The Royal Wedding!!!

So the reason I didn't blog yesterday is that I went to bed at 9PM (yes, 9 PM) so that I could get up at 3AM to watch all of the royal wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William (who apparently has no last name?).  Scones were baked, tiaras and floppy hats were worn, and it was all around ridiculous.  I'm sure literally everyone watched it so I don't need to recap it, but I just wanted to talk about a few of the dresses (and also secretly lament that the list of royals I must stalk and marry when I go to Europe is now one shorter).


Prepare yourself for wedding dress overload.  The dress is done by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, which was highly speculated and sincerely hoped for (by me at least).  I am so, so happy for Sarah Burton.  It's such a big moment for her career that she really deserves, given how wonderful her first McQueen collection was.  I also love that Kate went with such a modern, avante-garde design house instead of doing something conservative and traditional.  She wore a Cartier tiara from 1936 (I die), a lace-edged veil, and McQueen shoes.  Also she got to ride in a carriage.  She accomplished like 99% of my life goals in one day.  Sigh.

So, as for the actual dress.  It had sheer, hand-made lace sleeves with a corseted, sweetheart-neckline bodice, padded hips, a voluminous skirt, an 8 foot train, and lace appliques all over the skirt.  I liked this dress a LOT more than I thought I would.  I may even love it.  Initially when I saw her in the car with the lace sleeves, I hated it.  I personally just don't like lace, especially sheer white lace over skin.  It feels a little tacky to me.  However, I understand why she went for the sheer lace sleeves, since she probably had to have sleeves of some sort in Westminster Abbey, and this was a clever solution that still let her show some skin.  Personally, I kept wishing that she could take the lace off for the reception because without the lace this is pretty much my dream dress.  I do think that with the lace on the skirt and the sleeves it is a little on the fussy side, but the sweetheart neckline and the corseted top keep it fresh and young.  It's just such a flattering shape on her, and it makes her waist look tiny!  I also LOVE the padded hips.  It's so signature McQueen, and with that and the geometrically pleated bustle (it's a little hard to see here but kind of amazing) the dress had the perfect combination of modern and classic.  I was a little surprised that the train wasn't longer!  Princess Diana's was ridiculous.  All in all I think this was a great choice for her.  She's always seemed to be like a very grounded, calm person that doesn't push herself into the spotlight, so I like that she went for a simple, classic, and elegant dress.  It matches her personality, but it's also grand enough for the surroundings.  Excellently played.

Can we talk about how gorgeous she is?  She did her own makeup for the day, and she did a great, great job (although I do wish she'd toned down the eyebrows and the blush a little).  She just looks so happy and composed and calm, even though I'm sure she was freaking out on the inside!  I would be.  Also, I've always been a girl that hates veils, but this one with it's simple lace edging...I really like it.  It's making me reconsider my anti-veil stance.  That's saying a lot. 

This McQueen dress on Pippa, Kate's younger sister, was definitely one of my favorite looks today.  I'm a little surprised that she wore white, especially since she was walking behind her sister a lot of the time, but it is such a pretty dress.  The fit is immaculate and so flattering (although she's so tiny I can't imagine much being unflattering on her), and the lacy drape in the front and the buttons down the back added just the right amount of detail without distracting from her sister's dress.  Very well done.  And the little flower girls! Awwww.  Kate's dress really reminded me of Grace Kelly's wedding dress.  The voluminous hips and the sheer lace sleeves with the sweetheart neckline underneath are almost identical, no?  If there's anyone you want to be compared to on your wedding day, I think Grace Kelly is a pretty stellar option.

I think what struck me the most about this wedding were the crazy hats.  In the US, no one wears hats to weddings, especially indoor weddings.  I consider it rude to wear hats (or apparently 'fascinators' as the UK announcer was calling them) inside, but I could count on one hand the number of women at this wedding not wearing hats.  I...I think most of them look silly.  Definitely entertaining conversation pieces though.  How fierce does Victoria Beckham look in that dress?  I'm sure she designed it.  She looked pretty grumpy throughout the ceremony but she is ridiculously pregnant and wearing platforms and real clothes and up relatively early so props to her.  David is so adorable with his suit and medal.  Aw.  As for the princesses Ferguson of York...oh, dear, those hats.  Wow.  Lady Gaga would be proud.  The pink one looks like a bow with antlers and the blue one looks like a bird on top of a space ship.  I wonder if when Brits watch American weddings they wonder where all the hats are?

Images via nymag.com, dailymail.co.uk, women24.com, people.com.