Just Be Yourself

Now that Kate and Wills are back at their little cottage in Anglesey, the furor of the Royal Wedding has died down (especially given the events of the weekend!). But I wanted to talk about the dress for a bit... of course!

I've done a lot of reading up about this gown, and what seems to be the theme I'm spotting is the "get your OWN Kate dress!" that a lot of manufacturers are touting. It's like jumping on the winning team's bandwagon, if you will (go 'Nucks go!).

The thing with this dress is that it was designed for Kate, not for a million other brides. It was definitely a nod to her new station in life, as she may be the future Queen Consort of England (if the monarchy isn't abolished by that time). Therefore, it was fitting for her to have a modest yet stylish gown.

True, it didn't reflect the current fashion of ruffles, feathers or flowers. It wasn't strapless, ruched or corsetted. It wasn't slinky, shiny or a sheath (mermaid).

It was a gown befitting a Duchess who knows that she is no longer anonymous (not like she really was once she started dating Wills), a gown that speaks of tradition and elegance, with the originally designed lace pattern, the four flowers of the United Kingdom embroidered on the skirt, and the sleeves and collar over the bodice of the dress.

Within 24 hours there were copies out there, hitting the high street in Ireland. It's a beautiful and elegant gown too, but it's not the dress for everyone.

Every North American designer is touting one of their recent gowns as "royally inspired" or similar to the royal gown, even if the only thing similar is a bit of lace around the neck or some embellishment along the hemline. That's not 'inspired', it's a stroke of luck on the designer's part when they drew it up last year.

The Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress was designed for the Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn and Baroness of Carrickfergus, Catherine Wales.

She was a size 6 and ended up a size 4. If your body type is different than hers, this dress will do nothing for you.

Your dress should reflect YOUR personality, YOUR individuality, YOUR relationship and YOUR wedding. Not anyone else's, no matter how breathtaking it was.

Like the Bishop of London said during his wedding sermon, "Every wedding is a Royal Wedding", and yours will be just as moving, just as beautiful, but more meaningful.

Make sure the dress suits your occasion, no one else's. Appreciate the gown for the beauty that it is, but wear what suits you and has you feeling like a princess.