The Royal Wedding: How sweet it was!

Ah, the wedding of the decade, the party of a lifetime, and the fashion failures of the century.  It was a good day for Prince William (now the Duke of Cambridge) and his new wife Catharine Elizabeth Middleton (now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge — or, traditionally, Princess William of Wales) as they wed in Westminster Abbey, surrounded by family, friends, royals, politicians and more than a million cheering fans and loyal subjects waiting outside to wish them well.

The guests were warned to wear appropriate outfits for the wedding.  Most did; this will certainly be something that will be remembered with fondness from most of the fashion world.  There were no puffy sleeves, no overemphasized shoulders, only a few low-cut tops, possibly thanks to the 30 page list of etiquette and manners passed out to guests in the days before the wedding.  Women were suggested to wear a hat, and all the major hat designers were out and about, showing off the most fashion forward, fashion backward and the few fashion-darling-I-think-we’re-lost-why-don’t-you-check-the-map.  I suppose, considering the conversation that haute cauture is meant to inspire, no lady could really be faulted for her fashion forwardness (or lack thereof).

Actually, I take it back.

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice should have checked the fashion map.  Eugenie is known for her for her rather spectacular fashion failures, but she really seemed to put effort in for the wedding.  Her ostentatious blue number with its overtight bows served to emphasize the wrong places on what is an otherwise lovely figure, paired with shoes that didn’t match, it just didn’t work.  It’s forgivable though when placed next to Beatrice, who should have been held down and had her hair properly brushed before having the antlers removed from her hat.  Perhaps the hat could have benefited from an oversized cameo placed in the hole in the center.  Her dress, while it did show off a lovely figure, drained her of color, leaving only the overdone eyes and the mad headpiece as the eye catchers in this number.

It could have been worse, Beatrice was not the only one accused of wearing antlers, Victoria Beckham and husband David were dressed in very sombre shades of navy blue.  While the dress Posh Spice wore was quite lovely for other circumstances (say, a funeral), emphasizing her legs and concealing her baby bump (she’s a few months in) her shoes were noticeably too high, and her hat was a little too far forward.  The great big gap between her forehead and her overtight ponytail is where the hat is supposed to go, it was centered just a little below her hairline and did little for her profile.  The one minor fashion failure of her footballer husband was quickly fixed when he entered the church and switched his Order of the British Empire medal to the proper side.

While there were some spectacular failures from guests, there were no fashion flubs amongst the closest family members.  Kate’s younger sister, Philippa, was maid of honor, and was a slightly unorthodox stunner in her form-fitting white dress.  She turned many heads both for the choice of color and the simple beauty of the Alexander McQueen-designed piece, showcased above as she leads the bridesmaids and page boys to the altar.  As well, the matrons of the newlywed couples families looked beautiful in their spring colored dresses, the Queen in her custom made sunshine yellow dress and handmade hat with silk roses all made by designer Angela Kelly.  Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall stuck with Anna Valentine, a personal favorite of hers who was responsible for designing the dresses she wore when she married Prince Charles in 2005.  No surprises that both looked completely stunning in their choices.  Carol Middleton, who has faced harsh and unfair criticism for her lack of airs and graces, was as royal looking as the matron of her soon to be son-in-law’s family.  From her pale grey shoes to her silver-grey shift dress, fitted coat and matching hat, Carol looked lovely and showed where Kate got her own understated beauty from.

The wedding party looked distinctly military, unsurprising given that both Prince William and Harry have served their country in a military capacity.  Prince William chose to wear the mounted officer’s uniform of the Irish Guard, where he holds the honorary rank of Colonel, as well as his Garter sash and star, Royal Air Force wings and medal from the Golden Jubilee.  His best man, Prince Harry, wore the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals uniform, showing off his new promotion as Captain.

The men however pale in comparison to Kate, who wore a dress designed by Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton, and was a vision to behold.  Like a proper bride, she did not allow her hair and makeup to make her unrecognizable, but rather, she looked like the best version of herself.  She avoided following the trends, which in the past has resulted in criticism from fashion gurus; Kate wore a timeless and beautiful gown with plunging neckline, lace embriodered base and 9 foot train.  The piece will easily still be beautiful years from now, and will not evoke the cringe reaction that occasionally follows the 1980′s trend dresses with their flared shoulders.

Along with the gown, Kate wore diamond pear shaped drop earrings with a stylized oak leaf and diamond acorn, reflecting the family’s new crest.  The earrings were designed by Kate’s mother Carol along with jeweler Robinson Pelham, and each Middleton lady wore a piece of jewellery inspired by the crest.  Prince William is reported to have whispered “You look beautiful” upon taking her hand inside the abbey.

Prince Harry’s speech was a laughing success, Prince Charles’ quips about his son’s hair resulted in a friendly jab back, and the new husband and wife danced the night away surrounded by their closest friends and family.  It was a beautiful day for the young royals, and as they head back to Wales (their honeymoon will begin in a few months when William can take time from work as a helicopter co-pilot in the RAF) to begin work again on Tuesday, they can rest assured that they took a memorable step towards a long and happy life together.

Here’s to hoping they last!