Royal Wedding Re-cap

Everyone in the world waited with bated breath for the Royal Wedding. Some spent weeks trying to figure out what the Duchess would be wearing and on Friday April 29th ALL was revealed. Personally, I was completely conflicted. As a person studying in development, I was horrified by the amount of money that is being THROWN away for this wedding. Could they not maybe use that money to do something a little more productive? At the same time, as I catched glimpses of the royal party and their dresses, I was intrigued. Development and fashion, two conflicting ideas.

Anyway, why not do a Royal Wedding Re-cap? So here we go.

To get that perfect look, Kate Middleton's team started to prep her the day before. Her hair was prep and set in curlers, her skin received a boost of oxygen and her nail polish was custom blended!  The nail polish was a mix of light colors which includes: white, rosy and nude. Although I am sure that they used more ingredients, the team did mix Bourjois Rose Lounge and Essie's #423 Allure to get that perfect color. Her demi-chignon was created by a skilled team which included Creative Director, James Pryce and Director, Richard Ward of London's Richard Ward Salon. Lastly, the Duchess decided to do her own make-up for the big day. But she did get professional lessons before the wedding, so technically she did have extra help.   

When Middleton stepped out in her wedding dress, many compared her to the elegant dress worn by Grace Kelly when she wed her own Prince, Rainier of Monaco in 1956. Although I do see key elements incorporated in Middleton's dress, I think it still lacked that elegant touch. It was too simple and did not WOW me. The Duchess choose Alexander McQueen who married tradition and modernity. The tiara was the exquisite Cartier "Halo" tiara that was made out of platinum and diamonds and was lent to her by the Queen. The veil was average. The tiara was beautiful but didn't really go with the dress and the veil (that covered her whole head) looked flat and just a little off.

Left: Close-up look at the lace detail on Grace Kelly's dress. Right: Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress

Above: Grace Kelly's wedding dress

What did designers say about it? There was a consensus that the dess was a little too simple. Christian Lacroix said "I like the dress very much, simpler than expected: A combination just in between 1956 Grace Kelly and 1947 Queen Elizabeth. I love the modest veil with the queen mother's 30s scroll tiara and balanced volume of the whole gown." Some designers were even bold enough to add negative comments! "The dress is very simple and very nice," Hubert de Givenchy said. "The veil is a little flat, but because she has such a lovely face, she can afford to wear it this way. She is very pretty." Elie Saab said "It was a very elegant dress, subtly refined and discreet, in keeping with her style. I would have liked it even more with a little extra volume with a longer train." Designers repeated words like: simple, modest, classic (translation: boring).

In the evening the Duchess changed into a stunning dress. Kate wore a strapless white satin and loosely woven silk evening dress. It had a sweetheart neckline and a circle skirt. The dress was also designed by Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen. Much better Kate!

That evening the Prince and his new bride served their guests an AMAZING multi-tiered fruit cake. The cake was eight tiered (made from 17 individuals fruit cakes) and was designed by Fiona Cairns. YUM

Lastly, let's take a peek at what the guests wore to the royal event. This royal wedding was a great event to go fashion crazy!  

Princess Sofia of Spain

Queen Elizabeth

Kate Middleton's Mother

Joss Stone

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice

Chelsy Davy in an awful ensemble

The Beckhams

Overall, the wedding fashions were interesting. I give the overall fashion a solid B. Lastly, lets compare some amazing wedding pictures from past and present!  

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE WEDDING?