Wed to perfection

It’s here and gone. Royal Wedding Day 2011. I wasn’t one of the billions of sleep-deprived people to wake up and watch it live, but I did catch most of the highlights and saw the kiss live this morning. In my opinion, the best moment, which I actually caught live while at work (thanks boss for being as excited about the wedding as me), was seeing William and Kate in their getaway convertible, elated and somewhat amused that they surprised everyone by driving off by themselves. With foil balloons trailing behind, plastic bows firmly affixed and a JU5T WED license plate, they managed to incorporate a fun element into the staunchly formal affair. They looked like a couple of kids having fun with daddy’s fancy car, and that made them relatable, human, like a couple of really cool friends of mine just got married, albeit the getaway car was some kind of vintage Aston Martin.

{via Pinterest}

Of course, what I was most eager to see was THE wedding dress, which ended up not really being about the dress at all. Sure, the dress was absolutely flawless, but it was an adorning embellishment to the bride and merely highlighted and enhanced her natural beauty. Unlike Princess Diana, where the yards of silk taffeta and tulle swallowed her up and weighed her down, Kate seemed comfortable in a dress that flowed effortlessly with her. She looked breathtakingly beautiful, radiant and oh-so-elegant, as well as modest. The simple satin, classic lace, timeless silhouette. She looked the part of a modern-day fairytale princess bride and did it in her own style, which exuded classic elegance, likely to stand the test of time. This leads me to my next installment in the list series.

30 Timeless Fashion Staples/Trends that I LOVE:
1.    Pearls
2.    Ruffles
3.    Lace
4.    Silk
5.    Diamonds
6.    Bows
7.    Satin
8.    Feathers
9.    Ribbon/Sashes
10.   Pumps
11.   Cardigans
12.   Ballet flats
13.   Scarf/Pashmina shawl
14.   Little Black Dress
15.   Pencil skirt
16.   Trench coat
17.   Denim jeans
18.   Plain white fitted t-shirt
19.   Collared button-down shirts
20.   Capri pants
21.   Sunglasses (oversized & aviator)
22.   Jean jacket
23.   Designer leather purse (Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc.)
24.   Wrap dress
25.   Fitted blazer
26.   Hoop earrings (gold or silver)
27.   Turtleneck
28.   Classic watch
29.   Pea coat
30.   Flowers

One British trend that I haven’t quite embraced are those over-the-top hats that all the women wore at the Royal Wedding. They look really fun, but I’m just not quite sure I could pull that off anywhere here. Check out the interesting styles…http://abcnews.go.com/International/slideshow/royal-wedding-crazy-hats-13488833

Did you miss out on the wedding and want to know the play-by-play of the ceremony? Here is the official program of the Royal Wedding… http://ph1.cerosmedia.com/1B4db9637e64402583.cde

Royal wedding frenzy

Have you heard? There’s a wedding on Friday…it’s kind of a big deal. Actually, it would be hard for you not to have heard anything about it if you watch any TV, listen to the radio, surf the Internet or go grocery shopping. Virtually every magazine cover in the checkout line is plastered with photos and headlines of the big event. For those of you hiding under a rock…there’s this prince, and he’s going to marry this non-royal commoner, who will become a princess on Friday. It’s the stuff of fairytales and happens maybe only once in a lifetime. I think that’s what’s making people crazy and obsessed over this whole royal wedding deal. It’s the biggest wedding of the year, unless of course you’re getting married this year – then I’m sure you probably think your wedding takes the cake.  

To top it off, the bride and groom are both ridiculously beautiful-looking people. Kate is classy, stylish and has an air of simplicity and sophistication about her…a natural princess. I even like that she goes by “Kate,” instead of the less formal and more common “Katie” or the stuffier and more pretentious “Catherine.” William is handsome, seems to be a gentleman, and really, who can resist a prince…especially with a British accent (Don’t British accents automatically add a few points to your attractiveness rating)? We’ve been brainwashed by Disney movies as little girls to want to be princesses when we grow up. I admit that I used to have quite a crush on Prince William as a pre-teen and planned our imaginary wedding in my head. It involved a lot of silk and fresh flowers.

I’m rather enamored with the whole royal wedding thing myself and am a little taken in by the frenzy. In fact, if I didn’t have to be a grown up with an 8-to-5 job, I would probably stay up really late, invite some friends over and have a sleepover viewing party with tea and crumpets and everything. Alas, I will have to settle for the countless reruns and recaps that, I’m sure, will dominate television over the weekend.

If you’re lucky enough to be having a royal wedding watch party, you can find some really pretty free printables for your party at the amazingly impressive Hostess With The Mostess blog…here & here. Some lovely images from the site…

As with anything, there are always those people who take the obsession to a whole new level. Here are some examples of the craziness as a result of the upcoming royal nuptials: