A Wedding Dress With More Than 50,000 Swarovski Crystals Breaks the World Record

Plenty of brides-to-be envision themselves exchanging vows in glamorous crystal-embroidered wedding dresses, but one designer is set to offer a big-day gown that delivers more glitter and glitz than most women could ever imagine. In fact, it's unlike anything that's ever been available before. A wedding dress created by co-founder of the eponymous Italian bridal fashion brand Michela Ferriero has officially broken the world record for the most crystals on a bridal outfit, according to a report in the Guinness World Records. The grand total featured on the garmet? A whopping 50,890 Swarovski crystals. 

The ensemble made its debut at the Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni fashion show in Milan, Italy, on April 14, 2023, per the report. On May 10, 2023, the Guinness World Records declared the embellished ensemble the winner of the world record. Its official Twitter account posted a clip of a model wearing the sparkly dress on the runway and revealed an inside look at the design process. “New record: Most crystals on a wedding dress - 50,890 achieved by Michela Ferriero (Italy),” the tweet says. “It took over 200 hours to individually sew each Swarovski diamond onto this amazing dress.”

The record-breaking dress features a figure-hugging silhouette, semi-sheer fabric, a corset top, an illusion neckline and cutouts, and an open back. The designer paired the gown with glittering gloves affixed with tulle fabric that’s reminiscent of a cape. “The brand’s ethos has always been to create not just unforgettable and high-quality dresses, but works of art,” the report says. 

Ferriero kicked off the four-month-long process by first researching the materials that would bring his vision to life, Guinness World Records notes. After finalizing the concept, Ferriero tapped an entire team of seamstresses to create the gown. According to the report, the group sewed individual crystals onto the tulle base of the dress before adding them to the fringes on the bodice, the gloves, and the crystals chains on the back. From start to finish, the creation required 200 hours of sewing. To break the world record, the crystals had to be “genuine, commercially available, and have a certificate of quality and authenticity,” the report says.

Before Ferriero, Turkey-based designer Özden Gelinlik Moda Tasarim Ltd. held the Guinness World Record for the most crystals on a wedding dress for more than a decade. The designer created an ensemble with 45,024 crystals, about 5,000 less than the current record breaker. The item made its first appearance at Forum Istanbul Shopping Mall, in Istanbul, Turkey on January 29, 2011. According to the Guinness World Records, another wedding dress also broke a world record this year. Natasha Coline Kim Fah Lee Fokas of SweetyCakes in Thun, Switzerland conceptualized a gown that won the world record for the largest wearable cake dress. The edible piece, unveiled on January 15, 2023, weighed nearly 300 pounds, the report said.