Royal Wedding Recap

Being in the wedding industry, I couldn't resist getting up at 4 a.m. to watch the Royal Wedding live.  You certainly don't need me to give you low down on the designer of Kate's dress or the tiara that the Queen chose to lend her.  Those details are all over the web right now.  But here are some of the highlights of the big event for me:

Hats, hats, hats: Nearly all of the ladies in attendance at the ceremony wore spectacular hats.

Interestingly, the prime minister's wife, Samantha Cameron, did not wear a hat.  And the prime minister himself who claimed he was going to wear a lounge suit (a regular suit in American terms), in the end, opted for the more traditional morning suit (tails in American terms).

The dress:  No, not Kate's dress.  Pippa's dress was what struck me.  The maid of honor's dress was by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, but the real news is that it was white! Usually, it's a no-no for anyone at the wedding to wear white besides the bride.  But, there certainly was no upstaging this bride, and I think white was the right choice for the maid of honor.  First, her dress was a completely different silhouette than the bride's gown.  And, because Pippa was responsible for carrying the bride's train, if she had worn color, she might have stood out more and broken up the flow of the train. In this case, white worked!

The bouquet:  Kate looked gorgeous in her Sarah Burton gown with long lace sleeves and full skirt.  But what I found interesting was the size of her bouquet.  The bouquet was small and simple created by Shane Connolly.  It contained a sprig of myrtle in accordance with royal tradition, along with sweet william, hyacinth, and lily-of-the-valley.  At first glance, it seemed plain for such an elaborate affair, but it grew on me. And, ultimately, I liked the simplicity.  It allowed the dress and Kate to really shine.

The decor:  I loved that actual trees lined Westminster Abbey.  It definitely created a wow effect, and they will apparently be planted at the Prince of Wales's Highgrove estate as a reminder of the big day.

The royal wedding can hardly be deemed simple.  But if you took away the throngs of people, the royalty, the media, and the spectacular venue, you'd have classic simplicity.  The flowers, the decor, the bridesmaid dress, and the gown were all elegant yet simple -- something that has to be admired for a couple that could have it all.

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