The wedding took place in 1956 in the Cathedral of Monaco. During that time, Kelly was in the middle of a seven year contract with MGM. In order to get out of her contract and marry Prince Rainier III, she had to agree to let MGM film the wedding for worldwide distribution.
This also meant that MGM would pay for most of the wedding including the wedding dress. Kelly's dress is what is most remembered about the event. It is often cited as being one of the most elegant and best-remembered wedding gowns of all time. The dress was designed by the MGM costume designer, Helen Rose (1904 - 1985) who also designed Kelly's costumes for High Society and The Swan. The gown was made by the wardrobe department at MGM in Culver California and was said by Rose to have taken 35 people working full-time six weeks to make.
The dress was exquisitely detailed. The skirt of the dress was a bell shaped ivory peau de soie that was supported by two petticoats.
The bodice had a high neck and long sleeves that were made from an antique Valenciennes lace that had been bought from a Museum and was then re-embroidered and embellished with seed pearls to appear seamless. Kelly's prayer book, shoes, and headpiece were also embellished with lace and seed pearls. The veil was a circular silk-net veil that was designed so that Kelly's face could be seen.
The dress is still influential today and is said to have been an inspiration for Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen when she designed Kate Middleton's wedding dress.
Shortly after the wedding in 1956, Kelly donated the dress to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 2006 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the wedding, the Museum displayed the dress from April 1st until May 21st. It was reported to have been one of the Museum's most popular exhibits.
