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Source: Daily EmeraldThis past Friday, the world finally experienced the fanfare of a royal wedding, this latest one between the late Princess Diana’s son, Prince William, and his long-time girlfriend Catherine Middleton.
The media and the public haven’t been this obsessed with a wedding since the 1981 wedding between Diana and Prince Charles.
Although Kate and William’s wedding lived up to its expectations of grandeur, it still seemed demure compared to media predictions. Nonetheless, they were married with hundreds of millions of viewers around the world watching, packed crowds lining the streets of London and a guest list featuring celebrities, royals and women in wonderfully strange and colorful hats.
Among the 1,900 guests invited were David and Victoria Beckham (dressed in a strangely somber black dress she designed herself); Elton John with partner David Furnish; English Prime Minister David Cameron and Australian Olympian Ian Thorpe.
Some female guests nearly outshone the new bride with their extravagant, elegant and, for a few select guests, ostentatious outfits. For example, guest of the wedding and English socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson donned a bright blue dress that fit her like a piece of art, and her hat looked like a rowboat with a flower in the middle.
The real surprise outfit of the wedding, however, came from Middleton herself.
The bride had kept the designer of her a dress a secret until the day of the wedding. Middleton first showed the dress to the public and press when she stepped out of the car in front of Westminster Abbey, revealing a dress designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
Although not as grand a dress as worn by Princess Di, whose dress was beautiful, yet dated, Middleton’s dress was simple, yet elegant and timeless, with lace sleeves, a bodice, a V-neck and a long train running behind.
As for the ceremony itself, the wedding was beautiful and symbolic, filled with classical choral and instrumental music as well as religious scripture, singing and traditional ceremony.
And the crowd finally got what it was waiting for when the married couple had its first kiss. After hours of antagonizing the press and throngs of fans, it was well worth the wait. On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the newlyweds gave fans not one, but two kisses, much to the squeals and roars of news commentators and about one million fans watching from outside the palace.
William and Kate, now also known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have regained a favor and love from the public that has not been seen since Princess Diana’s time, and that relationship with the public has only been strengthened with a modern fairy tale wedding.
But the best part was the hats.
