THE DRESS
Since the engagement was announced, the world has been waiting with bated breath for the moment Catherine Elizabeth Middleton would transform from commoner to royal bride. And the smiling Duchess of Cambridge was the picture of poise as she walked down the aisle wearing a stunning white lace and satin Alexander McQueen gown designed by Sarah Burton - finally confirming the most well-kept secret in fashion history. The dress was made with Individual flowers hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle, with button detailing on the lace sleeves
The bride was heavily involved in the design and worked closely with Burton to ensure the design would be a combination of both tradition and modern
Something borrowed: Catherine wore a diamond 'halo' tiara, lent to her by the Queen
The 9ft train flowed from a skirt echoing an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats
AND NOW THE DESIGNER:
AND NOW ....THE CAKE
I just had to post this article and pictures of the most beautiful cake I've seen in a very long time. I will include the entire article:
The masterpiece: Fiona Cairns, stands next to the wedding cake that she and her team made for Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, in the Picture Gallery of Buckingham Palace
The eight-tiered Royal Wedding cake decorated with 900 symbolic sugar-paste flowers on Kate's request. They celebrated their love for each other today in a lavish Royal Wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey and this is the extraordinary cake that they enjoyed at the reception. Prince William and his bride Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, cut the first slice of the magnificent eight-tiered wedding cake this afternoon as they celebrated their marriage with friends and family.
The confectionery masterpiece covered in cream and white icing and decorated with up to 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers was centre-stage at the Buckingham Palace reception held in the picture gallery.
The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are fans of her fruit cakes, while Paul McCartney orders one for Christmas every year, and she has also baked creations for bands Pink Floyd and Simply Red in the past.
Ms Cairns, 56, whose confections are sold in Harrods, Selfridges and Waitrose, was contacted by St James's Palace in February and asked if she would make William and Kate's wedding cake.
Speaking at Buckingham Palace after she had put the final touches to the cake, she said: ‘The picture gallery has high ceilings and is an imposing room so I wanted the cake to have presence but not to be imposing and I think it worked. ‘Catherine did not want it to be seven feet tall, she didn't wanit it to be towering and think and I think we succeeded.
We reflected some of the architectural details in the room so the garlands on the walls were reproduced loosely on the fourth tier - we've used roses, acorns, ivy leaves, apple blossom and bridal rose.’
The bride wanted elements from the Joseph Lambeth technique of cake decoration, where intricate piping is used to make three dimensional scroll work, leaves, flowers and other adornments.
