The Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Like most, I was a little ambivalent about the impending "royal wedding" - my main interest, the invitations, were revealed AGES ago and I think I'm not the only one that sighed with all the missed opportunity of those babies! Although, not knowing much about how these things are done at the Palace, I'm sure they were quite appropriate!
But after watching the live telecast for about half an hour last night (it was helpfully screened at 8pm EST, which was perfect champagne popping time!), I was as sucked in as could be, and enjoyed the pomp and spectacle immensely! There's bound to be a million round-ups and the like around the internet, but I did want to make mention of a few things I was particularly delighted with.
The Nerves!
The first being how bloody nervous both Wills and Kate looked, and also, at the same time, miraculously, how composed. I remember that feeling well, the nervous part anyway! Kate's dad, holding her shaking hand (or was he shaking?) was so sweet. And William sneaking a peek at Kate when he could, lovely! Every time one of them would finish their spoken part, Kate or William would give each other a shaky, cute smile. It was just adorable.
My advice to any one about to walk down the aisle: take a deep breath, smile, fix your eyes on your end point, step with purpose and trust your feet - you won't slip!
The Program
It's available for download here if you want to read it! I have similar feelings about the design of the program as I do for the invitations, but one thing I did note was that it was BIG - it looked like A3 sheets folded in half. An interesting choice, would you consider a program that big for your day? I loved the hand drawn map included in the program, such a pretty touch. Even in these times of GPSs on your phone and in your car, every invitation should have a map, I say!
The Coat of Arms
Another design element I am really interested in is Kate's Coat of Arms. From the Bangkok Post: "Herald Painter, Robert Parsons, sketches the new Coat of Arms for Kate Middleton's family at the College of Arms in London, on April 18, 2011. For a commoner who is soon to become a princess it is the crowning glory: Kate Middleton unveiled on April 19, 2011 a new coat of arms created for her wedding to Prince William. The blue and red crest was commissioned by her father Michael from London's College of Arms and features a design of three acorn sprigs which symbolise Kate and her two siblings, royal officials said." Obviously, getting a Coat of Arms is all part of being in the Monarchy, but every day couples can do something similar in spirit, and commission their own monogram, which celebrates their union and can be used on stationery, not limited to invitations, for their married lives together.
A further description of the design elements included: "The three acorns represent Kate and her siblings, Philippa and James, while the gold chevron stands for her mother, Carole, whose maiden name is Goldsmith. The thin white lines outside the chevron represent hills and mountains, alluding to the Middleton family’s love of outdoors, while the colours red and blue were chosen from the UK flag."
The Decor and the Colours
I wasn't crazy about the trees upon first look. I thought they looked a bit odd in an empty Westminster Abbey, but as the guests started to file in, the look really grew on me... it even became a little magical! I had been guessing the bridal party would have been dressed in blue (I loved the thought of a fresh cool spring palette of pale blue, green, ivory and a neutral like pale gold or taupe) and I was right about three of the four - although Kate's mum looked STUNNING in her pale blue outfit by Catherine Walker. I felt that whilst there could have been more, Kate's choices of flowers were pretty, youthful and thoughtful. And I liked her bouquet. I think Kate and William were very careful not to make their wedding about excess: it was as much a "people's" wedding as it could be and you have to respect that.
More about the flowers: "The Couple have taken a close interest in the designs, which follows a theme that pays tribute to the Language of Flowers. The floral displays in Westminster Abbey feature a variety of seasonal growing and cut British flowers and trees sourced from Royal Estates and other growers around the country. The flowers and plants include blossoms, azaleas, rhododendron, euphorbias, beech, wisteria and lilac. The floral displays in the Abbey will include eight 20 feet-high trees: six English Field Maple and two Hornbeam. All the trees will be growing in planters, which have also been designed by Mr. Connolly and which were made by craftsmen at Highgrove, The Prince of Wales's Residence in Gloucestershire. After the wedding, the flowers and plants will be left in position in Westminster Abbey for the public to view until Friday 6th May 2011. Following this, many of the trees will be taken to Highgrove Gardens, where they will be planted. The Couple's intention is that many of the cut plants and flowers and all the growing plants will be donated to charities or re-planted."
The Dress(es)
I'm not a dress expert, but I think Kate looked beautiful in both her dresses (and such a classic look, to be in McQueen...) although, as someone mentioned on Twitter, Kate would look beautiful in anything! That girl's got class! If you're wearing a big dress for your ceremony, it is worth a thought to have something to change into later, far more comfortable for all those hours on the dance floor! And it doesn't have to be as expensive as your first dress, pick a cute cocktail dress and embellish it yourself if need be. And, YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH A CUTE CARDI! I hope she's wearing some comfy flats, too.
I love what Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie chose to wear - it must be hard growing up in the monarchy - they looked fresh and fun and ready for a party! I imagine wearing something much the same actually, nice work ladies! And you just know they'd be the best fun at the reception.
The Sister
Hats off, Pips, well played! This girl looked AMAZING! I wonder what is going to be the more popular replica, Kate's dress, or Pippa's green reception number?! Speaking of numbers, I hope, at the very least, it crossed Harry's mind to ask for Pippa's!
The Elton
Because... well, he rules. And he looked great!
The Kiss
Awww! And there were two! Cheeky, slightly embarrassed kisses that they were. The look on the flower girl's face in this shot is priceless.
The Planes
The Royal Air Force flew over Buckingham Palace as the newly wed couple waved to crowds from the balcony at Buckingham. It was pretty great. I love planes!
The Getaway
How cute is the little Aston Martin convertible (apparently it's Prince Charles'!) Love this touch! L plates have never looked so good.
The Cake
Well, this was a work of art. The Wedding Cake, made by Fiona Cairns, was designed using the Joseph Lambert technique. For more shots, check out the Royal Wedding Flickr or the official Wedding site. There were two cake designs commissioned I believe.
The End!
Lastly, who doesn't love this video, taken of a clergyman after all the guests had left Westminster Abbey. I think I would be tempted to do this too!
(Source)
TweetBut after watching the live telecast for about half an hour last night (it was helpfully screened at 8pm EST, which was perfect champagne popping time!), I was as sucked in as could be, and enjoyed the pomp and spectacle immensely! There's bound to be a million round-ups and the like around the internet, but I did want to make mention of a few things I was particularly delighted with.
The Nerves!
The first being how bloody nervous both Wills and Kate looked, and also, at the same time, miraculously, how composed. I remember that feeling well, the nervous part anyway! Kate's dad, holding her shaking hand (or was he shaking?) was so sweet. And William sneaking a peek at Kate when he could, lovely! Every time one of them would finish their spoken part, Kate or William would give each other a shaky, cute smile. It was just adorable.
My advice to any one about to walk down the aisle: take a deep breath, smile, fix your eyes on your end point, step with purpose and trust your feet - you won't slip!
The Program
It's available for download here if you want to read it! I have similar feelings about the design of the program as I do for the invitations, but one thing I did note was that it was BIG - it looked like A3 sheets folded in half. An interesting choice, would you consider a program that big for your day? I loved the hand drawn map included in the program, such a pretty touch. Even in these times of GPSs on your phone and in your car, every invitation should have a map, I say!
The Coat of Arms
Another design element I am really interested in is Kate's Coat of Arms. From the Bangkok Post: "Herald Painter, Robert Parsons, sketches the new Coat of Arms for Kate Middleton's family at the College of Arms in London, on April 18, 2011. For a commoner who is soon to become a princess it is the crowning glory: Kate Middleton unveiled on April 19, 2011 a new coat of arms created for her wedding to Prince William. The blue and red crest was commissioned by her father Michael from London's College of Arms and features a design of three acorn sprigs which symbolise Kate and her two siblings, royal officials said." Obviously, getting a Coat of Arms is all part of being in the Monarchy, but every day couples can do something similar in spirit, and commission their own monogram, which celebrates their union and can be used on stationery, not limited to invitations, for their married lives together.
A further description of the design elements included: "The three acorns represent Kate and her siblings, Philippa and James, while the gold chevron stands for her mother, Carole, whose maiden name is Goldsmith. The thin white lines outside the chevron represent hills and mountains, alluding to the Middleton family’s love of outdoors, while the colours red and blue were chosen from the UK flag."
The Decor and the Colours
I wasn't crazy about the trees upon first look. I thought they looked a bit odd in an empty Westminster Abbey, but as the guests started to file in, the look really grew on me... it even became a little magical! I had been guessing the bridal party would have been dressed in blue (I loved the thought of a fresh cool spring palette of pale blue, green, ivory and a neutral like pale gold or taupe) and I was right about three of the four - although Kate's mum looked STUNNING in her pale blue outfit by Catherine Walker. I felt that whilst there could have been more, Kate's choices of flowers were pretty, youthful and thoughtful. And I liked her bouquet. I think Kate and William were very careful not to make their wedding about excess: it was as much a "people's" wedding as it could be and you have to respect that.
More about the flowers: "The Couple have taken a close interest in the designs, which follows a theme that pays tribute to the Language of Flowers. The floral displays in Westminster Abbey feature a variety of seasonal growing and cut British flowers and trees sourced from Royal Estates and other growers around the country. The flowers and plants include blossoms, azaleas, rhododendron, euphorbias, beech, wisteria and lilac. The floral displays in the Abbey will include eight 20 feet-high trees: six English Field Maple and two Hornbeam. All the trees will be growing in planters, which have also been designed by Mr. Connolly and which were made by craftsmen at Highgrove, The Prince of Wales's Residence in Gloucestershire. After the wedding, the flowers and plants will be left in position in Westminster Abbey for the public to view until Friday 6th May 2011. Following this, many of the trees will be taken to Highgrove Gardens, where they will be planted. The Couple's intention is that many of the cut plants and flowers and all the growing plants will be donated to charities or re-planted."
The Dress(es)
I'm not a dress expert, but I think Kate looked beautiful in both her dresses (and such a classic look, to be in McQueen...) although, as someone mentioned on Twitter, Kate would look beautiful in anything! That girl's got class! If you're wearing a big dress for your ceremony, it is worth a thought to have something to change into later, far more comfortable for all those hours on the dance floor! And it doesn't have to be as expensive as your first dress, pick a cute cocktail dress and embellish it yourself if need be. And, YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH A CUTE CARDI! I hope she's wearing some comfy flats, too.
I love what Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie chose to wear - it must be hard growing up in the monarchy - they looked fresh and fun and ready for a party! I imagine wearing something much the same actually, nice work ladies! And you just know they'd be the best fun at the reception.
The Sister
Hats off, Pips, well played! This girl looked AMAZING! I wonder what is going to be the more popular replica, Kate's dress, or Pippa's green reception number?! Speaking of numbers, I hope, at the very least, it crossed Harry's mind to ask for Pippa's!
The Elton
Because... well, he rules. And he looked great!
The Kiss
Awww! And there were two! Cheeky, slightly embarrassed kisses that they were. The look on the flower girl's face in this shot is priceless.
The Planes
The Royal Air Force flew over Buckingham Palace as the newly wed couple waved to crowds from the balcony at Buckingham. It was pretty great. I love planes!
The Getaway
How cute is the little Aston Martin convertible (apparently it's Prince Charles'!) Love this touch! L plates have never looked so good.
The Cake
Well, this was a work of art. The Wedding Cake, made by Fiona Cairns, was designed using the Joseph Lambert technique. For more shots, check out the Royal Wedding Flickr or the official Wedding site. There were two cake designs commissioned I believe.
The End!
Lastly, who doesn't love this video, taken of a clergyman after all the guests had left Westminster Abbey. I think I would be tempted to do this too!
(Source)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
posted by Lyndsay @ 12:49 PM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
Aww what a fab roundup!!! I think the conversation about Hazza & Pippa hooking up happened in every household last night!! Too funny!!
He'd be mad not to! Pippa is gorgeous!
Awesome roundup Lyndsay! I can't imagine how those 2 were feeling.. the amount of people that lined the streets was absolutely incredible (and all the billions watching from home too!!) I hope now they're enjoying a very private honeymoon :)
Thanks Ali! I hope the rumors are true and they honeymoon here!
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