Ah, to be a princess…there have been a mulitude of royal weddings in the past several years, each bride wearing custom couture gowns (L to R: Valentino, Elie Saab, Alexander McQueen). Princess Madeleine of Sweden (left) is the most recent and looked simply stunning.

As we drool over these gowns, we see several traditional elements emerge: lace, cinched waists, veils that go on forever, simple white bouquets, covered shoulders, tiaras. Well, maybe tiaras aren’t that traditional, as most brides don’t have royal jewels at their disposal. I love an unconventional and dramatic wedding gown as much as the next girl, but there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll still be drooling over these traditional beauties in 50 years!