It's Sunday afternoon and I've been cleaning my house all day and went grocery shopping with the husband. I have some time now to collect all of my thoughts on the Royal Wedding and have been looking forward to writing this post.
Let's go back in time first, to December 2010. My husband and I were in London and though we had just a few days there, we were able to go see Westminister Abbey and I can say with complete confidence that it is the best thing I've ever seen as a tourist (and if you've been there, you know why). It is just so stunning and the history there---it's just incredible.
Here is a little shot of me at the Abbey in December last year:
I had really wanted to get a shot of me standing in the aisle where Kate (or shall I say, Catherine) walked on her April 29th wedding day, but unfortunately,
photography was strictly forbidden and I didn't dare break the rules with God and all of those kings and queens watching me.
Okay, back to the wedding. I woke up at the ungodly hour of 3 a.m. CST because
I knew I couldn't miss a darn minute of the LIVE coverage. It just wouldn't have been the same if I didn't watch it live. Plus, I was so excited that it helped me stay awake (though there was definitely a mid-morning crash later on---more on that later).
I chose to watch the
Today Show's live coverage because it's the best. I listen to it each morning on my bedroom TV as I get ready for work.
Plus I totally heart Matt and Meredith.
One of the most exciting moments in the coverage for me was
the anticipation waiting for Kate to leave her hotel. It was very cool to see the first look of the dress as she got into the car with her father that drove them to the Abbey. She was so sweet when she waved to the crowds the whole way to the church.
Here are my thoughts on the wedding:
The dress- I loved her dress. I thought it was beautiful, classic- very Grace Kelly. 20, 50 and 100 years from now, that dress will still look beautiful and elegant. I know some people felt underwhelmed by the dress---but I think she chose a dress that was both beautiful and fit with the occasion. I think a dress that was too body hugging or didn't have a fuller skirt would have been a less suitable choice for a wedding to a prince.
The Abbey- I loved the trees in the Abbey and overall the venue just looked great that day.
The ceremony- Will & Kate had a traditional ceremony and I loved it. I loved that the guests sang all of the songs as well. My favorite part? When Will saw his bride for the first time and whispered to her how beautiful she looked. Sigh. I shed a tear when he said it.
The flowers- the only thing I felt could have been done better was the bride's bouquet. I know she didn't want something too large that would take away from her dress, but I just didn't love it in general. It was too small (she's 5'10 and you need a more substantial bouquet when you have that much height---I'm actually the same height as Kate and I definitely emphasized to my florist that size was important so it would be proportionate to my and the full skirt of my ballgown). I wish she would have had an all-white bouquet of peonies with some touches of green, but I understand they only used flowers that are native to England.
Hair & makeup- Kate did her own makeup. Can you believe it? I thought she looked fantastic and just like herself---I love that she didn't stray from her normal look and color palette. I love that she did pink cheeks---she was just perfect and glowing. I read that she had taken makeup lessons and it gave her the confidence to do her own wedding makeup (I would have never even considered it, I would be too afraid to mess it up!)
I did like her hair as well but thought that the veil going over the tiara was not the best placement. I wish the tiara would have stood out on its own and that the veil placement would have been underneath the half-up part of her hair. I still think the way she had it was beautiful, but it wouldn't have been my first choice.
I feel an updo would have departed from her signature look, so I'm glad Kate wore her hair half-up half down--- it's nice that she looked like herself on her wedding day. I also liked when she let all of her hair down later on when she switched dresses, which brings me to...
The second dress- At first, I thought it was the same as her first dress, but with the diamond belt and angora shrug added---the sweetheart necklines looked identical. It was indeed a different dress (but the same designer, Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen). I think the diamond belt was such a gorgeous touch. I was a bit surprised by the similarity of the two dresses, but she's a girl who knows what she loves.
The first (and second) kiss- Their first kiss was so quick that if you blinked, you would have missed it! I am glad they did a second kiss. They just seemed very happy and I loved the little glances they gave each other throughout the ceremony and in the carriage and the little things they said to each other---it was sweet to see them interact like that.
The hats: BRING ON the HATS! I adore hats and fascinators and was delighted to see so many lovely ones at the ceremony. Some were a little out there (ahem, Beatrice and Eugenie) but most were lovely.
Pippa's Dress- how could I miss this one? I'm adding this in because I forgot to mention it on my original post, but she looked stunning in both dresses! She also wore McQueen for the ceremony. Some of you might remember Cameron Diaz wore the same dress in red to a red carpet event within the last year or two. She seems like a sweet and supportive sister and it was so unique to also see her in white on the big day!
Overall, I really enjoyed the wedding and I wish the royal couple endless years of happiness.
Kate is definitely a style icon and I think she always makes such great choices with what she wears (and it helps that she's stunning so everything looks great on her). I also think the royal wedding is going to bring back fascinators and hats. Fascinators have been popular among brides in the last several years (I wore one on my wedding day) and I think it would be great if more people started to wear fun hair accessories to special events. I may try to make one or have one made for a wedding I am attending in the fall. Why not, right? They are so fun and add a nice touch to a dress on a special occasion.
Okay, now that I'm done rambling, some photos (credit:
JustJared)
and here are a few shots of the bride and groom the day after the wedding---Kate in a lovely blue dress:
...and these shots of Kate a few days before the wedding (because she's just so pretty, I can't resist posting them!)
What did YOU think about the Royal Wedding? Did you wake up early like me? At about 11 a.m. Friday I really started to feel the lack of sleep and I had to eat sugar and drink coffee (okay, so maybe not the best choices) to get some energy in me. LOL.
Hope you are all enjoying your Sunday!
xoxo,
Veronika.
product that I blogged about the other day:
I've had my eye on. I just love the color combo! I'm going to wear them for light workouts and I'll also bring them to Paris for walking if I ever need a day off from my boots.
