Image courtesy of our-india.com
What a amazing day we have all had the pleasure of being able to share. Friday 29th April 2011 saw the world watching the elegant and graceful Kate Middleton marry Prince William at Westminster Abbey, London. In the excitement of the few days running up to the special day we were lucky enough to have been interviewed by Wave 105 Radio Station to give our take on what the day would be like and what effect the wedding would have on the wedding industry as a whole.
The world was watching for that all important first glimpse of THAT dress - and whilst some would say that Kate's dress was along the lines of what the world was expecting- I don't think that anyone can deny that Kate looked very much the elegant and perfect princess and astonished the world with her natural and seemingly effortless beauty. She was radiant and beaming with happiness and did not appear to be at all nervous about the huge day which was ahead of her.
The dress was a stunning Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen creation with sheer full length lace sleeves and an elegant yet perfectly suitable V neck line. What the world may not have been expecting was such a full skirt. Kate has such a slight and delicate frame that most people were expecting a straighter skirt. For a Royal bride however the fuller skirt was very much appropriate and Regal. There were only a few opportunities to see a beautiful Victorian style bustle on the back which brought some twists to the dress which was altogether very Grace Kelly.
Image courtesy of myvisitingcard.com
Kate wore a stunning full length veil and was lucky enough to have been loaned (by the Queen no less!) a stunning (yet perfectly understated) tiara to finish her look. Her bouquet contained Lily of the Valley and Sweet William and was a very simple shower design in the rough shape of a shield. We would say that perhaps the bouquet was just a little too on the small side and appeared a little insignificant and she could have gone for something a little larger although the actual flowers used were perfect and did not detract from the beauty of the dress or Kate herself. The simple flowers in Kate's sister Pippa's hair and in the buttonholes were all taken from the same flowers in Kate's bouquet. Simple and understated.
When we first saw the pictures in the Abbey and throughout the footage of Kate being guided so beautifully along the long red carpet aisle we could see that the Abbey had been lined with tall maple trees which had Lilly of the Valley and wild strawberry plants in the base. These looked stunning and whilst us wedding planners are used to bringing in large trees and plants for added wow factor for receptions (particularly marquees) and civil ceremonies its not so much done in a Church ceremony - probably because not all of us are lucky enough to get married in such a grand Cathedral! However, we think that we will see a fashion of couples looking to introduce similar looks into their Church ceremonies. Friendly Vicars and Ministers may oblige! Smaller versions in place of or in addition to pew ends could certainly work we think and could be a common occurance for weddings to come. The flowers in the Abbey were also very simply with a lot of greenery and large heads of hyndrengea and, together with the simplicity of Kate's bouquet and the rest of the bridal flowers, we think we could see a return to less extravagent floral arrangements and more use of greenery and bringing the outdoors indoors.
Kate held herself amazingly well all throughout the day. She was poised and elegant and looked very Regal and hugely experienced at huge occasions such as this but she is very much not! Goodness only knows how much training she has had to get to this point or perhaps she is just a natural at this and its a sign of things to come. We loved the fact that Kate had a very "non Royal" wave - choosing instead to wave engergetically and meaningfully to her crowds of adoring public. She also did not hold back on her clear delight at the crowds outside the Abbey cheering at the important points of the ceremony - she smiled whenever that happened. And what about the "WOW" when she saw the crowds outside Buckingham Palace when they came out to deliver those kisses - good for you Kate. Long may that continue.
Almost 2,000 guests graced the Abbey and 650 people were then invited to Buckingham Palace for a champagne and canape reception hosted by the Queen. We think that this style of layout for the day could catch on for future couples- an earlier ceremony (and more Church ceremonies expected in the future as well) followed by a less formal champagne and canape reception immediately afterwards and then moving on to another venue for a later evening formal seated wedding breakfast. Kate and William's was hosted at Clarence House by Prince Charles. Following that, a more fun and very late night dancing reception then followed. Maybe we will see couples following these ideas.
Image courtesy of nollywoodgossip.net.
Fiona Cairns with her stunning cake creation for the Royal bride
We also think that couples may try to introduce a Regal feel with more use of brass band music/trumpet music into a ceremony. We have one couple who already came up with this idea for a wedding this summer and we can't wait to see this on the day. We have arranged for the local town brass band to come along and a solo trumpeteer will play a bridal march for the bride to walk up the aisle to and will then accompany the congregation during the hymns. They will also play the guests in and the bride and groom out - perhaps this will also become a popular addition to future weddings.
The whole day went so smoothly - organised with military precision and left a real lump in the throat for even the biggest wedding cynic! Come on - even you guys enjoyed it - admit it! It was an opportunity for we Brits to show the world how its best done. We do all the pomp and ceremony better than anyone else and it made us feel proud to be British.
Kate and William introduced their own fun elements to the day such as stealing that second kiss, the open top Aston Martin with balloons and tin cans and two wedding cakes - one for him and one for her. So, its true to say that even with the huge constraints which are upon couples when planning weddings you can still sneak in some elements which truly reflect sides of your personalities - very few people would ever have to face the restrictions which Kate and William would have had to face but still they managed to put their own stamp on proceedings.
We truly hope that this amazing day in history watched and envied by all the world will spur on people to get married and to get excited about it and take some of the elements from this Royal occasion into their wedding day. So much planning will have gone into making this wedding so special and if you need help and advice and a free consultation to discuss your own wedding plans (if Kate and Williams has got you completely gripped with wedding fever!) then please call us on 01202 533014 or visit our website and we would be delighted to meet with you to discuss the tailored services which we offer.