Kate and Prince William Photo from NY Daily News

There is nothing that quite excites me like a wedding (stating the obvious, but it’s true!) So this week is getting me particularly excited! While the buzz is so loud I can barely think, we’re midweek in our nod to the royal wedding !

The Facts

Ceremony

– Kate and Prince William will marry at Westminster Abbey where the coverage will begin at 10am UK time (8pm Australian) on the 29th of April 2011.

– 1900 guests will be seated inside the Abbey

– Westminster Abbey’s 500 bells will start ringing half an hour before the ceremony is to begin. After the ceremony, for what will be three hours, the full peal of 5,000 changes will be rung.

– Prince William will arrive at the Abbey (in a Bentley with Prince Harry) 40 minutes before Kate’s arrival (at 10.15am) and will be waiting in a closed off church for his bride’s arrival.

– Kate’s sister Pippa, will act as her maid of honour while Prince Harry will join William at the alter as one of his groomsmen.

– Kate is set to arrive at the church by Rolls Royce Phantom VI with her father just before 11am when the marriage service will begin.

– The aisle of Westminster Abbey will be covered in red carpet. The grave of the Unknown Warrior in the Nave. Kate and her father will walk around this area.

– Kate Middleton’s family and the couple’s friends will be seated in the Northern Lantern of the Abbey while the royal family with be seated in the Southern Lantern.

– The ceremony will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

– Music during the service will be provided by The Choir of Westminster Abbey, The Chapel Royal Choir,  The London Chamber Orchestra, The Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force and The State Trumpeters of The Household Cavalry.

– Following the ceremony, Prince William and Kate will ride in a royal carriage (built in 1902) through the streets to Buckingham Palace.

– At 1.25pm the newlyweds and royal family will appear on the balcony.

The Reception

– At Buckingham Palace, . Queen Elizabeth II will hold a lunchtime  reception for the couple and 650 official guests. Afterward Prince Charles, will host a private dinner and dancing for 300 close friends and family. Kate Middleton’s family will hold a party at the Goring Hotel for those not invited to the official afternoon buffet and will return to the palace for the evening celebrations.

– The wedding cake (traditional fruit) will be made by Fiona Cairns and will be multi tiered and iced with traditional British foliage. Kate and William have also ordered a chocolate biscuit cake from McVitie’s Cake Company. The wedding cake will feature Prince William and Kate’s cipher which will be formally released on the wedding day.

The Details

– The wedding invitations (sent out in February) were printed by Barnard and Westwood. The invitations were die stamped in gold on cream card stock.

– Kate will be getting ready with her family at the Goring Hotel in London.

– Hugo Burnand will be the official wedding photographer.

– Shane Connolly, a London floral designer will be creating the floral displays for the wedding.

– William will wear a suit made from Australian merino wool.

– Kate’s wedding band will be made from Welsh gold owned by the royal family. The gold was given to Prince William shortly after the couple announced their engagement,. Prince William will not wear a wedding ring.

– In lieu of gifts, the couple has asked for donations to charity as their wedding presents.

The rumors

– Kate is rumoured to have three gowns in case one leaks to the press.

– Kate is rumoured to be ditching the diamond tiara and instead wearing fresh flowers in her hair although hat maker Phillip Treacy has been said to have been commissioned to make hats for many of Kate’s family – including the bride.

– Kate’s hairstyle is said to be “down and flowy”.

= Kate is rumoured to drop the “obey” from her otherwise traditional wedding vows.

– Prince Harry is said to be hosting a recovery brunch the day after the wedding

– It is rumoured the newlyweds may have an Australian honeymoon (but also rumoured that the couple will head to Jordan!).

With all the tradition, Kate and William are sure to put their own stamp on the day – which really is what I love about any wedding! What do you hope will happen?

Our team predicts:

Ms Polka Dot: I don’t remember much of Princess Diana and Charles’s wedding, the modern fairytale of Princess Mary and Frederick in Denmark is the one I remember staying up for and actually being aware enough of what was happening to soak it in. I predict that Kate and Prince William’s wedding will be more influential than anyone has predicted- in little ways too- the details, the order of the ceremony, the words chosen.

I predict Kate and Prince William will have a lot of personal touches throughout the day- though these may not be significant or even noticed by the media and the thousands of eyes upon them. I’m predicting Kate to wear a gown with sleeves(not full, but covering the shoulders) and something unexpected and fashion forward- very sleek, structured and stylish but with the traditional protocol that is called for. A bouquet of roses (a nod to Diana and English blooms) and gardenias. I predict Kate will wear a minimal tiara but include fresh blooms in her hair. William, I predict will be wearing a grey morning suit.

I’d love to see the bridesmaids in a beautiful taupe colour or slate blue but think something spring like will ultimately be the winner. The wedding will be a nod to Britain with many traditional English blooms and flowers used throughout.

Ms Paisley: Gown: will be ivory and structured but not fussy or too overwhelming. It will have a train, but it will be of a more practical length

Hair: half up, half down – will be able to accommodate a tiara and a veil but will still look soft and romantic.

Flowers: English roses and maybe a nod to Wales with some white daffodils.

Something old: I’d like to see her carry something personal from her family – maybe a piece of family heirloom jewellery like a bracelet or a locket that can be attached to the bouquet

Something new: the gown of course

Something borrowed: a diamond tiara from the royal collection

Something blue: the sapphire engagement ring of course!

Ms Stripey: I predict that there will be pale green or blue included in the wedding colours. Also lots of white flowers. Her gown will be simple and fairly slinky – not like a cream puff at all, and not too much skin showing. Honeymoon will be in a place that no-one has guessed.

Photo from Facets By Marcia

Ms Floral: I love, love, love jewellery (which is quite unfortunate for my bank account!) so I’m very excited to see what pieces Kate will wear tomorrow. I’m thinking she will be borrowing some of the family jewels, and my suspicion is she could even wear Diana’s sapphire necklace and earrings that match her engagement ring. I don’t think Kate will disappoint no matter what she chooses and she’s definitely going to sparkle!

Ms Gingham: As with so many things in life, the royal wedding has come full circle. I remember being in early primary school when Charles and Diana’s wedding preparations were in full swing. I have some vivid memories of this time in the early 1980’s.

There was a permeating sense of anticipation, even though I don’t think we kids had any idea who Charles and Diana actually were. All we knew was that a prince and princess were getting married … how exciting! At school, we were given a song to learn in honour of the occasion, printed on the old purple printer with the smell of methylated spirit still quite vivid in my mind … “Charlie’s getting married, at last. To a lovely girl without a (and I don’t remember the rest because my brother used to replace the next words with something rude).

Just like now with Kate Middleton’s dress, back then, the question on everyone’s lips was what will she be wearing? I remember seeing a report on the news about the hundreds of silk worms that were busily spinning the silk that was going to be used to make the fabric for Diana’a wedding dress. I was amazed … you mean silk comes from worms???

Then, all too soon, we were watching the wedding on T.V. A real princess was getting married to her prince. Sure, he wasn’t very handsome, but we didn’t really see that. He was a real, live prince! And didn’t he look like one in his regal attire, waiting nervously for his bride at the altar.

I couldn’t get over the hoards of people lining the streets to get a glimpse of Diana. She was in the royal carriage, waving to the crowds. To me, she looked full of joy and a little bit nervous. But most importantly, to my young eyes she was so beautiful. Then she was walking down the aisle, in that huge dress with the longest train ever. No wonder they needed all those silk worms! All I could think of was how lucky she was to be wearing that beautiful dress and to be marrying a prince. There was no question that they would live happily ever after.

I think that everyone around the world, young and old were thinking that. After they were married, on the balcony waving out to the massive crowd and having their first kisses, we were filled with such joy for them and hope for the rest of us. And I guess that is what a royal wedding represents … hope.

Today, we’ve learnt a lot about life. We saw how it ended for Charles and Diana and we can’t help but think that some were luckier than others in the outcome.

But now, here is Prince William. We saw him grow up. From the first pictures of him as a baby sucking on Diana’s little finger, to the truly handsome prince he has become today. We have seen his romance with Kate Middleton go through it’s trials and tribulations. This is a couple we can identify with. They aren’t picture perfect, they’re human just like the rest of us. So, will Kate be wearing the picture perfect dress just like her mother in law did?

Here is what I predict. I would like to think that Kate will be wearing a dress that we can all identify with. I imagine her in a straight gown, hugging her silhouette with minimal embellishment. I think she will be regal in her train. It will be long just like Diana’s was. In my mind the only flowers she could have would be roses, full of fragrance and pale in colour. Her tiara will be the same one Diana was wearing all those years ago.

Beyond this, what I do hope, is that the union of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be filled with love and happiness. I hope that they will be a couple that our children, who will be watching with the same excitement and wonder as we did, can look up to, and one day hope to emanate. For even through natural disasters, recessions and death, that is what a royal wedding represents … hope.

Oh and for a little fun this morning, a video from T Mobile based off one of my favourite ever Youtube videos- the JK wedding dance.

Okay Team Polkadot! What are your predictions?