The Royal Wedding
After five months, the day finally came! The Royal Wedding went off without a hitch. With 22.8 million U.S. viewers, all eyes were on Kate Middleton as she gracefully executed her marriage to William Arthur Philip Louis (that’s a mouthful!) and became Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Pretty sweet, huh?
The wedding was absolutely gorgeous! But let’s backtrack – no love story is complete without a beginning. Kate and William were sweethearts at the University of St Andrews. It is rumored that William fell for Kate while she was modeling a Charlotte Todd dress on the catwalk for a charity event. The sheer and very revealing dress caught his eye. Todd has said that the dress was originally a skirt but the decision was made to turn it into a dress. Scandal! That was nearly 10 years ago. Since then, the dress has been sold for over $100,000 to a secret buyer – all of the profit went to charity. I wonder what lucky person bought that dress. And what they are planning to wear it to!
Well, years went on and the couple never announced anything about their relationship. However, in February 2006, Catherine received her own 24-hour security detail supplied by the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department to alleviate the media attention she was receiving. Then in 2007, the couple took a break. However, in the years to come, it was rumored the couple was together again.
Fast forward to November 16th, 2010 when the Clarence house announced their engagement. In reality, they had been engaged since October when William proposed in Kenya, East Africa. Sneaky, sneaky! William said he had been carrying the ring around for three weeks. Most people recognize the gorgeous blue sapphire and diamond ring, which was Princess Diana’s. The ring was originally in the possession of Harry, who, as a young boy, handpicked it following his mother’s death, but Harry gave the ring to William to give to Kate. What an honorable thing to do!
On the day of the wedding, the city was at a complete standstill. The “mall” leading up to Buckingham palace was totally renovated. Roads were re-paved and landscaping was in full force. The Royal Wedding can be broken up into three events: The Ceremony, The Reception, and The After Party.
The Ceremony
The ceremony, which everyone was able to watch on the major networks, was at Westminster Abbey. The guest list, which was 3,000 people long, consisted primarily of heads of state and royals.
Upon arriving at Westminster Abbey, Catherine emerged and was greeted by her sister, Pippa, with a bouquet. She waved to the crowd, looked very happy and comfortable, and then proceeded with her father holding her hand. The 300-foot walk took 4 minutes, and she was instructed to pause at certain points. It was probably the longest 4 minutes of her life!
The most exciting part about Kate emerging was finally being able to see the much-anticipated dress! Sara Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen, designed the dress. Sadly, Alexander McQueen committed suicide last February. Kelly Cutrone, founder of the public relations firm People’s Revolution, notably tweeted, “God Saved the Queen BUT Kate saved McQueen.” Many have stated that the dress is a modern tribute to Princess Grace Kelly’s iconic 1956 wedding dress. Catie Kelly, an Elon senior and Royal Wedding enthusiast said, “I loved Catherine’s dress, it was very reminiscent of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. I think that it totally epitomized Catherine’s style, which is understated and elegant. I thought Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen was an excellent choice of designers and totally puts Kate on the map of style icons.” The1930s Cartier tiara really topped off the beautiful dress. She was truly a vision!
It seems everyone was impressed by Catherine’s grace and beauty. Alexandra Lawrence, a Elon senior who woke up to watch the wedding live, said, “I think the vibe was different all together because of Kate and Will’s obvious love for each other compared to Diana and Charles at their wedding. Overall, the wedding was similar in the fact that it was a modern version of what Diana and Charles had: the dress, the car with “Just Wed” on it, and the big party with all of their friends. I think this wedding just stepped it up a notch, and the support of the crowd was as big as ever. This was the wedding of all weddings! Diana would have been proud of her son.”
Fun facts about the ceremony
– Unlike at traditional weddings, where the bouquet is thrown, the bouquet is placed on the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier.
– The Queen wore a yellow jacket and yellow hat designed by Angela Kelly. The large broach she wore is the Queen Mary’s true lover’s knot broach.
– Catherine’s bride’s maids included: Her sister Pippa (who also wore a beautiful Sarah Burton–designed Alexander McQueen dress), Grace Van Cutsem, Prince William’s 3-year-old goddaughter, Eliza Lopez, who is also 3 years old, Margherita Armstrong Jones, who is 8 years old, and Lady Louise Windsor who is 7 years old. Pippa’s decision to war white was a bit controversial. Elon senior Catie Kelly, “thought it was interesting that she wore white. The dress was absolutely gorgeous and fit her beautifully!”
– The pageboys included Tom Pettifer, the son of William and Harry’s former nanny, and Billy Pinkerton, son of Williams most trusted aid, who is 10 years old. Lucky little guys!
– The Bells of Westminster rang for 3 hours after the wedding! And I think the Elon bell-tower rings for too long!
– Kate’s dress featured a 9-foot train. Princess Diana’s dress had a 25-foot train!
Catherine did remarkably well during the entirety of the service. One slip up would have been photographed and she would never hear the end of it. Catherine was all smiles when she emerged from Buckingham palace. I am sure she took a deep sigh of relief! She displayed true grace and poise.
Favorite moments?
– I noticed that Kate smirked a bit when he said “for richer or for poorer,” but not in a snobby sort of a way. I get the sense that she perhaps is anxious about the elegant lifestyle that she is entering into. She had a very soft voice when repeating her vows but she seemed confident.
– Prince William joked with Michael Middleton, Kate’s father. Apparently the two are very close. William said to Middleton that, they were supposed to have just a “small family affair.”
– Lawrence said, “My favorite part of the whole day was seeing them kiss at Buckingham palace. Seeing them together on the balcony made me feel like they were just a real couple that was truly in love. After seeing Will tell her she looked beautiful when she reached the altar, and the couple saying their vows, the kiss was the icing on the cake. They seemed extremely comfortable at that point with each other, and seeing Kate’s reaction in awe of the thousands of people standing below was priceless: they were truly amazed by the amount of people who were there to support them in the royal marriage, and their kiss solidified their happiness. They are so wonderful together and are true royalty through their classiness and love for one another.”
The Receptions
Prior to the wedding breakfast hosted by the Queen, the royal couple and their entourage made the standard appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where they exchanged two short kisses and waved to the crowd. Kelly said, “Catherine looked so shocked at how many people were there! I especially liked when they kissed for the second time, you could tell how much they genuinely love each other and they looked like a real, happy couple. Also, the little bridesmaid with her ears covered was so adorable!” While at Buckingham Palace, the royal couple also took the official photographs.
At the Queen’s wedding breakfast, there were 600 people invited and light food was served. Following the breakfast, William and Catherine went to St. James Palace for some well deserved down time!
Later in the day there was a palace formal dinner with 2,000 people in attendance. The evening party was much more relaxed and much more private. This event didn’t have a strict schedule as the others did. Prince Harry, the Best Man, gave a speech with allusions to his mother that brought Catherine to tears. There was no official end to the second reception. Party all night? Let’s hope!
Fun facts about the Receptions
– The couple asked for those in attendance to donate to The Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund in lieu of gifts. The two main charities that the funds will be distributed to include the Tusk Trust, a wildlife conservation project in Africa and Centrepoint, which provides housing for young homeless people in London.
– The Royal couple’s first dance was to a live cover of Elton John’s “Your Song,” by British pop singer Ellie Goulding.
– Leicestershire-based cake designer Fiona Cairns designed the official cake. It was made from 17 individual fruitcakes and had eight tiers! It was decorated with cream and white icing and there were 900 individually iced flowers and leaves of 17 different varieties decorated on the cake. Additionally, Mcvitie’s Cake Company baked the chocolate biscuit cake. They used a Royal Family recipe (so secretive!) at the special request of Prince William. It’s no Funfetti, but I am sure it was delicious!
Celeb Sightings
– Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, daughters of Sarah Ferguson, were channeling Lady Gaga with their crazy hats. Eugenie wore Vivenne Westwood and Beatrice Valentino Couture. Their hats were created by Phillip Treacy, a well known hat-designer. They certainly made a statement!
– Victoria Beckham, who is expecting her 4th child with her husband and soccer star, David Beckham, wore Phillip Treacy hat and Christian Louboutin shoes. Lawrence said, “I also just love the Beckhams! Always classy
and the greatest couple. I loved Victoria’s outfit: sleek, classy, and not taking away from the bride! Oh Posh spice, you and your husband still got it going on!”
Looking to the future
What’s next for the royal couple? Only time will tell. However, the prayer for the gift of children in the wedding ceremony was the first of many elusions to the heir to come. I am sure their children would be absolutely adorable!
The future is uncertain but many are confident that Catherine will be a poised and elegant as Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales. Catie Kelly believes that, “Catherine is always going to be compared the late Princess Diana and will have to work hard at writing her own story.” I can’t wait for what is to come!
Sources
http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/
http://www.tusk.org/
http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org
http://abcnews.go.com/international/royal_wedding
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/23-million-watch…
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/royal-wedding-best…
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/royal-couples-first-dance-set-183955
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/16/kate-middleton-sheer-dress_n_83…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy
http://www.nbc.com/movies-specials-more/video/inside-the-royal-wedding/1…
http://abcnews.go.com/International/Royal_Wedding/