Eight Tips for a Gorgeous Green Wedding

If you’re anything like me, at this point the very mention of the words “royal wedding” has you running in the opposite direction with your hands over your ears. However, one (perhaps the only) aspect of the “wedding-watched-round the-world” that hasn't been overblown is the conscious selection of eco-friendly options on the part of the planners. The couple have used recycled paper for all their correspondence, incorporated seasonal flowers into their wedding ceremony, made use of locally sourced wines and produce in their reception menu, and requested guests to plant trees or donate to charities (Earthwatch amongst them) in lieu of gifts.

Wedding fashion to be royally inspired

Designers are racing to create gowns that look like Kate Middleton's many at a fraction of the cost.

BY JENNIFER WATERS

MarketWatch

CHICAGO  When Kate Middleton walked down the aisle Friday and unveiled her regal gown designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen  the most closely held secret in royal apparel in decades  hundreds, maybe even thousands, of designers put pencil-to-sketch pad in the race to be the first to create the next big trend in wedding attire.

Within weeks, brides-to-be will be able to choose from look-alike frocks at a variety of price points. Middleton's look will be seen in one variation or another at many altars for years to come.

"Whatever she wears will have a lasting influence," said Dan Rentillo, design director for David's Bridal. "My big challenge is how we are going to interpret it."

For months, designers have been debating how Middleton would make her wedding-day fashion mark as she married Prince William in Westminster Abbey. Rentillo's team, like many designers across the world, sketched designs weeks ago illustrating what they thought Middleton might wear, based on her sense of fashion, body type and what an event of such magnitude would dictate.

Editorial: A wedding to celebrate

WHEN the Brits get things right, they really get it right.

The Westminster system of government; the defeat of fascism (with a little help from friends); the invention of cricket and rugby; James Bond; pomp and circumstance.

And a Royal Wedding that had even the most ardent republicans still glued to their TV screens.

It was a glorious occasion where the whole world could share a taste of a fairytale, where the joyous love between two young people was vividly coloured by the fact it was a future king marrying a commoner who will become his queen.

The Brits indeed carried it off in style. The immaculate cars and carriages, the uniforms and titles, the horses and pageantry, the Abbey and palace, the occasionally odd but endearing Windsor family and, of course, The Dress and The Kiss.