THE Dress: Opinions?

So for the past few weeks, the media has been in a near frenzy about the upcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Granted I was a fan of Prince William's back in high school when he was a total cutie, but as we've both gotten older (and some of us balder) so sadly the spark is long gone between Will and I.



Kate and her sister, Pippa, the maid of honor before the ceremony.

However, Kate Middleton has always struck me as a rather classy girl. Somehow she's managed to avoid any sort of major scandal during her decade in the public eye and according to reports, she and William are quite in love.

A few folks in my office intended to wake up this morning at 5am to catch the wedding cermony itself. Seeing as how I didn't wake up at 5am for my own wedding day, this seemed rather extreme, but I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down with my bowl of cereal right as the "kiss" from the balcony of Buckingham Palace was about to take place.



Kate and William on the balcony.


Watching the couple come out onto the balcony was interesting. For several minute leading up to their entry, the cameras had focused on the thousands gathered outside the Palace, hoping to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds. The crowd stretched out for what seemed like miles. Upon entering the balcony, Kate Middleton looked truly stunned at the number of people waiting. It made me think how surreal it must be, for both Kate and her family, that she's now a member of the royal family. Crazy!

They stood for a few minutes, joined by their families, including the Queen, waved to the crowd, and kissed twice. Then they went back inside.

Honestly, there is not a single bone in my body that would be interested in standing outside for hours, without access to a bathroom, to see that little display. The folks there seemed excited though and cheered wildly.

The dress, I thought, was lovely. Initially I could only see the lace sleeves and it was love at first sight. I'm such a sucker for lace and it was a must-have on my own wedding dress. Unlike Kate's lace, my lace was not hand sewn incorporating the four crests of the United Kingdom with the seamstresses required to wash their hands every thirty minutes to not soil the fabric.  When I saw the entire dress, it somehow managed to be a dress that any woman could have worn but yet at the same time be a dress completely fit for a princess.

And true to form, I thought her hair and makeup looked divine. I even rather liked the pearl crown she wore when I'm typically very anti-crown at weddings (though I suppose I must make an exception for an actual princess). EDIT: Seems I need to get my eyes checked: the crown was a diamond encrusted Cartier one, Kate's something borrowed from the Queen! It was slightly disgusting to read that the hips of her wedding dress had been padded to create that royal Victorian-esque look. Apparently I'm very Victorian...no extra padding required!

I was just a baby when Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married so this is my first exposure to the spectacle that is a royal wedding. While I really wasn't into it leading up to the day, I have to say that it was fun waiting for them to come onto the balcony and it sounds like many are predicting that they'll live a long, happy life together. I hope so!

Did anyone get up early to watch the ceremony? What did you think of her dress? I'm interested to hear opinions!