She was beautiful! Unless it was some lady gaga get up , I knew I would like it.

I thought it was very beautiful. I'm so sick of the unflattering mermaid and strapless styles that seem to dominate the U.S. market (at least according to "Say Yes to the Dress.") I thought Kate's was lovely and feminine by comparison.

I thought it was regal, classy, beautiful. I.m glad she didn't buy into. so much of what I see on Say Yes To The Dress.... the dress has to be sexy, and revealing. That is so tacky and should be saved for the wedding night.

It was really lovely, not a real wow but classic enough that no one will ever look back and think 'what was she thinking?'. I can't say that about Diana's dress which I never cared for.

Honestly though, what wouldn't Kate look good in? Well, maybe Princess Diana's dress.

Me too, I thought it was beautiful and elegant. It was very appropriate with her origin since she didn't come from a royal line. Her tiara was a good choice too. It was just right and not over done.

I liked the little peplum ruffles at the back. I suspect the gown looks much better 'close up, in person'. There wasn't a lot of drama to it, seen from afar. (Maybe a very GOOD THING, given the overblown confection worn by that unfortunate schoolgirl, Diana.) The tiara and veil seemed annoyingly off-center. I don't like a short veil over a dress with a long train. It was also limp and 'wispy'. (Reminded me of window treatment sheers.)

The groom's uniform was also rather low key. Now HARRY looked like a proper Prince in that dark uniform with the dashing gold braid. Loved the pages in their tabards. The TV 'personalities' were too busy beeing cute to identify the members of the wedding party. I kept switching around, but they were all chatting up one another instead of doing any reporting. (Maybe that had all been done before I tuned in?)

I woke around 6 a.m. with stuffy nose, so got up and switched on the TV.

I would like to know what any of the royal princesses 'of an age' think about the pair. Relief? Sour grapes?

I thought it was absolutely beautiful and a perfect choice.

When I saw it, the word elegant popped right into my head. And, the veil was perfect for it.

PS - Am I the only person who cringed when I saw Diana's dress years ago? Now, THAT was a disaster, more appropriate for a child's doll.

I'm not criticizung anyone that has worn a "strapless" dress, but here's my take on Kate's dress...

And please don't flame me; this is just my opinion and answer to the question.

I thought the dress was beyond perfect. I am so tired of seeing brides exposing themselves in all the "strapless" dresses. Many of them are to heavy to pull off the look; if a woman is not starved a model, they only look heavier by having all that flesh pushed out and rolling over the top of their dress.

My beautiful friend of mine, who is thin, wore a stapless dress at her wedding. It was a lovely dress, but it made her look 20 lbs. heavier, not the look she was going for.

As soon as I got a glimpse of Kate's covered shoulders and the lace on her sleeves I swooned with delight. And the bouquet! It was small compared to most Royal and Hollywood brides, but it was just perfect.

The BBC newscasters reported that the tiara had belonged to Queen Elizabeth II. Her father gave it to her on her 18th birthday. It's not been worn in decades. She gave it to Kate as a gift.

The only thing I would have changed was I would have added a necklace to her ensemble. With the length of the slightly open neckline, it would have been so perfect to showcase a necklace to match those gorgeous earrings.

I was hoping once they went to the private Chapel to sign the registers that William would have presented her with a special wedding gift and she would have come back out wearing a necklace that either matched her engagement ring, or the earrings.

Okay...that's the short version of my wedding critique.

I agree with Marita40 -- I'm glad that it might influence designs now to get rid of the strapless gowns that have been so big lately! The long lace sleeves and lace neckline were beautiful. The part I didn't like about it was the teeny tiny pointy training bra bust.

I thought it was understated but in a good way. Not what I expected at all but from what I've seen of Kate, it was perfect for her. Seemed very much her style. She was a modern bride. I thought she looked gorgeous.

I thought it was beautiful.

Classic...she looked beautiful and so did Pippa her Maid of Honor.......

ChiSue said ...overblown confection worn by that unfortunate schoolgirl, Diana.

So true.I thought she looked beautiful in a hideous dress.....

I think the dress was quite appropriate. I'm also tired of overweight brides in strapless gowns. I liked the hair too. It wasn't just left and hanging like some brides.

I never truly liked Diana's dress, but she looked so beautiful and in love at the time that it didn't matter.

I'm watching the wedding on TLC right now. My family resembles some of the royals. It's kind of fascinating to watch.

The dress was like the lady who wore it--beautiful, elegant and appropriate. In a word...perfect.

It was very touching that the Queen gave Kate the tiara. I wish them all the happiness in the world.

I thought the dress was classically beautiful, like Kate herself.

I don't believe Kate could have worn a strapless wedding gown if she wanted to. The wedding gown was supposed to cover the shoulders and arms. It was intentional. It was simple and yet elegant all the way.

With all the wrongs that have been going on with the recent royal marriages and the embarrassement that brought to the royal family, William and Kate are a breath of fresh air. Their 7 to 8-year relationship prior to the wedding makes a better hope for a solid marriage. I too wish them a lifetime of happiness.

The dress was very appropriate, fitted beautifully and she looked lovely in it, but I would have preferred something more romantic. From the pictures I've seen of her, though, that's not her style.

I agree with all the commentators, though - I immediately thought of Grace Kelly - and Julie Andrews as Maria Von Trapp.

I just saw the dress. It thought it was beautiful. I wish her bridesmaid would have worn a color other than white though.

The station I just saw said that the tiara was the
"something borrowed".

She's a class act all the way. Gorgeous, refined, dignified and what ever bride should strive to emulate. I loved Diana but always thought her dress was over the top.

I thought it was classy and very Kate.

About the tiara I read this: It was given to the current queen by her mother on the queen's 18th birthday. If so, then this would have been borrowed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Story about dress and pictures

I loved the dress, very classic and very classy to my eye. It is my understanding that the queen loaned the tiara to Kate, just as she has loaned many jewels to Camilla. All the royal jewelry is the property of the monarchy and therefore not the queen's to 'give'. Tho the recipient is permitted to keep the items with them to wear whenever they like they are not permitted to pass it along and it returns to the monarchy at the time of their death, or if they depart the royal family.

I so agree about Diana's dress, this was definitely not foretelling of the fashion icon she became.

"The little girls all wore white dresses by Nick Macfarlane that looked like mini-bridal gowns. And while most bridesmaids here in the states wear a variety of colors, generally in pastel hues, it is royal tradition that the bridesmaids don white just like the bride."

Yes, Diana's dress was very unattractive.

Everything was lovely. Very classy and appropriate.
I believe the earrings were a gift from her parents (something new). The tiara was the something borrowed, maybe the something old too.

I agree with you, Caroline. I also notice that brides wearing strapless gowns hunch over a bit, probably because they're not sure everything will stay put! I loved Katherine's dress--beautiful.

I thought of Maria in The Sound of Music as well, when I saw the dress.

Maybe Diana didn't get much say in her dress? It was pretty much in the style of the 80's I think--lots of poofyness.

Kate looked beautiful. She had to wear a modest dress for her wedding in the revered Westminster Abby and for marrying into the royal family. She wore a lovely dress that showed off her figure, was respectful of the church setting, and made her look good. The tight bodice showed off that lovely figure, as did the sweetheart neckline of the top under the lace. The long sleeves accentuated her slender arms, and the high lace neckline in the back of her dress showed off her slender neck. The skirt was pleated, which gave her a controlled but full effect to the skirt and featured her tiny waist. The train was a nice length, not too much to manage for such a small girl.

The dress designers that commented wanted unique, but this was not a fashion show. She was lovely. She wore the dress, it did not wear her.

I thought it was absolutely lovely and perfect for her day! It was very reminiscent of Grace Kelly, but I didn't realize why I liked it so much till someone made mention of that fact. I think she was just beautiful!

They certainly waited long enough. I think I've read that living together before marriage is NOT a harbinger of long marriages. The bride is nearing 30; should we start the nine month clock?

Yes, I am guessing that they will move right along with starting a family. I notice all the 30ish brides out here do move into the baby mode rather quickly so that they will be assured of babies rather than risk waiting too long. With the need to have a baby to inherit a crown some day, I suspect they plan to get on with it. It is not as if they have had no time together or that they have not been living as a couple for quite some time. So they may well be more than ready emotionally for the next step.

It is being talked about that they will move into starting a family right off the bat and mention her age. Of course these days many young women wait until much later to have babies but I suspect we will hear baby talk every time she wears a baggy sweater ...

Refreshingly simple!

Blessings!
Haley :)

Caroline, you expressed my thoughts so well that I will just say thank you. A really elegant and "accomplished" young woman. Nanny

I was pleasantly surprised at the dress. I didn't expect anything like Diana's, but thought it might be a little more flourishing. I thought the neckline was perfect, considering how so many brides now are wearing dresses with the neckline cut down to the navel.

William and Kate both looked so solemn during the ceremony; barely a smile.

And of course, I loved the dress because that lacy fabric looks almost exactly like my wedding dress. I had to go and look at the pictures of mine to compare the two. Someone mentioned Kate's dress was "vintage." That fabric might have been the style back in 1944.

Sue

I liked both the dress and the veil. She looked gorgeous in them.

I loved her dress. The earrings her parents gave her were gorgeous!

Classic, simple and beautiful. I also loved Pippa's dress.

I agree with everything Caroline said.

Hopefully this will end the hoochie mama red carpet look (worst) or prom queen (pretty bad) look for brides.

When I got married those horrible foo foo mutton legs or whatever the heck you call them were in fashion. Being a size 3 that had to be taken in and 5'1" tall shopping for a dress was a PITA.

Went with my DD for her bridesmaids dress fitting recently and 99% of the gowns were strapless with the rest being sleeveless with thin straps. Even the bridesmaids dresses.

BTW despite "fashion" I choose a long sleeved high necked dress that actually suited me. Otherwise I would have looked like a lamb being led to slaughter in those awful sleeves of that time.

I agree with you all. It was perfect and she looked lovely!

Camilla helped pick out Diana's dress! And Diana knew about Camilla before she married Charles and was looking around the church because she knew that Camilla was seated in among the guests. That marriage was doomed before it started.

I do hope Kate and Wills have a long and happy marriage. They have been living happily in a small town in Wales for the past year while he does his helicopter search and rescue training.

It has all been said, I just find it interesting that so many think because they have lived together they are assured of a happy, long marriage. This is not born out statistically. Living together before marriage has not proven to be the glue people think it is. This is said over and over as a justification..but in fact these marriages fail just as often, if not more than those who wait to live together. Living with someone under a commitment, changes them. You can't rehearse that. She will bring modestly back to the church wedding, but they have done nothing for the state of morality in the world.

I myself was kind of disappointed after seeing di's dress & wedding,and all the hype on the dress. but..its her dress its what she wanted.Thats all that matters.

I would never marry someone without living with them first. If that makes me a moral heathen, so be it! I believe there are many things you cannot know about a person until you live with them, and I prefer to know those things before I make a lifelong commitment. Maybe it's a generation thing as I'm about the same age as the couple.

I liked her dress, although I was a little surprised by it. I expected something more...fashionable or edgy maybe? But her choice makes sense given the formality of the situation so I think she chose well!

I think that given the unique circumstances of living with a royal family member, it was better that they lived together before marriage, so that Kate could get a good sense of what was ahead of her so she could decide if she could handle it. There is no survey that can apply to a situation like this.

I loved the understated elegance of the dress, and I especially loved the veil. Pippa's dress was magnificent.

OT: How LONG do you need to live together to know you are suited? (I knew my college roommate and I were ill-suited within a week! LOL) Seriously, living together for many months or even years only shows me that there is a lot of uncertainty or immaturity -- not a good omens.

However, this IS a unique situation. It's as much 'a position' as it is 'a marriage'.

It's acknowleged that this couple has been intimate for some time, but I don't know over how *long* a time. That's not new -- think Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (among others). It is new to have it generally accepted in a State Religion.

I loved both Kate's and Pippa's dresses. The relative simple elegance of the wedding was absolutely perfect. Hopefully this will lead to a trend of not having to need half a dozen bridesmaids and the very expensive weddings that so many young brides feel they need to make their "day". I would love to see couples put more thought into their marriage than their wedding day.