Duchess of Cambridge accused of wearing copy-cat wedding dress

When Kate Middleton arrived at Westminster Abbey on April 29th, with her father Michael, the world watched as she unveiled her stunning wedding dress,  a timeless creation by Sarah Burton who worked tirelessly with Kate to perfect a gown fit for a future Queen. Brides all over the world have rushed to emulate the look. Bridal designer, Marie McElheron said 'There are a lot of girls trying to use part of Kate's dress in their own designs now. All parts of it: the lace, the high neck, the sleeves - they are all being incorporated into dresses now. It is going to be very popular even though it's a style that will only work on a certain girl, but it's going to be huge'.
With so much hype and media coverage surrounding the gown it has emerged that the goddaughter of Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has accused Kate of copying her wedding dress. The actress Isabelle Orsini married Belgian Prince Edouard de Ligne two years ago. Ms Orsini's dress was made by the Belgian designer, Gerald Watelet. Are the two dresses identical? Absolutely not. I think there is a vast difference in the two gowns. Both dresses have a high V-neck line with a lace bodice and full skirt. The main similarity is Kate and Isabelle. They are both slim, striking brunettes who complemented their tiaras with veils. However, Kate's dress still bears more similarities to Grace Kelly's wedding gown.
Ms Orsini, 36, told Italian magazine Novella 2000, 'As soon as the Duchess of Cambridge went out to go the church, I thought her dress was a copy of mine. It means Kate Middleton has good taste'. The wedding of Prince Edouard and his bride was a low-key event compared to William and Kate's. The style of these dresses are popular among European royalty. Royal brides are supposed to have their arms covered and it's tradition to have a long train. Kate's dress was clearly from the house of Alexander McQueen. The detailing and structuring was made for Kate.

Kate and William's unusual wedding gift!

What do you give the couple the couple that have everything? William and kate requested donations to their favourite charities in lieu of wedding gifts. The gift fund supported twenty six charities, incorporating the armed forces, the elderly and art. These were chosen specifically by the couple in the months building up to the wedding. St James's palace said in a statement 'Having been touched by the goodwill shown to them since the announcement of their engagement , Prince William and Catherine Middleton have asked that anyone who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider giving instead to a charitable fund' This website was set up for well wishers wishing to donate, The chosen charities are not well known and in need of any support possible however Chester Zoo decided to give the couple a rather unusual gift! A penguin chick from an endangered species. The penguin named 'Acorn' will not be living in Anglesey with the newlyweds instead it will remain in Chester Zoo with fifty penguins of the Humboldt species from which it belongs.  A spokesman for the zoo said 'We are honored to have William and Kate as adoptive parents, hopefully the happy couple will come and see Acorn playing in his pool very soon' Acorn was chosen as a gift by members of the public who voted through a social networking site. We shall keep an eye on Chester zoo for a sighing of the newlyweds! :)

Sarah Burton speaks on working with Kate!

Sarah Burton initially described working with Kate Middleton on her wedding dress as 'The experience of a lifetime' She not only designed her beautiful wedding gown but her evening dress and Pippa's infamous white dress too. Speaking about Kate she described her as 'One of the most lovely women she has ever met and very low maintenance'  Creating the dress was a 50/50 effort between her and Kate.  Burton adored the secrecy of it but felt she ruined the surprise when she was pictured running into the goring hotel wearing a fur coat from her last season. The dress which has inspired million of imitations around the world since the big day last Friday was only worn by Kate for a few hours yet will be her most famous creation as chief designer at McQueen.  After months of preparation and no doubt immense pressure she is looking forward to a nice vacation. Having just announced plans to visit California after their Canada visit, It will be fascinating to see if Kate remains a fan of the high street or collaborates again with a designer like Sarah Burton.  Audrey Hepburn has a stellar relationship with Givenchy, It would be fascinating to see Kate continue hers with the house of McQueen, proving they compliment her style so well at the wedding.

** The post-wedding dress - 29 April 2011 - Buckingham Palace**

After a brief siesta Kate returned to Buckingham Palace for the evening reception dressed in yet another Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress.

The strapless dress was made from ivory satin with what was reported to be a diamante belt detail around her waist. The angora cardigan perfectly complimented the stunning evening dress.

**The Wedding dress - 29 April 2011 - Westminster Abbey**

There are no words, which can justly describe Kates wedding dress it was truly fit for a Princes. Classic, elegant, sophisticated and utterly exquisite. As the whole world now knows "that dress" was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen with much input from the bride herself!

The dress had to be "big" to fill the epic space that is Westminster Abbey, it also had to be modest. The current trend for strapless dresses is just not appropriate for the wedding of the future head of the Church of England!

The lace work was genius in preserving her "modesty" but also came across as very modern with the high collar and plunging v-neck.

According to the Official Royal Wedding site :

"The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace.  The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s.  Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock." 

Apparently the needleworkers had to wash their hands every 30 minutes to keep the lace and threads clean!

This is the dress that I suspect will redefine bridal fashion for the next decade!

Wedding Cake Tree planted for William and kate............

The Duchess of Cornwall today planted a 'wedding cake tree' to commemorate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The Duchess met members of the women's institute to plant the tree in the grounds of St. Mary's in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, Speaking about the wedding' It was absolutely wonderful, very very special, I hope this tree will remind everyone of the special day, I am thrilled to be able to plant it'