Royal Wedding

Yes I was proudly up at 3:45AM Friday morning to witness the royal wedding of Prince William and (now) Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton live. It was gorgeous! First there was the fun look at all the hats and fascinators the female guests were wearing. Then there was the dashing groom and best man in their formal uniforms.

The church was adorned with simplistic decor: Trees were brought to decorate the main nave. The tree decor was a request from Catherine to represent her upbringing in the country, and she assisted in selecting each tree from royal estates, including the Queen's own garden. Traditional floral arrangements consisted of rhododendron, azaleas, lilacs,and wisteria.

The wedding party was dressed simply and most elegant. The maid of honor, Pippa Middleton wore an ivory sheath with flowers in her hair. Here in the U.S. most people would see this as a major
"uh-oh". In this setting it was gorgeous! Pippa's simplistic dress did not out do the brides gorgeous, timeless gown.

Catherine was dress in a Alexander McQueen silk gown that had amazing resemblance to Grace Kelly. The full skirt was accented with lace, buttons, pleating and a modern ruffle effect in back which went perfect with the 9 foot long train. The bodice was English cut and chantilly adorned with lace that continued as an illusion neckline and sleeves. She wore a simple fingertip length veil with a lace edging.

Her hair was in a modern small chignon with most hair down and loosely curled.
A surprise, the bride took lessons and performed her own make-up for the wedding day. Her bouquet consisted of lily of the valley, sweet william, and a traditional spring of myrtle from the same myrtle plant Queen Victoria had in her wedding bouquet.

Something Old: The lace design handmade by the English School of Needlework using an old Carrickmacross lace-making technique.
Something New: her earrings, which consists of an oak leaf and acorn symbolizing the Middleton's New Coat of Arms
Something Borrowed: Her tiara designed by Cartier. A Halo tiara originally given to The Queen's mother by her husband and presented to the current Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday.
Something Blue: Blue ribbon that was working into the design of Catherine's train and buttonwork.

The wedding was gorgeous and simply nothing to complain about, in my opinion. I can't wait to see how this wedding will influence future weddings.