Princess Eugenie & Jack's Wedding: Evening Dinner & Official Photos

We've got more goodies from the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank!

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

The first is a picture of the happy couple heading to the private evening dinner held at Royal Lodge, the Yorks' home in Windsor. Here's what the press release has to say about the bride's dress:

"Princess Eugenie's evening dress was designed by Zac Posen. Mr Posen was inspired by the beauty of Windsor and the surrounding countryside. The choice of colour reflects the blush of an English rose. Mr Posen took his inspiration from the White Rose of York.

The pin-tucked plissé is cut on the bias and mixed with signature drapes. The White Rose of York is subtlety embroidered on both the shoulder and back which hold together the cape. The silk for the gown comes from Biddle Sawyer Silk."

Zac Posen is a friend of Princess Eugenie's and was one of the wedding guests. This is a very Zac Posen design and it seems supremely swishy and fun. I hope she got to twirl the night away with her handsome hubby.

Posen put a picture of what appears to be the embroidery on Instagram:

Instagram

The embroidery also hints at the bigger news here (if you're, say, someone who happens to also run a site about the Queen's jewels, for example): the jewelry. Eugenie wore her wedding earrings again, emerald and diamond drops that were a wedding gift from Jack. And even though you can't see it, she also had a sparkling hair ornament that the palace press release was kind enough to mention:

"Princess Eugenie also wore a hair slide belonging to Her Majesty The Queen. Queen Victoria’s Wheat-Ear Brooches were originally commissioned by William IV in 1830 for Queen Adelaide. They were passed down to Queen Victoria in 1837, and eventually to The Queen in 1952. Her Majesty has worn them as both hair slides and brooches."

One of Queen Victoria's Wheat-Ear Brooches is a BIG loan from Granny! These brooches (six in total) are heirlooms of the Crown and are some of the older pieces the Queen uses. I believe this is the first time she's loaned them out. The Queen has also worn the brooches in her hair. You can read more about them here. I wish we could see it in the picture, but I'm delighted they told us anyway.


Three official photographs from the wedding were also released, all by Alex Bramall:

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

"Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pictured in the White Drawing Room, Windsor Castle with (left-to-right):

Back row: Mr Thomas Brooksbank; Mrs Nicola Brooksbank; Mr George Brooksbank; Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York; Sarah, Duchess of York; His Royal Highness The Duke of York

Middle row: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge; Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge; Her Majesty The Queen; His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh; Miss Maud Windsor; Master Louis De Givenchy;

Front row: Miss Theodora Williams; Miss Mia Tindall; Miss Isla Phillips; Miss Savannah Phillips"

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

"Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pictured in the White Drawing Room, Windsor Castle with (left-to-right)

Back row: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge; Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge; Miss Theodora Williams; Miss Isla Phillips; Master Louis De Givenchy

Front row: Miss Mia Tindall; Miss Savannah Phillips; Miss Maud Windsor"

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

"Princess Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank are pictured in the Scottish State Coach, upon its return to Windsor Castle following the Carriage Procession."

Cute! You can check out the rest of our wedding coverage here.

October 13, 2018

Prince Harry & Meghan's Wedding: Your Tiara Poll Results, and Dress Prediction Time!

I asked, you answered: Which tiara will Meghan Markle wear on her wedding day? Your poll results, coming right up...

Something New or New-to-Us

Almost 30% of you put your money on something we haven't seen before, and the ideas for what that could be were plentiful: a discreet new purchase, something we haven't seen before from the Queen's vaults, something created from existing pieces in the Queen's vaults, or even the creation of something new from Diana's personal jewels.

The Strathmore Rose Tiara

Coming in second, 25% of you guessed that the Strathmore Rose Tiara, a wedding gift to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother from her father, will make a grand reappearance after decades in the vault.

The Queen Mother's Cartier Bracelet Bandeau, or No Tiara on the Wedding Day

Tied at about 10% of the votes apiece, many of you were led to the small Cartier Bracelet Bandeau or to a no tiara conclusion based on your interpretations of Meghan's personal style so far. She did, after all, once cite Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's sleek wedding look as a favorite, and it's hard to get further from the fuss of a tiara than that. There were also plenty of wishes for the use of some brooches in the hair, because a) that would be interesting and different, and b) we've seen that approach yield stunning results in the past (hi, Princess Charlene). 

The remainder of the votes were pretty evenly split. In the comments, those of you that disagreed with my selections held out hopes for other options like the Spencer Tiara, the Lotus Flower Tiara, or the Teck tiaras. While the Spencer Tiara, owned by the Spencer family, would be a touching choice, I'd much rather see her in something loaned from the royal family. The Teck Circle Tiara was the Teck tiara most mentioned, but as it is in the collection of the Earl of Snowdon, I think that's out; the Teck Crescent Tiara is still around and has been loaned to the Duchess of Cornwall.

*****************

With our tiara opinions out of the way, it's time to move on to the next burning question: Who will design Meghan's wedding gown and what will it look like? There will be an evening reception too, so double those questions.

Many predictions are veering towards Ralph & Russo at this point, with Stella McCartney and Erdem among those whose names are still in the game...along with Burberry, Jenny Packham, Roland Mouret, and more. Is there a designer at this point who hasn't had their name thrown into the hat as a potential designer of the royal wedding gown?

The bride at Ralph & Russo's Spring 2018 Couture show
Vogue

Ralph & Russo's designers are two Australians based in London, and they've got the couture skills to handle a royal wedding gown. I've been hoping a British royal would adopt them as a fave, so I'd love to see what they could do. Meghan already wore one of their gowns for the engagement portraits.

Even though it seems like a long shot at this point, I keep thinking back to 2016 and the gown Emilia Wickstead created for Lady Charlotte Wellesley. I said she leapt to the top of my royal wedding gown wish list at the time and I still want to see what she would do.

When it comes to everything else...I don't know. And so I turn it over to you and your guesses...

May 17, 2018