The world is buzzing with excitement over tomorrow's royal nuptials of Will and Kate. What will she wear? How will she arrive? Who's on the guest list? We went to an expert, WeddingChannel.com Associate Editor Amy Eisinger, to get some fact...and predictions about how the wedding of the century will go down.
Let's start by having you give us a rundown of the big day. Is it pretty traditional (ceremony, reception to follow, etc) or are there going to be some royal additions to the schedule?
- The ceremony will be held at Westminster Abbey at 11 a.m. on April 29. Kate will travel by car (instead of by carriage, which has been tradition) probably in part due to national security concerns.
- Guests arrive at the church in order of importance, meaning that the Queen will probably be the last to show up right before the processional begins.
- The overall service will be conducted by the Very Reverend Dr. John Hall, the Dean of Westminster Abbey.
- The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will marry the couple.
- Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London and a longstanding friend of the royal family, will give the address. He also delivered the eulogy at Princess Diana's funeral.
- After the ceremony, the newlyweds will travel in a classic processional route to Buckingham Palace that takes them through Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, The Mall, and then finally to the Palace.
- The Queen will then host a breakfast reception for the newlyweds at Buckingham Palace. Prince Charles will also host an evening reception with dining and dancing at Buckingham Palace.
Why are there so many people presiding over the wedding?
- Prince William and Kate’s wedding will be one of the most complicated Royal weddings the Church of England has ever conducted.
- It is rumored that a compromise was made in order to not offend senior members of the Church.
- The couple wanted Prince Charles’s close friend Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, to conduct the service at Westminster Abbey, but that would sideline the Dean of Westminster in his own church.
- Also, as the country’s most senior cleric, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams was the most obvious candidate to conduct the service.
- For the historic ceremony, the couple decided ontwo choirs, one orchestra, plus a fanfare team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.
Is Kate the type to make it to the church on time? Or will she be leaving Will in a cold sweat up at the altar?
- While we’d like to think Kate might have Will wait a bit at the altar (she did wait 8 years for him to propose!), we think she’ll stick pretty close to schedule. The day is packed from the 11am start time of the ceremony to the procession, pictures and two receptions, so there will be little room for tardiness. Kate will also be traveling to the ceremony with her father, who will walk her down the aisle.
The big question on everyone's mind--what will she be wearing? After all, with a royal mother-in-law like Princess Di, she's got some big shoes (dresses?) to fill!
- Kate is a cool modern girl and will definitely incorporate her personal style into her wedding dress. We can predict she will go with something traditional, but with a modern twist.
- We won’t see her covered in Swarovski crystals – she always has a very clean refined look. We could see a dress that is hand-embroidered and possibly lace.
- A high neck line would also look great on her – it’s refined and very stylish.
- Instead of the large full skirt, we could see her in a fishtail style gown – Kate always downplays everything.
- Kate has a great figure and can pull off most dresses.
- We can expect to see a dress that is fresh, simple and straightforward but with some kind of grand element.
- There’s been tons of speculation over the dress, but recently, insiders have said that Kate made her decision on the designer on who the designer would be and is “very excited.”
- Kate’s mum and sister, Pippa, were spotted on Monday, Jan. 17, shopping at Bruce Oldfield’s London shop, further fueling speculation that Oldfield will be the designer. This could mean Bruce is Kate’s designer, or it could mean he’s doing the bridesmaid and mother of the bride attire.
- It’s also been rumored that Kate will wear two or even three dresses—one for the ceremony and one for each reception. And the last dress might be a short one.
Kate seems like a classy girl with simple tastes. How will she accessorize? Does she get to wear a tiara?
- Yes, Kate will wear a tiara. After all, it’s the most regal piece of wedding day jewelry! Other possible wedding day accessories include: a bracelet to complement her gorgeous ring, a pair of earrings from the family’s jewelry collection and of course her wedding band which will be made of rare Welsh gold.
- In fact, the Queen gave a piece of the gold that’s been in the family for years to Prince William as a gift, which is being used for Kate’s wedding band.
- The rumor is that the Crown Jeweler Harry Collins will be designing the royal wedding band for Kate.
- Although Kate is always seen with her hair down, we can expect she will wear her hair up on her wedding day, maybe in a low chignon, to show off the royal jewelry we know she will be wearing.
- Also, what’s a springtime British wedding without hats! Famed hat maker Philip Treacy is designing hats and fascinators for some members of the royal family and attendees.
- He designed Camilla's feathery headpiece for her wedding to Prince Charles.
- Rumors also indicate that he might be designing for Kate herself. Insiders say that Kate will stick to tradition for the ceremony, wearing a veil, but may wear a Treacy creation for the evening reception.
Since my invite seems to have been lost in the mail, what A listers will be in attendance?
- Kanye West is rumored to be invited; the rap artist has been spotted “partying” with Prince Harry before so it is likely that the artist could be invited.
- Victoria and David Beckham.
- British singers Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney
Who’s out?
- Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York
- President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were not invited
- French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni
What will their titles be after the wedding?
- There is a lot of speculation about what their titles will be after the wedding.
- Their proposed titles will be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
- In a way, they get to pick their titles, though, and since William has been Prince William his entire life, it’s thought he might keep that title and Kate might be the Duchess of Cambridge.
Will Kate arrive to the wedding in a horse and carriage like Diana did?
- It was confirmed that Kate will travel to the ceremony by car along the traditional processional route of the Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and Parliament Square.
- Although after the ceremony, Prince William and Kate will travel to the reception along the same route in a carriage procession.
- The newlyweds are expected to make an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
What are their cakes going to be at the reception?
- We love that they chose a traditional fruit cake as their wedding cake
- AND we also love that Prince William is having a “groom’s cake” – which is a Southern U.S. tradition – his special favorite: a chocolate biscuit cake – made of 1700 tea cookies and chocolate.
Will you be watching the romantic affair? Will you get up to watch it live? Coverage on most US networks start at 4:00 am EST/1:00PST. Now, that's a way to wake up! Let us know how you're marking the occasion!
