Event of the Year

The most talked about day of the century finally came this morning when Kate Middleton, who will now be known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, married Prince William - who takes on the title His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.
I have to admit I wasn't really "feeling" the Royal Wedding until this morning. Once I met with some british friends of mine I was totally dragged into the Royal Wedding fever. And it felt really good!

There was such an amazing atmosphere around London and you could tell that most, if not all were also having the "Wedding Fever".

Today London has taken centre stage and are hosting more than 5000 street parties around the capital. But, the most magical moment of the day was of course when Catherine emerged from the car at Westminster Abbey.

Kate Middleton's royal wedding dress was immediatelly confirmed as having been designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen. In ivory silk and lace, the long-sleeved, V-necked gown bears a two-metre train and is accessorised with a veil made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle trimmed with hand-embroidered flowers, and the Cartier "halo" tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen.

"Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing. Miss 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." revealed the Palace today.

Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, who created Kate's royal wedding dress, has spoken about the commission:

"It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton to create her wedding dress, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. It was such an incredible honour to be asked, and I am so proud of what we and the Alexander McQueen team have created. I am delighted that the dress represents the best of British craftsmanship. Alexander McQueen's designs are all about bringing contrasts together to create startling and beautiful clothes and I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day.

The last few months have been very exciting and an incredible experience for my team and I as we have worked closely with Catherine to create this dress under conditions of the strictest secrecy.  Understandably, Catherine has been very keen to keep the details of her dress a secret, which is every bride's prerogative, and we gave an undertaking to keep our role confidential until the day of the wedding.

Catherine looked absolutely stunning today, and the team at Alexander McQueen are very proud of what we have created.  The dress was just one component of a spectacular day, and I do not think it is appropriate to comment any further beyond saying that I personally am very grateful and honoured to have been given the opportunity to work on this project, and I wish TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge every good wish for the future."

British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman was among the guests at this morning's much-anticipated royal wedding. Here, she talks us through the biggest day of the year - and that dress.

"What an amazing dress, it was perfect for the bride and sent out so many fantastic messages. I felt very moved when I heard it was McQueen: a designer acknowledged as being brilliant to design a royal wedding dress has never happened before.

For Sarah Burton, it will really make that role her own. The dress had that softness that she's brought to the label and it had all the wonderful structure of an Alexander McQueen dress, as well as a femininity. It could have been a lot of people, there are many designers who would have done something very beautiful, but it was good she (The Duchess of Cambridge) chose a more modern fashion designer. It's so exciting for the McQueen team.

The whole atmosphere was incredibly friendly and everyone was equally excited to be there chatting about what Kate was wearing and who was coming in. There were lovely strawberry plants and Lily of the Valley at the foot of the trees and there was a long wait as people kept coming in. A lot of people were wearing black, surprisingly."

Kate Middleton continued the natural feel of her wedding day look by insisting on doing her own make-up for the grand occasion.

Kate, now officially Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, told aides that she "knows her own face" and doesn't think a professional could do a better job than her.

Kate was rumoured to have had a series of private lessons prior to the wedding from London-based make-up artist Arabella Preston. However, on the day Miss Middleton was the one holding the brushes; choosing to create a softly smoky eye, enhancing the apples of her cheeks with a pink blush colour teamed with a matching lipstick shade.

Kate also received a manicure by Marina Sandoval from the Jo Hansford Salon in Mayfair, arranged by her new step-mother-in-law Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall. Marina created a custom-blend for the Kate's nails, including Bourjois's no. 28 Rose Lounge and Essie's 423 Allure, to create the off-white bridal shade the duchess-to-be was looking for.
Other bridal beauty treatments have included regular oxygen facials from Karin Herzog, and Kate's hair on the day was created by senior stylist James Pryce from the Richard Ward salon.

A day that brought everyone together, surely the icing on the royal cake came by way of the weather - it hasn't rained - and the two kisses (not just one) on the balcony at BuckinghamPalace that brought the day's proceedings to a close.

Congratulations to His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.