Mrs. Penguin, Northern CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in ChiefFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical TherapyEngagement Date: January 29, 2007Wedding Date: June 7, 2008Blogging Since: September 14, 2007Venue: Winery in the Gold CountryAbout Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
Hi hive! Last week we asked the bees to make their own predictions for the royal wedding, and we hope you’ve had fun playing along! We asked a specific set of questions, answered as best as we could below. Now comes the daunting task of choosing our winner!
The British Monarchy made Flickr their official photo sharing site, and now that the images have been released, it’s time to take a peek into the final results of the wedding day’s details!
The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding day style:
She wore a satin and lace dress designed by Sarah Burton for the Alexander McQueen. Her hair was half up, half down, and she wore a lace-embroidered elbow length veil. She wore an additional dress for the evening festivities featuring a jeweled belt and white bolero, also designed by Sarah Burton.
Mrs. Eggs Benedict, SeattleAge and Occupation: 29, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, AttorneyEngagement Date: December 5, 2009Wedding Date: February 2011Venue: IslandWoodAbout Me: I'm a Northwest girl who spends my time goofing around with Mr. Eggs Benedict and our dog, hiking, traveling, drinking wine and planning a wedding that will showcase the best of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I also love photography, beating Mr. Eggs Bene at Mario Kart, and watching the most ridiculous natural disaster flicks you can think of (seriously, how can you deny the awesomeness that is The Core or 2012?? That's right, you can't). We are planning our weekend wedding adventure at an environmental educational center, and I can't wait for the fun to begin!
I lived in London for a semester in college, but that wasn’t where my love (OK, OK, obsession) with the royal family started. I actually have no idea when it started as it seems I’ve always been fascinated by this family and their history. Read more…
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Sleep? Who needs it?! Especially when there’s a Royal Wedding goin’ on. Bear with me, kids. I’m running off of very little rest, but I’m a dedicated wedding fan and I am reporting for blog-duty.
OK, I’m sure you all are getting pretty tired of hearing about this wedding and I swear this will be my last post dedicated to it, BUT I think it’s important to take a moment to realize how it will, inevitably, affect weddings to come.
For example, amidst my tears upon seeing this beautiful scene:
Miss Carousel, Dusseldorf, Germany/Garda, ItalyAge and Occupation: 29, International Product ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Front End DeveloperEngagement Date: May 29, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: I’m an American-Italian girl living in Germany with my Belgian fiancé, planning a wedding in Italy. I can’t wait to show our guests the wonderful Lake Garda, Verona, and want our wedding to be a fun filled, charming, day in the life of “La dolce vita.” Mr. C and I love spending time together, and have added wedding related activities to our cooking nights, dance lessons, and road trips. We love sampling restaurants, could listen to Sinatra all day, and are just a tad geeky and into technology. As we want all of our passions to be part of our marriage, what better way to start than by incorporating them in our wedding day?
Did you also tune in this morning to avidly watch the wedding of the century? Yeah, me too - and I enjoyed it much more than I expected!
My eyes were glued to the TV trying to take it all in: the elegant guests, the arrival of Prince William with his brother Harry (so handsome, both of them), the arrival of the parents (did you as well initially mistake Kate’s mother for her sister? I totally did—and BTW I loved her pale blue coat) and finally seeing Kate in THE dress!
I was all, “Ahh,” when Prince William whispered, “You look beautiful,” and she broke into a smile, as it gave a glimpse past the formality of the occasion into the love between two people. I found the vows moving and felt a bit of envy that their day had arrived while ours is still months away!
Mrs. Deviled Egg, PittsburghAge and Occupation: 27, Public RelationsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, AccountingEngagement Date: December 24, 2007Wedding Date: May, 2009Blogging Since: October 21, 2008Venue: Historic auditorium and meeting hall in one of Pittsburgh's commuter citiesAbout Me: I am obsessed with all things crafty, especially scrapbooking, knitting, jewelry-making & cake decorating. I also love being an aunt, wrapping presents, watching football (Go Steelers!), shopping at yard sales and consignment stores, procrastinating, singing and learning to play the guitar. When it comes to wedding planning, I'm excited about working on DIY projects and finding creative ways to stay under budget. Of course, nothing is more exciting to me than knowing that the wonderful Mr. Deviled Egg will be my husband.
I’m coming out of hiding because I can’t pass up the opportunity to talk about the royal wedding. After watching the fictional (and rather cheesy) portrayal on Lifetime of how Prince William and Kate Middleton became romantically involved, I will shamefully admit that my interest has grown even more. Of course, I’d love to offer my predictions for how things will unfold this Friday.
First up, what seems to be the best kept secret in the universe—the dress! It’s been rumored that the dress was designed by the bride-to-be herself and will be created by Sophie Cranston of Libelula. I’ve also read/heard rumors that Kate has had multiple dresses made in case details leak. Although, I’m assuming multiple dress designs will almost certainly make Kate a two- or three-dress-bride. How could you choose just one when so many gorgeous dresses were made for you? Considering the events planned for Friday’s celebration, I’m guessing there will be one dress for the ceremony, a second for the reception and a third (Yes, a THIRD!) for the final, private party of the evening. A wedding this grand is so rare, I’m going to have to go with the prediction of three dresses! Read more…
Mrs. Candy Apple, Princeton Junction, NJ/ Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Project EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: May 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: St. Joseph's Parish, Seattle Tennis ClubAbout Me: I am a Pacific Northwesterner, born and bred. I have lived in many cities---Santa Clara, Durham (England); Florence; Boston; Princeton Junction---but my heart will always be nestled up near the Cascades and Olympics, which is why we are holding our wedding there. I am a bookworm and a History nerd: I love that my life consists of books, books, and more books, since I work in Publishing! Recently, all waking time not consumed by work and my daily commute has been overtaken by wedding planning. Well, that, and watching Premier-League soccer. There is nothing I love more than a good Tana French mystery, traveling to new places, Anthropologie shopping sprees, Iittala dishware, Kate Spade shoes, impeccable typefaces (think: Archer), and a nice English ale (hellooo, Old Speckled Hen!). Oh, and did I mention my obsession with wedding blogs? Yeah, there’s that too. Join Mr. Candy Apple and me as we prep for our wedding, and, more importantly, our marriage!
Or, Candy Apple finally jumps in on this whole Royal Wedding posting bonanza.
Honestly, I could have cared less about the whole royal wedding until, oh, people started blogging about it. Yes. I am now a convert. The conjecture! The lovely inspiration! The dresses! The style! I got super excited because, come on, it’s not every day that royalty gets married and I get to watch it on TV, right? Plus, I feel somewhat connected to Will and Kate (we’re on a nickname basis, obvs) because we have been planning our weddings at the same time, so that makes us wedding-twins, right? Right.
And really, who doesn’t want to watch a gal marry her prince? Since I’m such a sappy romantic, I am getting more excited about this as the week progresses. However, since I haven’t been following the wedding (I avoid all the TV shows/ specials/ etc at all costs) for the most part, these are going to be fairly wild guesses. So grab your fave cuppa, don your fanciest hat, and let’s make some guesses:
Dress
I am firmly in the camp that Catherine (aka Kate) will be at least a two-dress bride. Read more…
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, ILAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 22, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing ArtsAbout Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
Because alliteration makes everything better, even royal weddings!
I should preface this by saying my knowledge of the British monarchy is pathetic. And I totally researched the crap out of royal wedding traditions before I started writing my predictions (yet my knowledge is still severely lacking).
Kate’s Style
Certainly the most anticipated part of the day, Kate is going to keep her look elegant and sophisticated. I suspect she will wear a strapless ball gown with a fitted bodice. To keep within the modesty expectations at Westminster Abbey, she will also wear a beautiful 3/4 sleeve lace bolero that she can remove when she wants to bust a move at the after party (which she will do because she is awesome). The embellishment will be minimal, but it will feature a select few details to make her gown unique and beautiful.
I’m thinking something along these lines (but with more fine details):
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
It’s funny—I’ve said before that I don’t really care much about the royal wedding. But the main thing I do care about is what Kate is going to wear. I love me some fashion and I thought it would be fun to predict what the wedding will be all about. So here goes nuthin’!
The Dress:
Nobody really knows who is going to be designing Kate’s dress. There was a rumor that Sophie Cranston of Libelula would be designing it, but now they’ve made a statement saying that the rumor is untrue.
I’d bet a lot of money that Kate’s dress will be the work of a British designer. Kate is a bit edgy, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see her in Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Temperley London, or one of many lesser-known designers.
She favors simple, slinky silhouettes, so I know we won’t see her in a pouf-fest like Di. I’m anticipating that her dress will be fairly form-fitted, and sleek. Maybe something like this Alberta Ferretti?
Ms. Cheetah, Los Angeles/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 31, Artist, EducatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, TV FinanceEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The ViceroyAbout Me: I’m a silly, sassy lady with a compulsion to create. I love to sing and dance, despite the fact that I lack any talent doing either. I somehow manage to be messy and organized at the same time. I like to spend my days road tripping, watching '80s movies, reading true crime books, buying things on sale, sending postcards, playing board games, dining at food trucks, snuggling, and drinking ginger ale. I have a weak spot for all things sweet, especially Mr. Cheetah! I’m a Chicago girl and he’s a Nor Cal boy but we love living in the City of Angels. After 10 years as a couple we are planning a fun-filled semi-destination wedding in Palm Springs. Hope you enjoy the ride!
Hello Hive! Oh, how I’ve missed you! Soon I’ll be back with some last minute projects and of course recaps, because, well, I got married a few weeks ago! But before I get back to the Cheetah wedding, I had to pop in to give my royal wedding Predictions, or RWP, for all you acronym lovers out there. Oh, lets make that CRWP (Cheetah’s Royal Wedding Predictions, of course!).
The Dress
I will be one of the crazies up at 3 AM staring at my TV while wearing a fun hat, just waiting to see the Princess Bride’s gown. Who’s with me? And who’s bringing the scones?
I picture Kate’s dress being ivory, elegant, and regal. It will be made of rich stain, with lace details and perhaps a bit of beading here and there. Her dress will be classic and full, much like Grace Kelly and Ivanka Trump.
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
I’m a bit obsessed with the upcoming royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate. I’ve always been a fan of the royals since I couldn’t sleep one night in 1986 and caught the Prince Andrew-Fergie wedding. I was six years old.
And then, you know, I practically grew up with Princes William and Harry. I mean, yeah, they live way across the pond and all, but Prince William and I are about the same age and we both went to University. He volunteers, I volunteer. I mean, it could be me marrying him. Except I was already engaged to Mr. Magic, so he had to settle for Kate. She’s pretty, I guess.
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
It’s kind of sick how excited I am about this royal wedding. Really. I dare say I won’t feel this kind of excitement again until the week of my own wedding. (I told you, I am REALLY excited.) Thankfully I have a few avenues to vent my abundance of crazed joy! In addition to this RW prediction blog, I have been cordially invited to a viewing party (complete with PJs, mini sandwiches, tea, scones and petit fours) at BM/FSIL Tracy’s home—I might keel over I am so giddy.
Anyhow, on to the main event. These kids are awful adorable aren’t they?
I just want to squeeze them, they’re so cute! (And maybe sneak a smooch from that dashing prince, but don’t tell Mr. Seal!)
OK, so I’ve thought long and hard about this and here are my predictions!
Ceremony Length: In terms of the ceremony, I think they’ll keep it fairly short (an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes max).
Kate’s Dress: Current rumors name Sophie Cranston (of Libélula Studios) among her probable gown designers. While I have no reason to disagree with that prediction, I don’t envision Kate in something quite as ill-fitted as is prominent in Cranston’s signature designs.
Mrs. Sparkler, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 27, Communications AficionadoFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PublisherEngagement Date: July 21, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Chicago Illuminating CompanyAbout Me: I’m a Southern lady living in the big city of Chicago. Well, lady may be a stretch, but I’m working hard to keep some Virginia charm in our sleek, urban, wedding-palooza! I’m addicted to marathons, not-so-famous bands, Chicago restaurants, and Mark Twain. I cry during SPCA commercials, and I think LOST was the best show to ever hit television. Mr. S and I met at a classy college mixer and, 7 years later, he’s still by my side. He’s the only child, laid back, free spirit... I’m the oldest of five kids, type-A, organizer. It doesn’t work on paper, but we’ve never paid attention to that stuff anyway. Somehow it works. And like they say, sometimes when you know…you just know.
I guess my dirty little secret is out. As I sit here, cuddled up with some English breakfast tea in my Will and Kate mug, I realize that everyone will now know about my obsession with the royal wedding. I tried to hide it for too long. I knew it would come out eventually. And I still denied my addiction. Can you blame me? I mean, I’m getting married a few short months after a prince and princess. That’s enough to take any bride’s brain into complete wedding overload. Anyway, before you run away thinking I’m crazy, here are my predictions for the wedding of the century. Let’s start with the most important detail:
The Dress
Can you imagine being Kate Middleton? Deciding on a dress that will influence bridal fashion for possibly the next 10 years… or more? What a mountain of pressure. But you know what? I think she’s loving it. She has always been so fashionable, so sure of what she likes, and totally certain of what looks good on her body. I have a feeling she knew exactly what she wanted from the start.
For those reasons, I’m going to guess that Kate has chosen a designer that we haven’t really heard of in the States, and I think her gown will include three specific details:
Mrs. Biscuit, Morgantown, WVAge and Occupation: 24, Dental StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Chemist at a pharmaceutical companyEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Catholic Church, Lakeview Golf Resort and SpaAbout Me: I'm an engineer who decided to trek back to my hometown three years ago to become skilled in the arts of drilling and filling. I'm engaged to a pretty awesome guy who tests your assorted benzodiazepines by day and home brews by night. Together we have two fur children, Tsali and Tobias N. Fünkat. I'm a lazy perfectionist and eternal sorority girl who enjoys running, crafting, string cheese, good beer, and bad reality TV. We are planning a Big Fat Italian/Sicilian/Polish wedding filled with DIY details and are expecting 300 +/- 50 guests. Our whimsical summer affair is themed "Alice attends the Mad Hatter Vintage Garden Tea Party in a Ballroom. She Thinks That The Venue is Odd for a Vintage Garden Party, but is Tripping on LSD, so She Doesn't Really Care." Yes, I am the Dickens of themes.
As soon as I found out the blogger bees were going to write about their Royal Wedding predictions, I jumped at the chance to join in! And then I realized that I know nothing about flowers, designer gowns, and really anything royal wedding related. It’s OK though, I’ve been watching all the TLC specials, and I feel like I may have some semi-coherent predictions.
1) The dress
Many have speculated that Kate will wear a more form fitting gown. I disagree. While I can’t imagine Kate in a ruffly ball gown, I also can’t see her in a trumpet sheath. She will have to have a decent train. It takes about four minutes to walk down the aisle, and she will be photographed from the ceiling. There needs to be some sort of wow factor. She also needs to stand out amidst the thousands upon thousands of people who are there.
For some reason I have this idea in my head that her dress will look a bit like Princess Mia’s in The Princess Diaries 2, except it will be poofier with a longer train. I also think that she’ll stay on trend and have a separate dress for her after party. I think she’ll keep it long but still form fitting. Her veil for the ceremony will probably cathedral length, and I think it will drag around three feet in front of her. As for the designer, I think she’ll stay classic with McQueen, with Issa doing her reception dress.
Mrs. Turtle, Central CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 21, Art Student/TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English StudentEngagement Date: August 16, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CAAbout Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
With the royal wedding only days away, did you really think I’d miss this chance to re-enter wedding blogland? Definitely not! I’ve missed you guys! And honestly, the only reason I haven’t been obsessively caught up in the royal wedding buzz until now is that deep down, there’s still a part of me that’s mourning the loss of my girlhood dream. Prince William was supposed to be mine. However, I guess if it wasn’t meant to be, I couldn’t have lost him to a classier queen-to-be than Catherine Middleton. (I mean, the fact that we both studied Art History in college does make us kindred spirits, doesn’t it?) And now that I’ve found my very own “prince,” Mr. Turtle, it’s time to move on with my life. But don’t think that means I will ever stop envying her stylish hat collection…or the palaces…or the jewels. Sigh.
It’s a difficult task to predict the details of a 21st century royal wedding, but I hope you enjoy my vision of the occasion…
Let’s talk about Kate.
The dress: The two designers who have been at the center of the bridal gown rumor mill are Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and Bruce Oldfield. Read more…
Mrs. Cinnamon Bun, Calgary, AlbertaAge and Occupation: 26, Stage ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Theatre TechnicianEngagement Date: June 22, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Calgary Opera CentreAbout Me: I'm a life-long crafter and bookworm living in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Some of my loves include Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, knitting, opera, musicals, Etsy, baking, and of course, Mr. Cinnamon Buns. We're keeping our wedding close to home---the venue isn't very far from our house, and we live within walking distance of 6 bridal salons. I'm using the wedding as an excuse to try out every craft project I possibly can, with the endless help and support of my fiance.
I have lived in Canada my whole life, but both my parents emigrated here from England (I was even at dad’s citizenship ceremony, at a few months old), so I grew up in a very British household. I love the Queen! It makes me sad when I hear other Canadians talking about ‘getting rid’ of the monarchy. I have lined up on the sidewalk just to catch a glimpse of the Queen and Prince Philip when they’ve visited, and my mum has more than a couple Royal memorabilia plates and cups at home. I like the tradition of having a Queen of Canada, and I’m not too sure why some people want to separate themselves. She doesn’t have any day-to-day say in our government, and when the odd thing does come up, the matters go to our Governor General, the Queen’s official representative in Canada, who is a Canadian. My monarchist tenancies aside, I am so looking forward to the Royal Wedding! I will also admit to having a crush on Prince William when I was younger.
But, let’s focus on Kate! Dresses! Veils! Jewels! Just imagine planning a wedding with that budget, and that guest list (Her Majesty, Elton John, Posh & Becks…). Here is what I think will pan out on Friday:
I have a feeling that strapless might not fly in Westminster Abbey, but I don’t see Kate going for full sleeves. I have no idea who her dress designer will be, but I think something like this dress from Watters, with wide straps/cap sleeves and a full back will be the general style:
However, I guess if it wasn’t meant to be, I couldn’t have lost him to a classier queen-to-be than Catherine Middleton. (I mean, the fact that we both studied Art History in college does make us kindred spirits, doesn’t it?) And now that I’ve found my very own “prince,” Mr. Turtle, it’s time to move on with my life. But don’t think that means I will ever stop envying her stylish hat collection…or the palaces…or the jewels. Sigh. 
