When we first decided to go to LONDON, I have to confess I was most excited about seeing Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and even more excited to see Kate’s Dress on display!
We got to see it all and more!
We visited Westminster Abbey first! I was so excited just to be standing here! Right where THE ROYAL WEDDING HAPPENED! My favorite view of the Westminster Abbey was surprisingly from the back, it looks likes a castle!
Then Buckingham palace, the front gates were enough to make me ecstatic!
We were able to take the Royal Tour of the Palace as the Queen was on holiday for the summer! My favorite room was the last room in the tour:
Then we got to see it! THE DRESS, Kate Middleton was married to Prince William in and of coarse since we were on the audio tour- I got to press #101 to hear the details about the front of dress, #102 to hear details about the back of the dress, #103 Jewelry, #104 Shoes, etc.- Of course I listened to each one in great detail! Here are all of the juicy details!
THE DRESS
Catherine Middleton’s dress was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.
The veil is long, sheer, and modern. It showcases her hair, which she is wearing down. The veil is made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.
The veil is held in place by a Cartier ‘halo’ tiara, lent to Middleton by the Queen. It’s a simple but very elegant look. She is wearing a train that measures over six feet. The sleeves are long and lace. The front is cut in a low V.
According to the press release, Middleton wished for her dress to “combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen’s work. Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.”
The Design
The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace. The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s.
****One of my favorite facts:
Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock. These flowers represent the United Kingdom: rose representing England, thistle representing Scotland, daffodil representing Whales, and the shamrock for Northern Ireland.
Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace has been used throughout the bodice and skirt, and has been used for the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.
The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The train measures two metres 70 centimetres. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen’s designs. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.
Veil and Jewellery
The veil is made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.
Even Something Borrowed!
The veil is held in place by a Cartier “halo” tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen. The “halo” tiara was made by Cartier in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday.
The Bride’s earrings (**ONE OF MY VERY FAVORITE PERSONAL TOUCHES**), by Robinson Pelham, are diamond-set stylised oak leaves with a pear shaped diamond set drop and a pavé set diamond acorn suspended in the centre. Inspiration for the design comes from the Middleton family’s new coat of arms, which includes acorns and oak leaves. The earrings were made to echo the tiara. The earrings were a personal gift to the Bride from her parents for her Wedding Day.
Royal Garden
At the end of the tour we got to enter in to the Royal Garden, they have a little Garden Cafe that I feel in love with, enjoyed a ROYAL cappuccino and strawberries & cream . YUM! Perfect day at Buckingham Palace!
Love, Krystel
