Earlier today Britain (along with the rest of the world who were watching) welcomed a new Princess; Catherine (known as Kate) Middleton who wed Prince William in a lavish ceremony held at Westminster Abbey. They now have the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
At 21 years of age (very nearly 22 but not just yet, I still have a few more days of “youth”) I had never witnessed a royal wedding before and was terribly excited at just the thought. The only real Royal experience I have had up till today was Diana’s funeral, which wasn't exactly the happiest of occasions either, and even then I was quite young and don’t remember a lot apart from visiting London and seeing all of the flowers. (Just in case you think I’m being dumb and forgetting the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, I was on holiday and out of the country so I missed that too!) During the run up to today’s wedding I became more and more excited and couldn’t wait for the actual day to arrive. Many people judged me, finding it weird that I was so keen to watch the wedding. In their words “it’s just a wedding.” Now even though I’d never seen a royal wedding before I held my ground and fought my corner insisting that it would be an occasion you’d be silly to miss, and I think that after today’s activities I can happily say it definitely was not “just a wedding” and those who chose not to watch it missed a spectacular, magical treat.Wills and Kate (I’ve skipped the “first name stage” and headed straight to the nickname stage) first met at St. Andrew’s college back in 2001, a decade ago! They started as mere college friends but in 2005 they graduated hand in hand, an official couple. Fast forward a few years, a trial seperation which didn't last too long, and it were announced (on Twitter, amazeballs!) in November 2010 that the pair was in fact engaged and due to be married on Friday the 29th April 2011.
As the day grew closer, the speculation of what was going to happen and more importantly what she was going to wear grew, souvenirs were being sold left, right and centre (from mugs to condoms) and there were numerous TV programmes on along with an embarrassingly pathetic film!
One of the main surprises of the day was THE dress. And after months of speculation we weren’t disappointed. The dress remained a secret until the very last minute. The first glimpse of the worlds-most-talked-about-dress was through the window of a car. Details of the much awaited dress were slowly emerging, lace, a plunging V neck, with a veil and a train. But how long was the train? At first I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t overly impressed, it was only when Kate stepped out of the car outside of Westminster Abbey that the picture was complete and I was sold. The dress came complete with long lace sleeves, a corset top and a light lace veil which was see-through enough to see expression and was held in place by a tiara which was lent to her from the Queen for the day. It also had a modest train at 9 foot long; Princess Diana’s was 25 foot! All in all the dress was understated British glamour at its finest. And she looked every inch the Princess. The dress was from the Fashion house of the late great Alexander McQueen, but designed by his successor Sarah Burton, Creative Designer for McQueen. The dress was not only a celebration of a great British designer but also for a great British Royal wedding.
Anyway, my day started quite early at around half 7, I woke up in excitement, a bit like Christmas morning. I turned my television straight on and was instantly mesmerised. I sat there for a good couple of hours just watching in awe of the amazing hats and fascinators and then recognising the odd person here and there. Then suddenly, boom, I screamed in delight. There she was. My personal Queen, Victoria Beckham. Dressed in one of her own designs obviously, the navy blue dress fitted her 6-month-pregnant-shape beautifully. She customised the loose fitting cloak-style draped back dress with a pair of killer Louboutins and a Philip Treacy hat adorned with a gemstone and curly twigs. And completed her look with smokey eyes along with a sleek ponytail. Queen VB, as always, I salute you! She obviously attended the wedding alongside Mr David Beckham *swoon* who was looking as suave as ever in a suit, his hair stylishly swept to the side and proudly wearing his OBE.
Lastly it was the turn for Kate (who's dress I've already covered!) and her bridesmaids. Who each wore hand-made dresses that were the type every little girl dreams of. Ivory with ballerina-length pleated skirts, puff sleeves and a pale gold sash tied into a bow at the back. The dresses came complete with flower headbands. Extremely cute. As a special memento, each of the four girls had their name and the date of the wedding hand-embroidered on to the lining of their dresses. As for the page boys, they were dressed in mini replicas of William’s red uniform of Colonel of the Irish Guards. Despite the immense pressure and breathtaking pomp of the occasion, all 6 of the infants rose to it like little professionals and managed to melt the hearts of the viewing public in the process. Lastly, Pippa, Kate’s younger sister and her Maid of Honour mirrored the bride by also wearing a white gown, which was also designed by Sarah Burton for McQueen. It was demure, subtle but beautifully elegant without over-shadowing the bride.
I made my way to the Salterns Hotel (which is a beautiful venue FYI!) to watch the ceremony with my friends. Camila, who will be a bride in 7 weeks time, and Kay, a fellow bridesmaid and little baby Chloe who at only 8 months old was getting into the spirit by waving a little Union Jack flag! So cute! We all sat there in complete awe of the whole occasion. First to be spotted was Prince Will and Harry who left Clarence House and made their way to the Abbey. Next up was HRH The Queen, who was rocking a beautiful dress, hat and coat matching combo in a delightful canary yellow. She bought out the sunshine and for nearly 90 years of age she looked incredible, absolutely immaculate. Utter babe.
Lastly it was the turn for Kate (who's dress I've already covered!) and her bridesmaids. Who each wore hand-made dresses that were the type every little girl dreams of. Ivory with ballerina-length pleated skirts, puff sleeves and a pale gold sash tied into a bow at the back. The dresses came complete with flower headbands. Extremely cute. As a special memento, each of the four girls had their name and the date of the wedding hand-embroidered on to the lining of their dresses. As for the page boys, they were dressed in mini replicas of William’s red uniform of Colonel of the Irish Guards. Despite the immense pressure and breathtaking pomp of the occasion, all 6 of the infants rose to it like little professionals and managed to melt the hearts of the viewing public in the process. Lastly, Pippa, Kate’s younger sister and her Maid of Honour mirrored the bride by also wearing a white gown, which was also designed by Sarah Burton for McQueen. It was demure, subtle but beautifully elegant without over-shadowing the bride. After singing a few hymns, a reading by James Middleton (Kate’s brother) who was quite a looker, the couple exchanged vows and were announced man and wife. The congregation then came together to sing “God Save The Queen” throughout which the Queen didn’t sing a word, hilarious and slightly awkward yet absolutely brilliant at the same time! Talking of the Queen, sat behind her were Princess’s Beatrice and Eugenie. Beatrice was supporting quite a hat and Eugenie was in a god-awful blue and green dress that looked like it belonged in a swamp. I love them! I personally have several favourite moments of the ceremony, one being when The Bishop of London was giving his speech and he said to the couple “You have both made your decision today” at which point they looked at each other, glared, then shared a little giggle! Another of my favourite moments was when I noticed that the nun sat next to Prince William was actually wearing trainers, in Westminster Abbey. Priceless! Have a close look at the picture above!! And lastly when William struggled putting the ring upon Kate's finger, that made me chuckle some-what as well!
After the Lord’s Prayer and a final blessing they made their way outside to be greeted by cheers of joy and delight for the newlywed couple. There were apparently over one million well wishers on the streets of Central London, with over 2 billion people watching on television and online around the world! Very impressive! They then got into the open carriage because quite remarkably, despite the weather forecast, not one drop of rain fell to ruin the exquisite occasion, and they made their way to Buckingham Palace. They waved and smiled to the crowds on both sides for the entire journey. It was quite amusing to see Prince Harry in a carriage behind filled with children!
I’m sat here now, several hours after it was streamed live on TV, watching the highlights to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I knew it would be something to watch but I didn’t realise how engrossed I would become or how truly exquisite it was going to be. Who knew I could be such a Royal enthusiast?! It had been a day of pageant and tradition and in my eyes literally was the perfect day, a real life fairy tale. If I were to change just one thing about the day, it would be the fact that I wasn’t up there in London to experience it in the flesh. Next time I most definitely need to be up there to soak up the, what I can only imagine to be, absolutely amazing atmosphere. Well, either that or I’d quite fancy marrying Prince Harry and becoming a Princess myself. It would be a right Royal knees up! Either way, I’m not fussy!
Then there was a nearly an hour’s wait until we were to see the couple again. This time they were to stand out on the famous balcony, joined by both of their families. Whilst looking out onto the mall which was filled with people, you couldn’t see an inch of pavement. It must have been breathtaking as, as soon as Kate walked out and saw it she said “Oh wow!” I personally thought it made for a nice change to see the Union Jack flag being waved with pride instead of St George's Cross which comes out with every World Cup. Then it was time for the moment everyone had being waiting for: the kiss. I’m not sure if it classed as a kiss to be honest, more of a peck, and a very quick peck at that! Will then cracked another joke and said to Harry “Your go Harry” who was conveniently stood next to Pippa! After more cheers and chanting from the crowds they only went and did the unthinkable and went in for another kiss didn’t they. This one, I’m glad to report, lasted a little longer! After that some Spitfires, Typhoons and Hurricanes (aeroplanes) flew over head and pretty much immediately after the Queen decided the balcony appearance had gone on for long enough and they were ushered inside, one last wave and a look over her shoulder from Kate and they were gone. But not for long...
After the formality of the ceremony the couple had one final surprise for everyone: the newlyweds left Buckingham Palace in an appropriately decorated car. Balloons, an L plate on the front along with red, white and blue bows and the registration plate that read ‘JU5T WED.’ The convertible blue Aston Martin actually belongs to Prince Charles and was a present from The Queen for his 21st Birthday! William drove the couple in the car to Clarence House where they were to join 650 guests in the first reception that was hosted by The Queen. There they would eat and have the first of Harry’s two speeches. In which he apparently thanked the Middleton’s for “conceiving Kate!” They also apparently had two cakes, one an eight-tiered Royal looking Wedding Cake decorated with 900 sugar-paste flowers for Kate, and then a "chocolate biscuit cake" for Will, which his mother used to make him.
I’m sat here now, several hours after it was streamed live on TV, watching the highlights to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I knew it would be something to watch but I didn’t realise how engrossed I would become or how truly exquisite it was going to be. Who knew I could be such a Royal enthusiast?! It had been a day of pageant and tradition and in my eyes literally was the perfect day, a real life fairy tale. If I were to change just one thing about the day, it would be the fact that I wasn’t up there in London to experience it in the flesh. Next time I most definitely need to be up there to soak up the, what I can only imagine to be, absolutely amazing atmosphere. Well, either that or I’d quite fancy marrying Prince Harry and becoming a Princess myself. It would be a right Royal knees up! Either way, I’m not fussy!All I’ve left to say is:
Here’s to William and Catherine. And here’s to being British. x
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