~~~ the end of the following summer ~~~ an untold number of diachonian residents never settled on whether their notions that princess constance might wear a red gown to her wedding ceremony had been sufficiently grounded or not , but many of them heard later that after her face had been unveiled , it had taken the joint assistance of two bridesmaids to hold the length of the train of the princesss brilliantly white gown while she and her militarily uniformed groom kneeled together at the steps of the altar in the brimming sanctuary of topazs foremost cathedral .