Can you believe how royal that wedding was? We know you have seen the videos and pictures – but what did you think? We thought the wedding was absolutely amazing and best of all, it went off without a hitch! The royal wedding of course marks an important time in history, but also an important time in fashion history!
This wedding marked the 16th royal wedding to be held at Westminster Abbey. There was 1,900 people inside the Abbey for the ceremony, with many guests from around the world. Roughly 44 royals from different countries were invited to the ceremony and had prime seating near the Queen, the Middleton’s and the Spencer’s. Only a few celebrities received a royal invitation including the Beckham’s, Elton John and his partner David Furnish, Joss Stone, Tara Palmer Tomkinson and Guy Ritchie.
Nearly one million people lined the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the royals and a few million more would watch on television. Guests started arriving at the Abbey as early as 9am and continued through the 10 o’clock hour.
The Beckham’s (on left) arrived at the Abbey very early. Victoria wore a dress from her own collection, Christian Louboutin platform pumps and a Philip Treacy hat; while David looked PHENOM in his Ralph Lauren suit. Seriously, HOTTTT!!!! Tara Palmer Tomkinson (right), who is an English socialite, wore a bright blue ensemble including a Philip Treacy hat. OMG, her Blue Louboutins are killer, Ang will probably call her personal shopper at Neimans for those to add to her collection!
Most guests arrived in style with toppers and fascinators on head – all of which we love! Although it seemed as if Samantha Cameron, the British Prime Ministers wife, forgot her fascinator! There of course were a few oddballs (Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice) but overall style was great! There seemed to be many bright colors including purples, pinks and oranges. Many of the guests did make some fashion statements, but lets be honest – who were you all really look at? The wedding party, the Royal family and the Middleton’s.
First to arrive were the Princes, William and Harry. We have seen these two at all sorts of affairs since they were young boys but it was at the wedding, they both seemed so grown up. William looked strikingly similar to his late mother, Princess Diana and Harry looking dapper with his full head of red hair. The Princes left the Clarence House at 10:12am and arrived right around 10:18am at Westminster Abbey in their uniforms. Prince William, now Duke of Cambridge, was seen wearing his Irish Guards Uniform, since he is the Colonel of the Irish Guards. Prince Harry chose to wear his Captain of the Household Cavalry Uniform to the royal ceremony.
Both William and Harry seemed relaxed and full of smiles. Once inside the Abbey they were greeted by the Dean and escorted down the aisle by Stephen Lamport, Prince Charles’s former private secretary. Prince William immediately greeted members of his mother’s family, which is a true testament of how present Princess Diana’s spirit was at the Abbey.
Next in line was the “mums” – Carole Middleton, Camilla and the Queen. Carole Middleton wore Catherine Walker, who ironically was Princess Diana’s favorite designer. She wore a light blue almost gray dress and fitted coat with satin piping and braiding. Camilla chose a two toned Anna Valentine dress and long coat. The Queen wore bright yellow, a bit unexpected, with matching hat and purse. (What does the Queen even need to carry in that purse?) All the ‘mums’ looked fabulous and regal.
Next to arrive was Pippa and the mini attendants. Pippa wore a Sarah Burton gown, which was exquisitely done and looked amazing on her.The children included Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Tom Pettifer, Lady Louise Windsor, William Lowther-Pinkerton, Grace van Cutsem, and Eliza Lopes. The little ladies wore Nicki MacFarlance handmade gowns and the boys wore red uniforms which mimicked Foot Guards during the Regency era.
Last but certainly not least is Kate Middleton’s dress designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, was flawless! Her dress was elegant but sexy and matched her personality to a T. The now “Duchess of Cambridge” walked down the aisle in a white and ivory satin gazar gown with English and French lace covering the bodice, skirt and underskirt. Flowers including rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrocks were hand cut from lace to create the dress design. The back of her dress featured 58 covered buttons with rouleau loops with a nearly 9 foot train. (We also couldn’t help but notice how similar Kate’s dress was to Grace Kelly’s gown when she married Prince Rainier of Manaco.) Her crown was a halo tiara borrowed from the Queen, made by Cartier in 1936. The crown was originally a gift to the Queen Mum from King George VI, and was then passed to Queen Elizabeth (Princess at the time) on her 18th birthday. Her modest veil was made of silk tulle with hand-embroidered flowers just sheer enough to see the brides face. Kate’s earrings were a present from her parents, and designed after the Middleton coat of arms featuring oakleaf and acorn shapes made by Robinson Pelham. Although we didn’t see much of her shoes, they were also hand made by McQueen. Kate held a small bouquet made of ivy, hyacinth, lily of the valley, and sprig of myrtle from Queen Victoria’s wedding. And if you were wondering what polish Kate had on her nails, it was ‘allure’ by Essie, which I’m sure is sold out by now.
This was the exact moment when Kate revealed her dress to the world. She gracefully stepped out of the 1977 Rolls Royce Phantom at exactly 11:00am to display her royal wedding gown.
Soon after she arrived, Kate walked down the aisle to her Prince. William waited until Kate stood beside him, to see his bride for the first time. You could see the emotion all over William’s face as he whispered to Kate “you look beautiful.” William even was seen nervously biting on his lip (as his mother did) during the ceremony. The couple exchanged vows and quickly became the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge.
The new couple would take the famous carriage ride to Buckingham Palace and officially greet London on the balcony for the royal kiss (or two).
The official wedding photographs took place inside the Palace, which would be followed by a reception hosted by the Queen.
After much celebration and photos, the couples close family and friends partied late into the night, as Prince Harry hosted a party for the couple. The Queen left shortly after her party to allow some real partying to begin.
Prince William, Kate and Pippa had a costume change for the reception parties. They look fabulous, maybe even more fabulous than the wedding! We absolutely love Kate’s dress and mini sweater along with Pippa’s silk green dress with a plunging neckline!
Although there hasn’t been any reports of royal hangovers, we can only imagine how late or early into the morning Harry’s party went!
We felt like royalty watching this wedding and it will be the talk of the century, that is, if Harry gets married soon. I thought that him and Pippa looked kinda cute together!!!!.
xoxo
ang and ash
Stay tuned for our in detail post of all Royal Goodness – the dress, the hair, the kiss the after party!!!
angelamalickievents
