designer gown left on the runway.
Andy who was well used to working with high-profile clients, from heads of state to royals, played a key role in ensuring the couple got on their way for their big day.
He helped load wedding goods onto their plane but the box holding the wedding dress was too big.
“A few abortive attempts and it was very clear that the sizeable box wasn’t going in the hold or the cabin,” he told Hello! Magazine.
There was even talk of chartering a larger plane or sending the dress by DHL or FedEx but the idea of it getting “squashed in the post” or lost was simply not an option.
Andy suggested taking the dress out of the box and while the pilot was in agreement the bride, very understandably, did not want her husband-to-be seeing it before their wedding day.
“Adamant that David shouldn’t see the dress, Victoria said to him, ‘David turn your back and cover your eyes’. Which he duly did,” he explained.
They then proceeded to remove the dress from the box and place it carefully at the back of the cabin in a small storage unit – and the bathroom!
Then everyone boarded the plane and they jetted off for their fairytale celebration.
Even in the face of a wedding planning nightmare Andy reflected on how they were, “a young couple excited to be going to their wedding and just so very friendly and polite.”
#SpiceGirls at the wedding of #VictoriaBeckham and #DavidBeckham at #LuttrelstownCastle in Dublin 04/07/1999 ✌?️??? pic.twitter.com/8dz3d2UTyc
— SpiceGirlsForeverUK (@SpiceForeverUK) May 22, 2016
Getting married abroad? Don’t let planes, trains or automobiles stress your style!
We have a handy guide to transporting your wedding dress safely from materials to packing essentials and last-minute wrinkle-removing hacks.
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