Kate Middleton has managed to have a low-key event behind closed doors, without the press knowing. She celebrated her last days as a single woman with a private party attended by a small group of close friends.

The maid of honour at the royal wedding, Kate’s younger sister Pippa, is believed to have organised the cosy gathering of young women at a friend’s house a few days ago.

‘She has already had her hen night, but it was certainly low-key,’ a close friend told the Daily Telegraph.
‘There isn’t such a tradition attached to hen nights as there is to stag parties. It was done privately. Not all of Kate’s friends were there and she will be catching up with other friends over the coming weeks.’

But do you remember talk of two bachelorette (hen) parties a few weeks ago?  This is what was reported then:

Middleton’s maid of honor, sister Pippa, is in the midst of planning two evenings of fun to mark the end of Kate’s single days — one grown-up and sexy event in London, and one family affair at the girls’ family estate in Bucklebury, Berkshire, South England.

“Everything is shrouded in secrecy,” a source rather predictably told UK paper the Daily Mail. “As well as the party in Bucklebury, Pippa has booked four venues in London. None of the girls know where they will be going –- and won’t until the actual day.”

Do you think the second, wilder hen party is yet to come?

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1371050/Royal-wedding-Kate-Middleton-quiet-night-friends-hen-party.html#ixzz1I4npRqVC

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Royal Wedding to have two cakes

Kate has given detailed plans for the couple’s wedding cake but Prince William has also requested a McVities chocolate biscuit cake – which was one of his favourites as a young boy – as an alternative treat.

Fiona Cairns, a businesswoman who has gone from kitchen table baking to selling her creations to the country’s best-known stores, has been given the honour of baking the official royal wedding cake, the centrepiece of the Buckingham Palace wedding reception.

The 56-year-old cake designer, has also been asked by Kate to feature around 16 different blooms and foliage for their meaning; lily of the valley which symbolises sweetness and humility and ivy leaves which symbolise marriage.  Also on her list of flowers, created using sugar paste, is the aptly named Sweet William – which means perfection and gallantry.

Kate has also requested elements from the Joseph Lambeth technique of cake decoration, where intricate piping is used to make three dimensional scroll work, leaves, flowers and other adornments.

Here are some examples of cakes made in the style of Joseph Lambeth:

The designs on this dramatic tower mimic the elaborate cake-decorating style of Joseph Lambeth, a master baker in England during the 1920s and ’30s. Fine garlands and latticework are piped onto the fondant in royal icing, as are delicate roses and bunches of grapes. The star and C-scrolls on top are examples of a technique called overpiping, in which a shape is layered over again and again, giving it depth. These heavier effects are piped in decorator’s buttercream (thicker than usual) to maintain their shape.

Another example of a cake in the style of Joseph Lambeth

Decorated with William and Kate’s new cipher (which will be officially released on their wedding day), the cake will also have a theme of flowers from the home nations – English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh daffodil and Irish shamrock.

Rose

Thistle – courtesy of visitscotland.ch

Ms Cairns who retails her sweet treats in Harrods, Selfridges and Waitrose was approached in February by William’s office regarding the wedding cake.  She said: “It’s multi-tiered, doesn’t have colour – it’s cream and white (icing) – and it’s a traditional cake but also quite delicate and modern, all the tiers will have a different theme.”

Ms Cairns added: “She (Kate) has guided us right from the beginning and has quite strong ideas.  That makes it much easier than a bride who has absolutely no idea whatsoever, which has happened in the past.  But she knew very much what she wanted and she brought us mood boards and told us what influences she would like us to use on the cake.”

Kate asked her to incorporate flowers according to their meaning, which was very popular with the Victorians, who used the blooms to send secret messages.  Ms Cairns said, ”There is the bridal rose which symbolises happiness, the oak and acorn – which is an architectural detail around the room where the cake will be – symbolising strength and endurance.”

The cake maker said: “… I can’t tell you exactly the recipe, but the brandy is very important, we always soak our fruits overnight to plump up the fruits.  This is exactly the same method you would use at home if you were making a fruit cake – we just use bigger batches.”

Samples were sent to William and Kate who chose their favourite and she has now started baking to allow the sweet treats the necessary four weeks to mature.  The finished product may be featured in the palace’s picture gallery that is hung with priceless old masters.

Although relatively unknown to date, this commission will no doubt make this cake designer widely known and in great demand.

Westminster Abbey - Don't tweet in church or you'll be shown the front door!

Well, wedding etiquette is often a worry for any couple who are getting married.

But this wedding must take the award for the most complex, intricate etiquette rules; after all it’s a high society wedding, a royal wedding and a semi-state occasion!  Imagine the complex layers of etiquette contained in this one event.

From the order in which VIPs should arrive (the Queen would usually arrive last but this would have to be changed as it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to walk up the aisle last!), to what they should wear and how much they should drink, this wedding will really test the etiquette knowledge of the congregation.

Other rules of etiquette include:

• if introduced to the Queen, you should never speak first nor put your hand out first
• if you are British, you should bow or curtsy – if you’re not British a gentle nod of the head would be polite (as Obama did during his visit to the UK)
• don’t tweet or send images from the Church!

The dress code is formal, so women should not have much uncovered flesh and in Britain most women would be expected to wear a hat.  However, it’s critical that the outfit should not be too ostentatious or perceived to be competing in any way with the bride’s dress (take note, Victoria Beckham).

Men should wear uniform (William has three uniforms to choose from), morning suit (Prince Edward wore this) or lounge suit (everyday smart suit).

Take a look at this video from Associated Press – just click here

There’s probably as much planning going into some people’s attire to attend the wedding as there is for Kate’s dress itself.  After all, given the vast numbers of TV crews being sent from all around the world to cover this wedding, you need to look good if you’re going to be there!
Found this fab toy church from Playmobil – looks like great fun. It’s got the bride and groom etc… and church bells!

France’s Dukan diet linked to Middleton family

Carole with daughter Kate Middleton. Photo: REX

In preparation for the Royal Wedding, Kate Middleton and her mother, Carole, have reportedly been dieting.   The diet attributed to their weight loss, is the Dukan Diet.

Dr Pierre Dukan, dubbed the French Dr Atkins, is a 69 year old doctor and architect of the diet; Europe’s most popular diet book.

Watch Pierre Dukan – the inventor – talk about the diet. Click here now

The diet book itself will be  available in the US from April and prescribes a protein-rich, low-fat approach to weight loss.

But wherever you are, you can now get immediate, online access to the diet and recipes.  Just click here (this will open a new website).

Pierre Dukan's Diet followed by Kate

The Dukan Diet has four phases (source : The New York Times)

Phase 1 involves a strict menu of non-fatty protein (skinless turkey, chicken breast, low-fat beef, or fish), plus 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran daily and loads of water.  During this phase, the diet is made up of 72 high-protein foods enabling quick weight loss.

Phase 2 introduces 28 recommended veggies.  During this phase, the diet alternates Pure Protein days (PP phases) and Proteins accompanied with Vegetables (PV phases).

Phase 3 permits two slices of bread, a serving of cheese and fruit and two servings of carbs a day, with a wine-and-dessert allowance two days a week.

Phase 4 allows anything, provided the dieter returns to Phase 1′s protein, oat bran, and water regimen one day per week.  This is the easiest phase and is based on 3 simple, concrete, easy but non-negotiable measures.  It’s the most essential part of this  slimming method because 95% of people who follow a diet put on the weight they have lost.

“Dukamaniacs” (as they’re dubbed) include J-Lo (purportedly the diet that helped shift her pregnancy pounds) and many other Hollywood celebrities.  Here’s a short video on whose doing it and how!

Video courtesy of ABC News. For more visit ABC News.com

Find out more about the diet here (clicking this link will open a new website).

The Daily Mail has indicated that Carole Middleton lost four pounds in four days as a result of the diet.  Her daughter, Kate, is said to have followed her and the cavalcade of celebrities onto the Dukan bandwagon.  However, she has not confirmed any diet stories with the press.  The Associated Press was informed by a Royal press aide: “It’s a hugely private matter.”

Is this diet too extreme for her, given the incredible pressure she must be under for the Big Day?   We’ll just have to wait and see…

A Commoner becomes a Princess

Prince William and Princess Catherine (Kate) will ride in the royal golden carriage to the Palace. Credit: AP Photo.

Reality and fairytale appear to converge day-by-day in this story of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Their story and forthcoming marriage seem unreal:

A beautiful girl whose parents own a party business goes to university and meets a gorgeous prince with ‘golden’  hair.  The girl becomes friends with the prince and in time the pair fall in love.  But the girl isn’t from the same background as the prince and unused to all the publicity that follows them.  Eventually the couple split up; apparently love doesn’t conquer all.

Then, unexpectedly, the pair are back together again and the people seem genuinely happy for them and wish them well.  Years go by, and each year the people wait expectantly for news of their marriage.  But each year they are left disappointed.  Until finally, after three years of waiting, the announcement is made: the prince and the girl are to marry.  So the girl gets to marry her prince.  And the prince gets to marry his girl.

On the ‘Great Day,’ the girl travels by car in her wedding attire to the church and meets her prince once more.  When they emerge from the church, she’s no longer a commoner – the girl has become a princess.  The car has transformed into a royal, golden horse-drawn carriage and the newlywed couple ride together to the palace, through the crowds of well wishers  from all around the world.

And they live happily ever after…THE END

And here’s the carriage that goes with the story (!):

If you’re in the US, click here

Seriously, do you think this gets more like a fairytale every day?  By the wedding date, it’s going to feel like we’ve been catapulted into an alternative dimension!

But talking of wedding stories, I came across this fantastic service which helps you write your own  wedding story album, just like a fairytale…

Click here or on these pictures below:

If you use it, please share your story here – I’d love to put your pics and story up here and share your fairytale…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Get an insider’s view of the wedding ceremony!

This is a private tour of Westminster Abbey, by the man who will help conduct the ceremony, Westminster’s Dean.

Steeped in over 1,000 years of history, Westminster Abbey is known as the Church of Kings. Thirty-eight monarchs have been crowned here, with the most recent being Queen Elizabeth (William’s grandmother) in 1953 .
Many royal weddings have also taken place here. from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to the more recent wedding of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson in 1986.

But, in just six weeks, Prince William will greet his bride as she walks into this historic and sacred church.

The Dean of Westminster will lead the bride and her father up the aisle. His main advice to the couple?
“I hope they will really enjoy the occasion, that they will have a strong sense of making their vows to each other in the presence of God.”

Prince William’s taken time out from his wedding preparations, to visit the people of New Zealand following the catastrophic earthquake which caused so much devastation.

Touring earthquake-ravaged Christchurch, Prince William said the damage to the city was “unbelievable” and thanked rescue workers for their efforts over the past three and a half weeks.

The visit culminated in a speech at the Christchurch Memorial Service, which Prince William gave in lieu of his grandmother, HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

It’s a moving, well-delivered speech – the tone is perfect and sincere.

Could we be seeing the future King in action?  Take a look and judge for yourself:

Much has recently been reported about Kate Middleton’s decreasing weight, fuelling concern that she’ll lose too much weight before the wedding.

According to today’s MailOnline, a local shopkeeper says: ‘Kate loves Haribo Starmix – they’re her favourites – and Tangfastics,’ says Mr Shingadia, who has been invited to the wedding along with his wife.

‘Kate mentioned last Sunday that she is getting a little nervous about the wedding. It’s only natural, this after all is one of the biggest days of her life.’

Eating her way through two large packets  of Haribos a week, may allay any thoughts of her following Princess Diana by losing too much weight before the wedding.  Every bride is stressed before their wedding – some lose weight, others gain weight, as a result.  Kate has only 7 weeks to go, however, she must have an army of people at her disposal, to ensure every tiny detail is as it should be.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1365686/Kate-Middletons-royal-wedding-diet-Bride-enjoys-bags-sweets.html#ixzz1GtNucp4m

Update: Latest news – dress sold on 17 March for £65,000 at a London auction!

Dress worn by Kate Middleton at University show. Designed by fellow student Charlotte Todd.

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