Buckingham Palace tour - London (Sept 2011)

On our last day in England, Tina drove us to our hotel in London (The Sofitel, which was lovely). We then took the tube around town with our primary objective to take a tour of the Official State Rooms in Buckingham Palace. I was thrilled to find out there was a Fabrege special exhibit but was even more excited that we were going to be able to see the display of Kate Middleton's wedding dress, shoes, tiara, earrings, bouquet and cake.

Before our tour, we had a picnic lunch by the fountain in front of the palace. After the tour of the nineteen magnificent State Rooms, the special exhibition Royal Fabergé, the wedding exhibit, we strolled along the south side of the Palace garden.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s Wedding Dress: The wedding Dress was designed by Sarah Burton, Creative Director at Alexander McQueen. The design shows the influence of Victorian dress in details such as the cinched in waist, the padded hips and the bustle at the top of the train. The dress also looks to the aesthetic of the Arts and Crafts movement with the dress’s emphasis on hand-crafted detail. These historic references are blended with a modern cut in a modern fabric – satin gazar. The appliquéd lace which covers the bodice and sleeves, the skirt and the train evokes the theme of the language of flowers, evident in many elements of the wedding from the flowers to the wedding cake. The lace design also incorporate the National emblems of the United Kingdom (Rose, Thistle, Shamrock and Daffodil). The dress has a sense of grandeur appropriate to the importance of the occasion and the setting of Westminster Abbey, in which it was designed to be seen, but it also retains a sense of modesty in keeping with The Duchess of Cambridge’s wishes. The ivory satin gazar from which the dress is made is backed by white satin gazar which gives the dress its pale ivory colour. The lace appliqué is in a design unique to the wedding dress as it is made from six types of lace including Cluny and Leavers lace from which elements were cut and incorporated into the overall scheme. Once the lace design for each panel was finished it was pinned to lengths of silk tulle which were sent to the Royal School of Needlework to be appliquéd to the tulle by a team of embroiderers. Once completed the appliquéd lace was cut away from the silk tulle and sewn onto the satin gazar by the seamstresses at Alexander McQueen. The overall effect is entirely symmetrical so that each fold of the skirt and each panel of the train mirrors that opposite to it. The train is 3 metres long and terminates at the top in arches and pleats which sit on the bustle beneath. The dress is fastened at the back and at the cuffs by tiny buttons covered in satin gazar and silk tulle.

The display also includes a special exhibition film in which Sarah Burton discusses for the first time the creation of the dress.

Veil: The veil is made of fine silk tulle which is embroidered with lace around its outer edge. The lace appliqué was designed by Sarah Burton and embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The veil was designed to fall between the panels of appliquéd lace on the train of the dress and its shape echoes the arches at the top of the train.

Bridal shoes: The shoes were made at Alexander McQueen and are covered in the same ivory satin gazar as the dress, which is applied with the same lace appliqué as the dress and veil.

Earrings: The earrings were commissioned by Mr and Mrs Michael Middleton for their daughter on the occasion of her marriage to Prince William. The earrings were made by the London jewellers Robinson Pelham. Their design is derived from the acorn and oak leaves which form part of the Middleton family coat of arms and they were also designed to complement the ‘Halo’ tiara which The Duchess wore on the day of the wedding. The earrings are made of 18 carat white gold and diamonds in the form of a curled diamond set oak leaf top and a pear-shaped diamond set drop with a central articulated pave set diamond acorn.

The "Halo" tiara: The Duchess of Cambridge’s veil was held in place by the diamond ‘Halo’ tiara, which was made by Cartier in 1936 and purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for The Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth). The tiara is formed as a band of 16 graduated scrolls set with 739 brilliants and 149 baton diamonds. The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday. The tiara was lent by The Queen to The Duchess of Cambridge for the occasion of her wedding.

The wedding bouquet: Made specially for the exhibition is a replica of the bouquet carried by The Duchess of Cambridge at the wedding which was made by the florist Shane Connolly. In keeping with other elements of the wedding including the dress, the cake and the floral scheme both at Westminster Abbey and at Buckingham Palace, the bouquet draws upon the tradition of the language of flowers. It includes lily-of-the-valley (representing return to happiness), Sweet William (gallantry), hyacinth (constancy of love), ivy (fidelity, marriage and friendship) and myrtle (marriage and love). Stems from a myrtle planted at Osborne House by Queen Victoria in 1845 and a sprig from a bush grown from the myrtle used in Her Majesty The Queen’s wedding bouquet in 1947 were included in the Duchess’s bouquet.

The wedding cake: The royal wedding cake for Their Royal Highness’s The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was made by the Leicestershire bakery Fiona Cairns. The Duchess of Cambridge requested a traditional fruit cake with cream and white icing. The decoration was to encompass the language of flowers, an element also seen in the design of the wedding dress, bouquet and the flowers and trees both at Westminster Abbey and at Buckingham Palace. The icing decoration also included, like the dress, the national emblems of Rose, Thistle, Shamrock and Daffodil. The decoration of the cake was also inspired by some of the architectural details of the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace (where the cake was displayed for the wedding reception) including flower garlands, bows, oak leaves and acorns. The cake designer was also inspired by the work of Joseph Lambeth and was given some of the lace from the wedding dress in order to judge the colour against the cake.

A team of 8 worked on the cake for a period of 2 months. The cake consists of 8 tiers and 17 cakes in total. 900 sugar leaves and flowers were made as part of the decoration. The sugar Lily of the Valley on top of the cake were made by the royal pastry chefs Kathryn Boyden and Jane Fisher.

The base of the cake bears the first cut made by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The top three tiers are replacements made by the Fiona Cairns bakery as the top two tiers have been reserved for future use, as is the tradition, and the third tier was sliced and served to guests.

Official wedding photos: