WEDDING FLOWERS: Britain
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Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts

Sunday Tidbits for June 7: All Your Royal Wedding Watching Details, Plus More

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First order of tidbits business: All the stuff you need to know for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist's wedding on Saturday. Stay tuned for more bits after we stop humming "Here Comes the Bride"...
The Royal Chapel, where the wedding will take place. (via Kungahuset.se)
--Here's what you need to know if you're interesting in watching the wedding:
  • The wedding is on Saturday, June 13th, at 16:30 - that's 4:30 pm - Stockholm time. Here's a time zone converter for you; it's 10:30 am Eastern time for my North American friends.
  • Sweden's SVT will broadcast the wedding all the way from guest arrivals through the cutting of the cake.
    • The broadcast begins at 15:00 with commentary and guest arrivals.
    • The cortege after the wedding is estimated to start at 17:30.
    • Dinner around 19:30.
    • The cake portion is estimated to happen around 22:30.
  • Here's the livestreaming link. SVT streams big events like this without geoblocking, much to the delight of royal fans around the world!
  • Yes, we will have a live blog up here for those that want to chat on the wedding day, and I'll be on Twitter as well.
--Here's what the guest list of international royals looks like so far. Remember, this is not the official list from the Swedish court yet, just those royal houses that have confirmed attendance on their own, so it's all subject to change. Oh, and don't forget the entire Swedish royal family...
  • Belgium: Queen Mathilde
  • Denmark: Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie
  • Japan: Princess Hisako of Takamado
  • Netherlands: Queen Máxima
  • Norway: Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Märtha Louise, Ari Behn
  • United Kingdom: Earl and Countess of Wessex


Still with me? Superb. On to the other stuff:

--Hey, you know what else is happening this coming Saturday? Trooping the Colour in London, a.k.a. The Queen's Birthday Parade, that's what! BBC1 broadcasts that starting at 10:30 local time. You can look for coverage of the event over at the Jewel Vault on Saturday. [BBC]

--Princess Charlotte of Cambridge will be christened on July 5 at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate. Unless you've just emerged from under your cozy rock, it probably hasn't escaped you that the first photos of Prince George and his sister (taken by the Duchess of Cambridge) have been published. [BBC]

--New photos were also published of Prince Félix, Princess Claire, and Princess Amalia to mark the Luxembourg prince's 31st birthday. [Luxarazzi]

--The Royal Yacht Squadron celebrated its bicentenary in Cowes on Friday, drawing a whole boatload (heh) of royals: the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Viscount Linley, Prince Michael of Kent, King Harald of Norway, Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince Henrik of Denmark, King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, and Crown Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. As the ancient proverbs say, nothing brings people together quite like the love of a good yacht. [Royal Hats Blog]

--The Japanese imperial family also got in on the state visit action this week, hosting the President of the Philippines. Alas, they passed on the tiaras for their state dinner. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog]

--Prince Harry has been made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order! Aww, baby's first order. We chatted about it over at the Jewel Vault, where I had (totally coincidentally) posted just the day before about the insignia worn for the same order by the Duchess of Cornwall. 

--Also over at the Jewel Vault: A day of racing for the royals at the Epsom Derby. Princess Michael is definitely coordinating her eyepatches to her clothes. Please please please, let her next outfit be rainbow striped.

Coming up this week: Traditions and trips in Sweden, beginner engagements and hats in Denmark, and more (something about a wedding, maybe?)...

Photos:  Kungahuset.se and via Twitter and Getty Images as indicated
Royal Garden Party of the Day: June 3

Royal Garden Party of the Day: June 3

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The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace yesterday in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Women's Institute. As is only fitting given the honored organization, Camilla was joined by a group of fellow royal ladies ready to brave a little wind and get their garden party on.
And as is only fitting since this quartet includes some of the loveliest Windsors that we don't talk about nearly enough, we shall take this opportunity to lavish some much-needed attention on them (and their gems!).

Navy and cream is a good combo on Cams, no? It's hard to go wrong with the classics. I love the larger of her two diamond and pearl chokers, I like her Diamond and Sapphire Butterfly Brooch (which is as far into the realm of bug jewelry as I am willing to go, MÁXIMA ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME) and I like that she also wore her Women's Institute Badge. And you know the hat's a good one when even Crown Princess Mary owns a similar model.

The Duchess of Gloucester wears this light blue ensemble a lot - in fact, she wore it to another garden party just a few days ago - but I can't say I blame her. It is simple yet flattering.
And most importantly, it's a good background for plenty of sapphires, diamonds, and pearls. Go Birgitte, go! She always seems to have something interesting going on the jewel department, and it's a crying shame that she ends up in the background at so many royal gatherings. Just think of all the sparkly fun we could be missing...

Princess Alexandra looks like a walking garden party, which is as it is always is and always should be.
No slouch in the gem department herself, we've got diamonds and pearls and a classic diamond flower brooch that has a sister in the collection of her cousin QEII.

And finally, the Countess of Wessex. I thought I stole this Emilia Wickstead horse print dress for myself, but I suppose as long as she keeps wearing it, we're good. LURVE.

P.S.: Later that evening, Cams got her tiara on! A surprise Tiara Watch is over at the Jewel Vault for your delight. Spoiler alert: Dame Joan Collins was involved.

Photos: WPA Pool via Getty Images

Sunday Tidbits for May 31: Dressing Down and Dressing (Hair) Up

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More smart casual wear on the royal grind and a touch of something fancy, but first, a little more wedding info to kick off this week's tidbits:

--More additions for the guest list for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist's wedding: The Danish royal court confirms that Carl Philip's godmother Queen Margrethe will attend along with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, while Buckingham Palace confirms that the Earl and Countess of Wessex will represent Britain.

--It's a Benelux team up: Queen Mathilde was joined by Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition. Are you seeing these hairdos?? Mathilde even had a brooch in hers. Team Updo indeed. [Place Royale]

--Queen Letizia finished up her visit to El Salvador in true Miami Vice style. [Hola]

--Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel visited Gotland this week, and I am in LOVE with her outfit. Taking a page from the Letizia Book of Casual Tricks, she went all white with ballerina shoes to combat the walking and a white fedora for some sass. (She also dressed it up a touch with some heels while in the palace.) I haven't liked one of her everyday outfits this much in a looong time. [Expressen, Svenskdam]

--Also joining in on the semi-casual trend: Crown Princess Mary, visiting a new project for one of her patronages this week. [SN]

--On the un-casual end of the spectrum, look at how cute Queen Silvia is in her pink suit, attending The Childhood Day in Stockholm. Crisp and clean and bright. [Getty]

--I tweeted this earlier in the week, but I must pass on this terribly helpful piece yet again: Tips for Running a Stately Home on a Budget. You've got to buy your dinner gongs at an auction, people. Don't waste your money on a retail dinner gong, for heaven's sake. [Tatler]

--This investigation into who owns the most expensive private residence in London is a fascinating sort of whodunit. Or, more accurately, whospentit. [The New Yorker]

--And finally, it's been a busy week at the Jewel Vault, including a glittering State Opening of Parliament and an eye-patchy garden party. [Jewel Vault]

Stay tuned, state and official visit-y types of fun coming your way this week...

Photos: via Twitter and Getty Images as indicated

Sunday Tidbits for May 24: Jewelry Debuts and See-Through Shoes

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No less than three royal ladies debuted new jewels this week, and I'm always here for that. Sparkly tidbits await you:

--Queen Máxima was out and about with a napkin on her head, but check out those earrings. HELLO LOVER. These are new pieces for her, and she continues to have one of the best collections of pink gems on the royal block. [Zimbio]

--Speaking of Máx, she and King Willem-Alexander are heading out for a state visit to Canada beginning Wednesday (they'll be in Ottawa, University of Waterloo, Beamsville, and Toronto), and an official visit to the United States the following week (Washington, D.C., Grand Rapids, Chicago). Those links will take you to the official agendas, in Dutch. [Het Koninklijk Huis]

--The Countess of Wessex visited Prague and got a new brooch! [Countess of Wessex Blog]

--The Duchess of Cornwall visited Ireland and got a new brooch! [Jewel Vault]

--That brooch came during an historic and well-received trip with the Prince of Wales to Ireland and Northern Ireland this week. One particularly emotional moment came during a trip to the place where Lord Mountbatten was killed by an IRA bomb, and Charles' speech there is embedded below. [Storify, YouTube]

--There seems to be an epidemic of sculpture openings in the Netherlands this week. Throw some orange in the mix for Princess Beatrix's opening, and she could have played along with the M&M twin show. [Royal Hats Blog]

--We have a confirmed international royal guest for the upcoming Swedish royal wedding: Princess Hisako of Takamado, who also attended Princess Madeleine's wedding. The official guest list has not been released yet, but more royal courts will eventually publish their agendas independently, as the Japanese imperial household has done. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog]

--Cutie pie Princess Leonor had her first communion this week, with the royal family in attendance. Queen Letizia sported see-through shoes from Magrit with her Felipe Varela ensemble and a matching transparent vinyl clutch with silver lining. Worked well enough for Cinderella, I suppose. (Transparent vinyl peep toes are the new glass slippers, did you not get that memo?) [Hola]

Tomorrow's a holiday, but I'll be here to bring you some ~*gLamOur*~ anyway, so stay tuned...

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, YouTube

Sunday Tidbits for May 17: Some Dresses, Some Sparklies

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Lots coming up on the blog this week: pre-wedding business in Sweden, national stuff in Norway, happenings in Spain, etc. But first, a tidbit or two...

--Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist have a service and reception today for their marriage banns and we'll be looking at that later. For now, they've released some new pictures, and Sofia's wearing a Reiss dress. Happy birthday to Prince CP, by the way - he turned 36 this week!
Foto Mattias Edwall, Kungahuset.se
--The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and French actress Clotilde Courau - also known as the Princess of Venice and Piedmont, though she doesn't use the title professionally - always turns up. Her dress is Valentino Couture, and I'm in sheer disbelief that we didn't see it on Crown Princess Mette-Marit first. Probably waiting patiently in that Norwegian closet.

--I'm also intrigued by her jewels, from Bulgari High Jewellery's Giardini Italiani collection. I love mixing stone colors in modern pieces.

--Also in Cannes, minus the evening gown: Prince Félix of Luxembourg. [Luxarazzi]

--Prince Harry continued his cuteness assault in New Zealand following my post earlier this week. Here he is trying his hand at a Maori Haka:


--I am intrigued by the Countess of Wessex's floral dress worn to a ballet performance this week, and am waiting to see it without the jacket. In her down time, she and Lady Louise have been having a blast at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, Savannah and Isla Phillips included. [Countess of Wessex Blog, Daily Mail]

--Over at the Jewel Vault this week, we talked about two of the Duchess of Cornwall's famous pearl chokers.

--And finally, here's a little something to drool over: stunning Cartier jewels auctioned at Sotheby's this past week. We'll be talking about some of the tiaras featured at that auction a bit later on. [YouTube]

Photos: via Getty Images and Kungahuset as indicated
Royal Trip of the Day: May 13

Royal Trip of the Day: May 13

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Do you need a midweek pick-me-up? Okay. Let's talk about Harry.
Day 1 of the New Zealand Tour
Following his time with the armed forces in Australia, Prince Harry embarked on a tour of New Zealand that runs through the end of the week. I'm glad we're nearing the final stages, to be honest with you. I've died several times already, and it just keeps getting worse.

In Sydney, before leaving for New Zealand
I take my hat off to the team that plans his tours. Good grief, these people know exaaaactly what they're doing. Harry's on a charm offensive and no woman, man, child, puppy, or cupcake is safe.

Day 4
For heaven's sake, he's even given an interview about wanting to have kids and wanting someone to share the royal grind with. (I know.)


 Day 1
Also, I warned you about the puppies.

Day 5
On the sartorial level, he's managed to stay out of his blue suit for quite a few engagements, which is great. (...Maybe that didn't come out quite right.)
Day 4
Casual wear and baked goods, I don't know what more you could ask for.

Day 4
I mean... {SOUNDS}

Photos: Chris Jackson, WPA Pool, and Martin Hunter via Getty Images

Sunday Tidbits for May 10: Commemorations, an Enthronement, and Bonus Cuteness

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Lots going on out there! Tomorrow, we'll be attending to princely christening business; meanwhile, ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day are ongoing, and several royals in several countries have been participating in several ways. Just a few of those appearances kick off today's tidbits edition:

--Today's VE Day anniversary service in London is covered at the Jewel Vault, and so is Queen Elizabeth II kicking things off on Friday, together with a unique recording of her memories of that historic day. [Jewel Vault]

--The Countess of Wessex, looking stunning in a green dress from Suzannah, visited the Channel Islands to mark the 70th anniversary of their liberation. Here's a great entry at the Countess of Wessex blog, where eagle-eyed Anna gave me the heads up that Sophie was wearing earrings on loan from her mother-in-law. Her latest loan from the master jewel vault is a pair of ruby and diamond earrings I have previously covered at ye olde Vault blog. That red and green combo isn't any accident, by the way: green is for Guernsey, red for Jersey. [HRH Countess of Wessex Blog]

-- The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg were in Paris for the VE Day anniversary events, and I like this color on Stéphanie. [Luxarazzi]

--In other news, the enthronement of the Sultan of Perak, hereditary ruler of one of the states of Malaysia, happened this week. The Sultan came to the throne last year. Below is a video of one of the ceremonies this week, featuring quite a nice tiara on the Sultan's wife, Tuanku Zara Salim. (You may recall that the Sultan of Johor, another Malaysian state, had a coronation earlier this year.) [YouTube]


--Gotta love it when royal hats join forces: Queen Sonja and Princess Beatrix jointly opened the exhibit Van Gogh+Munch at the Munch Museum in Oslo this week. [Dagbladet]
 See also this NRK video.

--And finally, spring greetings for you from Princess Estelle and Haga Palace! [Kungahuset]
Kate Gabor/Kungahuset.se

Stay tuned this week for Monaco and Harry and more...
Royal Flashback of the Day: May 6

Royal Flashback of the Day: May 6

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Monday was the Met Gala, a.k.a. the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the red carpet was filled with the usual assortment of celebs in competition for the most eye-catching outfit. (Click here for a gallery of this year's looks, or here for smart takes from the Fug Girls.) But turn back the clock a couple decades, and you'll find a guest straight out of our realm.
The appearance of Diana, Princess of Wales at the 1996 ball wasn't as random as it might seem: Diana was a guest of her good friend Liz Tilberis, then-head of Harper's Bazaar and hostess of the event that year. And more importantly, the event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Christian Dior label, which had just appointed British designer John Galliano as its creative director. Diana's dress that evening was Galliano's first couture creation at the Dior helm. It was a highly anticipated moment, coming a month before the debut of his first collection. (The dress, now a part of the brand's history, was included in a Dior exhibit at Harrod's in 2013.)
Galliano fit the lingerie-inspired midnight blue slip dress with black lace trim to the Princess himself in a series of meetings at Kensington Palace, and she did make some requests for changes to his original design. The final product was accompanied by a dark wrap to guard against the December cold and a small navy version of her favorite Dior handbag, a style she liked so much it was renamed Lady Dior in her honor. She added her signature sapphire and pearl choker on top (created from a sapphire and diamond brooch given to her as a wedding gift by the Queen Mother, mounted with seven strands of pearls), with sapphire and diamond earrings and bracelets.
It feels so dated now, doesn't it? It takes you right back to the underwear-as-outerwear trend of the 1990s that saw starlets in simple slip dresses all over the red carpet. And it was perhaps too trendy for its own good, sacrificing the structure that would have been more flattering to her figure. For Diana, it was a daring choice, another dress (and event) fit for her new post-divorce life. The whole look feels unfathomably understated in comparison to the looks we see at the same event today, but it made a huge splash at the time. Many reviews of the dress itself were not stellar - it really is terribly hard to resist pointing out that a princess left the house in her nightgown - but the publicity worked its magic and its place in fashion history was secured.

(P.S.: If you really want a flashback, check out this Hard Copy segment on the appearance. It's...a blast from the past.)

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

Saturday Tidbits: Baby Cambridge Edition (Updated)

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Hellloooo! Sunday tidbits comes a day early in the form of an edition devoted entirely to the newest member of the Windsor clan. Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby girl!

--Update: We have a name! Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, to be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. Here's my post on the wedding of a previous British Princess Charlotte.

--Here's how it went down, tweet-style. All this happened while I was asleep, and I woke up to tweets for articles about all the ways lives have gone wrong for those in the "spare" position - TOO SOON, PEOPLE, GAWD - which left me totally confused until I kept scrolling. But total confusion is my normal morning state, so nothing out of the ordinary there.





--By the way, count me among the, like, five or so people in the world today that were surprised it was a girl. Only because when everyone is united in a prediction, I always assume it will be the opposite. But YAY FOR FUTURE TIARA WEARERS!

--Prince Cheeks Part 1 a.k.a. George came to visit his little sister, matching his dad in blues. He didn't really seem to understand all the fuss outside, but who among us truly does?

--His wee wave on video for you:


--Speaking of George: His name was announced two days after he was born, which was one day after he left the hospital and after QEII had stopped by to see him. So that's an FYI for those wondering when we'll get a name for Cambridge No. 4. I would like to officially sign the petition in favor of Princess Consuela Bananahammock.

--And then, lickety-split, it was time to take the new princess home to her palace. Here's a big gallery for you. [Zimbio]

--The Duchess wore a bespoke Jenny Packham silk shift dress with a yellow buttercup print. She also wore Jenny Packham when leaving the hospital with Prince George, so it's now the Official Royal Baby Carrying Label. Obviously Kate looked better than I do on any given day in which I have not given birth to a child just hours before, so that's not fair.

--The new mum didn't wear pink, but The Queen had an engagement today, and she did! She also wore a brooch with a skull and crossbones on it - yes! - which I find entirely too entertaining. You can read the full story behind the brooch and the very good reason she had for wearing it today over at the Jewel Vault. Or you can just decide she was having a Mette-Marit kind of day and leave it at that. YOUR CALL.

--And one more thing before we go:
CHEEEEKKKKSSS!!!!


We'll be back on Monday with a return to the non-Cambridge royal world, including the answer to this question: Which royal went out in public knowingly dressed like a banana? Stay tuned.

Photos: Telegraph video and via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated

Royal Wedding of the Week: May 1

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Update: It's a girl! Congrats to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George on the birth of a new princess!

I am always a fan of goofing off on a Friday and if you can do it in royal wedding format, well, HEY WHY NOT? Therefore I present to you the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on April 29, 2011 because I'm sure you needed another excuse to relive it this week. By which I mean in celebration of their wedding anniversary, because that's definitely the only thing they've got going on right now.

Video: The whole dang thing. Tell your boss you're busy for the next three hours.

I'll add another video here too, one I included when this wedding gown hit your top 10 list, featuring the dress on exhibit at Buckingham Palace with details worthy of a couple minutes of your time:

Happy Friday, y'all!

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[australian native wedding][recentbylabel2]

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