The Lowdown on High Fashion at the Royal Wedding

The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton captivated people around the world. The fashion and the glamor was extreme, in both good and bad ways! According to Perez Hilton, over 3 billion people watched the wedding around the world. That's a lot of eyes on the beautiful and bizarre choices people made on what to wear. Here is the lowdown on what the bride and the wedding party were wearing for the wedding.

Kate as a Bride

Kate took on the formal name of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge when she married William on the morning of April 29. She looked as elegant as her title sounded. Her hairstyle was stunning with flowing curls lightly pulled behind her ears.

Her dress was a lovely vision. it was a modern take on a traditional gown. It was sexy, as her sleeves seemed to be made entirely of delicate lace, as was the top of her dress around her shoulders. It was designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen's fashion house, and it's likely to be copied by brides for years to come.

She'd have looked perfect if not for the tiara of diamonds; diamonds are mostly unethically mined, and they can make any bride look ugly with the blatant disregard for the very large social problem that is the diamond industry. As any morally minded fashionista knows, cruelty-free is the way to true beauty both inside and out. Kate gave a selfish statement with her display of diamonds on her privileged head, even if they were only borrowed. Anyone who's seen "Blood Diamonds" knows what I'm talking about, but the problem of the diamond industry goes far beyond the situation of the film. Just by wearing diamonds, she made a statement of supporting an industry that has enslaved and killed thousands of people. I wish she'd skipped the diamonds; by doing so, she'd have helped nurture her inner beauty. It'd have done wonders for her outer beauty.

The Bridal Party

The choices for the wedding party were strong. Kate went with simplicity and understated elegance. Her sister, Pippa Middleton, served as her lady-in-waiting. She greeted the bride at the door of Westminster Abbey and seemed to perform her duty to perfection. Pippa looked like the picture of pure beauty herself. While most bridesmaids are dressed in colors other than white, Pippa wore an ivory, figure-hugging gown that, like her sister's wedding dress, was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The satin dress had a cowl front. She wore it with pride, as she glowed with smiles while helping Kate with her needs of the day.

Let's not forget the younger members of the bridal party. Children were also a part of the day. Three-year-old Grace Van Cutsem was the youngest among them. They all wore dresses fit for princesses-in-waiting that were designed by Nicki Macfarlane. The dresses were made of the same material used for the majority of Kate's own dress, and the skirts were ballerina-length with box pleated, long skirts. As was the case for all bridesmaids, the young girls' names and the wedding was embroidered into the lining of each dashing dress.

Other Family and Friends

Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II, the father and the grandmother of the groom, were in pristine formal wear as well. Queen Elizabeth was lovely in a bright yellow dress suit that she accompanied with a fashion forward hat. After all, the wedding invitation requested that all female guests where hats. Yet, one or two people snubbed that dress code. Prince Harry's date, Chelsea Davy, received a bit of criticism for her Victoria Grant hat that was made of gray lace, but she looked terrific in the aqua shift dress by Alberta Ferretti

More From This Contributor:

Prince Harry as Best Man

5 Ways Kate Middleton Can Avoid Bad Press

Royal Wedding Highlights and Lowlights