The secret details from Kate and William’s 2011 wedding that you may have missed – including the bride’s extra padding
MONDAY 29th of April marks 13 years since Prince William and Kate Middleton were married at Westminster Abbey.
The royal wedding was attended by 2,000 guests and watched by an audience of over 36 million people around the globe.
But despite the eyes of the world on them, there were still some hidden gems that you may have missed the first time around.
To celebrate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding anniversary, Guides For Brides unveil some of the secret gestures that made Kate and William’s big day such a spectacular hit, as the experts reveal the ‘timeless’ impact the nuptials had on the wedding industry.
Kate’s dress contained a hidden message
Kate reportedly wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity, as well as the creativeness of the Alexander McQueen brand.
Designed by Sarah Burton, the dress was made with white and ivory satin gazar and was also complete with 58 buttons covered in gazar and organza. These were fastened by Rouleau loops.
But to give Kate her ‘something blue’, the team secretly stitched a small blue ribbon into the interior of the dress.
Her ‘something borrowed’ was the Queen’s Cartier tiara, her ‘something old’ the lace in her dress and her ‘something new’ was custom-made Robinson Pelham earrings from her parents Michael and Carole Middleton.
The flower girls wore a tribute to Kate’s mother
Kate chose four of her family and friends’ children to serve as bridesmaids: Lady Louise Windsor (daughter of Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex) Margarita Armstrong-Jones (granddaughter of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones), Grace van Cutsem (daughter of William’s friends, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh van Cutsem) and Eliza Lopes (granddaughter of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall).
All of their dresses were designed by Nicki Macfarlane and used the same fabric as Kate’s wedding dress.
They also had their names and the date stitched into the lining as a special memento.
But Kate also chose to honour her family by having floral crowns designed to replicate the one worn by mother Carole at her own wedding in 1981.
The bride wore padding around her hips
Inspired by corsetry and a signature look of Alexander McQueen, the waist of the dress was narrowed and the hips and bottom were padded out to create more of a dramatic shape.
Friends decorated Kate and William’s wedding car with a loving message
Kate and William added a fun twist to the day by leaving the post-wedding afternoon reception at Buckingham Palace in King Charles’ Blue Aston Martin.
William had received this for his 21st birthday and friends of the newlywed decorated the vehicle with “L” plates, ribbons, balloons with their initials C and W and a “JU5T WED” license plate. If you look closely at photos, you can see “♡U” written in place of the EU decal on the left side.
William and Harry’s military uniforms were sweatproof after fears they’d pass out in the heat
April can be an unpredictable month for weather but Kate and William’s big day proved to be warm and sunny.
Fearing that the warm weather combined with the heavy woolen military attire would leave him and Harry sweaty or even at risk of passing out, Prince William’s military tailors Kashket and Partners confirmed that they added sweat pads to the arms and material to absorb heat.
When did Kate and William get married?
The Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton took place on April 29, 2011, and was declared a public holiday in the UK.
Since William isn’t the first in line to the throne, the wedding was not a full state occasion, which meant many details of the big day were left down to the couple.
The wedding was watched live by 36million people and was jam-packed with all the usual pomp and ceremony of a royal occasion.
The engagement came seven years after Kate and Wills first got together, in October 2010, sparking mass excitement all over the world.
King Charles picked the music
The monarch played a big role in his eldest son’s nuptials, picking out some of the music for the ceremony.
Speaking on a radio interview back in 2020, Charles confirmed: “I love trying to organise some interesting, I hope, pieces of music for certain occasions, particularly for weddings if people want.
“I know my eldest son was quite understanding and was perfectly happy for me to suggest a few pieces for their wedding.”
William requested a dessert of chocolate biscuits
Fruitcake is the traditional choice for a royal wedding and whilst Kate and William’s official cake was crafted by baker Fiona Cairns and featured an impressive eight tiers and 900-plus details handcrafted from sugar, the couple also opted for a second option.
William’s favourite pudding is a chocolate biscuit cake and a Royal family recipe. Guests were treated to the dense and rich dessert alongside Fiona’s creation. Former royal chef Darren McGrady claimed that the biscuit cake was also the late Queen’s favourite.
Sharing their thoughts on Kate and William’s big day, Nikita Thorne, Head of Strategy at wedding directory Guides For Brides, reveals how the wedding provides ‘timeless inspiration’ for couples tying the knot and spurred trends still used within weddings today.
Nikita shares: “There has always been pressure to choose a style that follows trends of the moment or is unique. But, here we are, 13 years later looking at photos of Kate and William’s big day, feeling as though it could have happened within the last few years.
“Only a truly timeless style can achieve that. Couples will still reference their wedding when they are trying to achieve this style for themselves.
“Their wedding was a masterclass in executing this well and really gave people the confidence to go for the classic look!”