Remember when Pippa Middleton got engaged to Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews and all of the gossip was about how Pippa did NOT want a big wedding? Sources – Middleton sources, let’s be real – made it sound like Pippa did not want her wedding to be anything like Kate’s wedding. Pippa wanted something small and intimate. She wanted to be married out her parents’ house, Middleton Manor. She was like a Jane Austen heroine, just a country girl and a local beauty who somehow managed to get engaged to a terribly moderately wealthy Mr. Darcy. What happened to that? Did Carole Middleton – who truly is a mother created by Jane Austen, I fear – decide to throw herself her own dream wedding and it just happened to be her daughter’s wedding? Did Pippa make a conscious choice to use her wedding to launch the new phase of her celebrity/business? I don’t know. But from here on out, I don’t want to hear one more thing out of Camp Middleton about how Pippa hates attention and she’s just a simple, humble, country girl. First it was the glass palace. Now Pippa is going to be arriving at her wedding in a g-ddamn horse-drawn carriage.
Pippa Middleton will arrive at her fairy tale wedding like a queen – in a horse and carriage. The bride will bring a touch of royal glamour to the wedding of the year with Her Majesty’s favourite mode of transport. The Duchess of Cambridge will watch as her sister is pulled by locally bred horses past crowds of photographers to St Mark’s Church, in Englefield, Berks, on Saturday.
One villager told The Sun: “I have heard on good authority that Pippa will be riding in a carriage from Bucklebury to the church in Englefield, just like a princess. A livery yard owner has been told that she will be driven in a carriage to the church.” Moments after she steps off she will bring tears to the eyes of family and friends as she walks through the cosy church’s wooden doors and down the aisle. The revelation comes as Pippa and mum Carole, 62, yesterday went for lunch at Englefield House – where the canape and drinks reception will be held.
Antique cars were yesterday delivered under tarpaulin to the Elizabethan country mansion – the scene of US reality show I Wanna Marry Harry. The move suggests the happy couple may be driven more than six miles back to Bucklebury for the reception.
The message of Kate’s wedding was that she arrived by car, a commoner, and left Westminster Abbey by carriage a princess. The message of Pippa’s wedding is that she arrives a Middleton princess and leaves a terribly moderately wealthy peasant, I suppose. Now, if you love the princess fairytale and you genuinely want to arrive at your wedding via a horse-drawn carriage, then God bless and I wish you will. Getting married is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for many people, and I know you don’t care if I think certain wedding details are tacky. Different strokes, etc. And if the Middletons were horse-loving people, this might not be so strange, but as we know, the Middletons aren’t keen on horses.
If the press around Pippa this whole time had been “Pippa wants her fairytale wedding,” then at least I would have known what to expect. But this is what bugs me: it’s the Middletons’ insistence that your eyes are deceiving you, that Pippa is something other than a D-list celebrity with a wedding that reflects that, that of course they aren’t gauche social climbers and of course this wedding hasn’t devolved into a Kardashian-esque experience complete with luxury portable toilets. Tell me what part of this wedding would not be at home on a very special wedding episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. TELL ME.
Also: in this same Sun story, the same gossipy “villager” made it sound like Meghan Markle was going to be the real star. Like, the local police force was going to just do basic crowd control around Pippa’s wedding, but as soon as people learned that Meghan was coming to town, suddenly the police force needed additional “security planning” because Meghan “has international appeal” and now they’re expecting international press to show up. You guys were right: Pippa used Meghan Markle to get more attention for her wedding.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.
Ok girl this is too much. You are not Star Jones.
hahahahhahahahaha. died, dead. thank you.
Haaaaaa haaaaa haaaaa!!! So funny!! LOVE. You win…
Security cost will be at the expense of taxpayers, Duchy and the RF. Since whiny bil lwaity middleton and kids are included for these hangers on unroyal vulgar set – as well as bill middleton draging Prince Harry (KP release) Meghan in to justify all the royal resources at a non celebrity middleton hot mess.
LOL! In the (in)famous words of dad-dancing Willie, “I got 5 on it” that Pips writes a wedding planning book, using this colossal show of wealth as a picture guide to bridezilla greatness.
This! ^
Pippa looks lovely in her wedding gown and the wedding party of children are adorable. I would kill for her waistline!
As much as I rag on her, I have to admit she looks very pretty. I like her hair style, the simple veil, and the gown is very elegant. The design suits her profile to a T. Agree, the children’s outfits are adorable. Even Katie looks nice, though matronly. If I didn’t know her, I’d think she was the mother of the bride.
The international press stuff….I feel like there is more coverage of this in American media, than British media. This is definitely not a topic of conversation among regular folks around these parts (south-east England).
It’s only the DM who has hundred articles about that.
I said I wasn’t gonna go look, but I did and OMG, the DM has outdone itself with photo after photo, and article after article. I was particularly enthralled by the dozen or so photos of security fencing.
No one in the states is talking about this wedding either, at least among regular people. We’re all still too focused on Trump, Russia and that whole brewing scandal.
Though I honestly haven’t seen it mentioned on the news here in the states either. At least none of the big news channels or shows. TMZ might be talking about it, IDK.
People Magazine talks a lot about it but I think Carole has connections to them.
Seriously though no one in America cares about this. Especially not this week. I was out with a friend yesterday and I had to explain who Megan is. She won’t attract international press unless and until an engagement is announced. Sorry Pippa.
Exactly @Luca76. If Meghan gets engaged to Harry *then* International Press (ie US Press and Media) will care, and more Americans will know/learn who she is. But this? She’s just a guest for her boyfriend’s-brother’s-wife’s-sister’s wedding. No one cares about that. Hell, she could be an A-lister and I don’t think anyone would care that she’s going to this wedding, especially not this week.
It was mentioned on Good Morning America this morning.
Hi Morrigan, honestly I’m much more focused on this wedding than all the Trump crap and I am an American. I just needed a break from the none stop horribleness coming out of Washington every hour for the last 5 months and this event is providing me a lovely distraction. Frankly, I don’t know what I’ll do once the wedding is over cuz I just can’t with the politics.
I totally get that feeling @Harlan. Lots of people are drained from everything that’s happening, and so don’t mind some frivolous distractions. Me included. (So I’m quite happy to LOL at this circus).
But I’d still say not too many people over here know this wedding is happening or even a thing. Unlike, say William & Kate’s Wedding. I remember distinctly the almost non-stop talk and coverage that got from news media and outlets here leading up to it. All the networks sending their morning show reporters to London to cover it. This wedding? Even with Meghan going? Not so much.
@L84Tea, was the mention of the wedding just a blurb? Or did they have a whole segment on it?
It was in the NY Times earlier this week, albeit in the fashion section where one can pay for placement. I agree though — nobody I know around here (west coast USA) is talking about it at all.
@CatherinetheGoodEnough, I’m also on the west coast (LA area), and I’ve heard more talk about Wonder Woman (and the, so-far, good preview reviews it’s getting) than talk about Pippa’s wedding.
I wouldn’t even know it was happening if I didn’t come here. I don’t think it’s been on the tellybox at all, has it?
I think the only Britons aware of it would be Daily Fail website visitors, or people who buy tabloids and celeb magazines.
Pretty sure I’ve seen coverage of this wedding in the Telegraph and the Guardian as well. Face it, for a segment of the population this is a big deal.
I might well be a bad barometer for this kind of stuff because the only physical paper or magazine I regularly buy is the FT and I only read online newspaper articles that I see linked to via social media – and most of my social media is political or arts based. Literally, my sole source for celeb stuff is here.
That said, this is honestly the only place I’ve seen speak about this wedding and I genuinely wouldn’t know it was happening if I didn’t come here. Nobody I know virtually or in that weird thing called Real Life has ever mentioned it, even once. And I live in an area much more likely to be royalist than, say, the big cities.
Not seen anything on the telly about it in the UK, other than on E! News (which is American programming ). I’ve not seen anything on the Guardian or Telegraph website, which I read every day – but of course I may have missed it! I wouldn’t know about the Fail, because I avoid that shit like the plague.
There seems to be a lot of coverage on here, and also on People, and US morning shows etc…although I accept this is probably not a good barometer for ‘regular’ Americans! I do know my mum (who lives in NC) seemed to now a whole lot about this wedding from morning talk shows and People mag!
Agree completely @Sixer. I live in London and were it not for here, I wouldn’t even be aware the wedding was happening, let alone that it was happening tomorrow with all the attendant ridiculousness. Neither the bride nor the bridegroom are interesting or engaging enough to garner attention outside of the tabloids, the z-lister mags and I guess a proportion of people who avidly follow anything ‘royal’.
I’m sure I’ve seen nothing on BBC, C4 or Sky news output (which all have celeb/royal/entertainment slots) – and I am regularly heard bellowing for my sick bucket at most BBC royal commentary, so I’m sure I would have noticed.
Amelia – I’m sure it IS a big deal for a segment of the population. What Clare and Skylark and I are querying is the size of that segment. I’d suggest it’s a pretty small one.
The only place I see news about it is here, but then I avoid the skanky tabloids.
The Telegraph is covering this wedding at the same speed as the election. Not sure what the size of the population is that is loving it, but it’s enough for the Telegraph and the Daily Mail to be all ablaze with it.
Not a Pippa fan – and I hate the Royals even more – but gotta give pimp-momma Carole creds for making this wedding into way bigger news than it deserves.
It really shows how we are segregated by the media we consume. I read the FT, Times and Guardian and I haven’t seen anything about it, and BBC and Sky haven’t said anything about it. It’s really amusing, though!
Ok. It’s the actual day and I am snarfing my bacon sarnie while watching BBC Breakfast. #pippatips is on it! Oh. Report lasted ten seconds and now we’re on the Orange One’s charabanc outing to see the Saudis.
Tina – you are right about segregation and online echo chambers. This is what I see today:
So, is Pippa Middletwat a royal or what? If not, why the eff am I being subjected to photos of her wedding?
I don’t know. Nobody knows. Only the BBC knows.
I think she’s a peasant. Wasn’t it a thing? William married a peasant?
Middleton is the UK translation of Kardashian.
Don’t know but I’m glad it’s raining.
My echo chamber might, just possibly, not belong with Amelia’s big deal section of the population!
I’m glad she has a nice backside. Bully for her. I’m sure it’s just peachy. BUT WHY IS IT IN MY LINE OF SIGHT?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I have the best online echo chamber!
The Daily Mail has really outdone itself with photos of Pippa’s wedding. She looks the best I’ve ever seen her, a flattering hairstyle, good makeup, and a gorgeous wedding dress that shows off a waistline that is perfection. The children are adorable in their outfits, adding a lot of character to the wedding photos.
@Sixer, I have been at (another) wedding all day and missed it! I might have to break my Daily Mail embargo to see what went on. I love, love, love that your echo chamber described her as a peasant (being a peasant myself). Somewhere, Carole just twitched.
Just too funny that the actual day of it finally intruded into my little world and everybody in my circles either did the Britisher taking the piss thing, or got highly grumpy that it had breached their echo chamber walls!
It hasn’t been in the American media much at all. I’ve mainly read about the wedding on this website.
Honestly, the Harry and Meghan invite makes even more sense now. Them being there is the best chance for the wedding to get international coverage.
I think Hello Mag will do a big spread.
Even among the biggest gossip hounds, and the ones focused on royals, this wedding is a footnote. Really only noticed here in the US due to the Markle Sparkle appearance.
The English are so tied up with gossip and making a pound here and there. Their idea of “class” is a hoot – and why should we not laugh?
The Morrigan should take note of her name and it’s meaning. She is a woman of the greatest power. I love her, but do not carry her name lightly I love it when men are made afraid by our name.
Nah this wedding is only internet famous.
@sarri That’s Poor Jason with the People mag connections. That’s why it’s the only place where she is “Princess Kate” and not still Kate Middleton or the DoC.
America doesn’t care about Pips. She’s as relevant here as Tiffany Trump is in Britain.
I must have had a long week, professionally, personally and politically, because reading this sentence caused me to giggle hysterically.
Will and Kate have some name recognition, but Pips is virtually unknown to most folks around here.
Claude Taylor had a similar tweet that caused me to laugh hysterically. He had previously said that “there is recorded evidence of criminal wrongdoing by each of Trump’s adult children.” Then he retweeted it, with the following: “*apologies. Not Tiffany.” I DIED.
Most people in the USA barely know who Harry and Wills are – they know Kate Middleton’s name, but have no idea who Meghan is, cause I was asking at work, and in school one night.
We are all popping our popcorn cause Trump admitted obstruction to the RUSSIANS, for pete’s sake, and Jared is the one under investigation in the Russian collusion.
HAHAHAHAHA!!
@Sarah Oh please. Most people in the US know damn well who William and Harry are. If not for themselves then because they are Princess Diana’s kids. And Diana was highly known in the US.
Now, if anyone in America actually care about anything Wills and Harry are doing is another question altogether. I would say most really don’t. I’d say Harry has gotten more attention in the US than William, mostly because of his seeming friendship with the Obamas, partially Michelle Obama. But I don’t think most people in the US have paid any attention to William and Kate after their wedding, and for sure most haven’t after George was born. (I, for one, didn’t even know Kate was pregnant with Charlotte until almost 2 weeks after she gave birth).
I didn’t know who Meghan was, but I DID know about her show Suits, because Gina Torres was on it, and the show got a lot of play in fandom circles because of that when it first came on, and has always gotten decent ratings. And, as said below, Suits fandom and Royal Family watchers/fandom likely don’t have a lot of crossover.
That all said, yeah. People in the US are mostly either focused on Trump & Russia or Wonder Woman. Only harcore US Royal Watchers are focused on Pippa’s Wedding. But people in the US have never been into Pippa herself, even after William and Kate’s wedding. There’s a reason she bombed when she tried to come over the US and get a gig on the Today show and stuff.
So you are the morrigan – I know you simply because of your name and ties to King Arthur. However, I wonder if you hail from Russia?
The Morrigan is an angry woman, with great powers of destruction. I thought her wise until I learned that anger is not useful. She is an English bitch/witch, and I am also angry, but her power is nothing but pain. Destruction is not the name of the game.
Show me your focus with solutions!
There definitely does seem to be more press coverage here. I’ve seen it posted by People Mag and others that this is a “royal-ish” wedding, their words not mine. It’s ridiculous because there is nothing royal-ish about this wedding at all, at least outside of Carole and Pippa’s egos….
How Katie Price/Jordan of her.
Yep. A horse-drawn carriage. How very twee.
Considering that the UK is supposed to get hit with torrential downpours in many parts of the country this weekend am not quite sure the horse drawn fake royal entrance will come off.
Their thirst is going to be on obvious display and they will use this to launch a single James onto the EuroTrash press so the Carole can get a silly young aristo to marry creepy boy.
Wonder if they are going to live stream it on YouTube?
It has NOT STOPPED RAINING for at least 24 hours, where I am. It has been light rain, but non-stop. But I’ll bet they have a back up plan. Certainly anyone having a big wedding/party/life event in the UK during this season (or any season) has a back up plan.
No amount of rain will quench the Middleton thirst. Of that I am certain.
lolz
DM have a photo of Prince Harry Meg out at a spa – since then, a few hours later, lazy waity is pap in a Range running errands or spying on MM ( who was using a taxi and after taking a call on her phone).
The Middletons really think they are members of the BRF.
Can Pip get married in Westminster Abbey like her sister?
Nope. Royals, members of the Order of the Bath and people who live within the precincts of Westminster Abbey (mostly senior Church figures) only.
I’m actually only interested in who will James, the failed marshmallow-businessman marry.
Me too
I have to admit, I am kind of excited to see Meghan and Harry all done up together.
Meghan is going to roll up to church in a pale yellow coat dress with a small hat. I think she will try to emulate Kate.
Oh, I hope she doesn’t, try to emulate Kate that is.
Idky, I actually just got a mental picture of that and I think she would look quite amazing!
Me too Talle! I can’t wait to see Harry and Meghan together, plus the wedding dress!
I predict it will be hard for photographers to catch Meghan and Harry in the same frame.
Me too! That’s the focus of this wedding. It was generous of Pippa to invite them knowing that Meghan and Harry will steal the thunder; on the other hand, Pippa and Harry seem friendly.
The Cambridges—yawn.
Carol pips waity bill middletons needed both brothers and the kids to pretend they are royals – therefore had no choice – when bill drag Prince Harry name in the middle to mess and PH would not attend without Meghan ( who both or Meg may/may not be attending?). Meghan is on a break from Suits and her presence wth her Love has nothing to do with middleton fake celebrity non. royal mess!).
Yes, them together and the wedding dress(es) and *whispers* George Percy *hangs head in shame* Idk why I think he is so adorable! *runs*
lol @Reece. Gurl, you ain’t the only one 😉 He’s extremely munchable.
Since a wedding invitation has now been extended to Harry and Meghan, do you suppose Harry will feel obligated to return the favour to Pippa and James if Harry does have a wedding, especially if the wedding takes place within a relatively short time from this wedding?
Yep – this was a calculated move by Pips and Ma. Use Harry and Meghan to get press attention and to get a reciprocal invite. If they do get married Pips and James will be there mugging for all their are worth.
Rumour has it Harry is staying the night at Bucklebury Manor (although there’s no room for the real in-laws..) I wonder where Meg will be staying??
Hope Harry gets served some of Carole’s amazing cheese toast.
I imagine Meg will share Harry’s room — for efficiency’s sake — and I expect the in-laws are perfectly happy not to be bunking in with the Middletons for the weekend. Harry staying at Bucklebury manor is actually cost-effective in terms of providing security for the royals.
Yes @ Graymatters. *That’s* why Megs is sharing Harry’s room. To save cash 😉 (WINK)
The cheese toast is guaranteed to make Harry Carole’s willing bot. It’s her secret drug, one that can hypnotise.
I mean, they’re both in their 30s and have been together for a little while. Wouldn’t it be kind of weird if the Middletons demanded separate rooms?
Everything the Middleton’s do is calculated. There is no reason for H&M to even be at this wedding cause the Middleton’s are not his in-laws nor are they particularly close. Harry is a senior member of the royal family & he is also popular. His relationship with Meghan is also generating a lot of headlines. The Middletons’ want some of that sparkle dust. Hardly anyone is talking about W&K attendance.
@abc
is this carol or middletonPR campers??!!!
She’s trying hard to be more royal than the royals.
I am curious as to what the Queen makes of all of this.
If she is aware of it at all? She thought Baroness Marie-Christine (now Princess Michael of Kent) was “a bit too grand” for the rest of the royal family. That was someone with an aristocratic “pedigree”, which was being highlighted by Prince Michael. The Middletons and all their Wisteria climbing? I’d say she’s rolling her eyes.
Prince Philip would probably laugh at them if he would know everything about this wedding.
The Queen probably hasn’t wasted a brain cell on it.
Because 95 year old dudes are known for their interest in weddings?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – as an impoverished Greek prince, Philip himself was a climber. Social climbing is a tradition as old as royalty.
HM and the RF are quite disgusted by their lam whiny grandson Middleton.
TQ was out at a friends birthday yesterday with the real royals – Prince-ess Michael, Kent. Prince Charles and PR (Anne). seem to be just asndisgusted, note the PR was not smiling at BP Garden Party steps near whiny and waity, and stay with Prince Edward and Princess Bea.
It has been obvious from the start Pippa wants attention. It’s not Carole. Kate is not matron of honor because Pippa wants focus on her. If Carole wanted attention, she’d force Kate to participate cause that would be more splashy. The fact Kate isn’t shows Pippa is jealous and wants to be star. Even if nobody cares about her.
Ooh, you’re right. I never thought about it that way.
I am reminded of that every time we get photos of her in the bridesmaids dress. No, that was not a modest dress. It was there to showcase the unmarried Middleton sister, full-on Mrs. Bennet style.
I didn’t know Kate was passed over for matron of honor – I thought that role ALWAYS goes to the bride’s sister, if she has one, no?
What cracked me up most was “locally bred horses”. As opposed to what? Two-counties-over horses? Is this a thing?
Loved this article, Kaiser, thanks for the laughs!
Me, too, crazydaisy – I snickered at “locally bred horses.” Reminded me of fancy restaurants and their “locally sourced” ingredients.
I don’t know about in England, but more often than not I have seen the best friend as maid/matron of honor. My best friend was my matron of honor and I was her maid of honor (she has a sister and I don’t).
“locally bred horses” makes it all sound so artisanal though..
The DM today has something about how Land Rover is basically sponsoring this wedding by giving the Middletons a big fleet of vehicles to ferry guests around in, from the Bucklebury town hall to Middleton castle. And then there was a bizarre tidbit about how an “anonymous Russian donor” donated a huge amount of expensive caviar to the event.
And don’t get me started on the SPITFIRE PLANE FLYPAST that they are doing!
Where I’m from, you never use family for the maid of honor/best man/godparent. Never.
*Dame Maggie Smith voice* The Bridal party will be sipping locally sourced water. For this express purpose, a fresh water stream has been redistricted. It will now run through Middleton-land. (Renamed from Eng-land).
In a very special dispensation from the Sun, from 6am until 8:30pm, light will be provided especially for the Bride. Please refrain from partaking in light during these “Pippa only” times.
Artisanal grass has been flown in from Ecuador, blade by blade. Handpainted a glorious green, the color was chosen to offset the emerald encrusted cod dinner. Dinner will be served on paper plates from Tesco. (Even Billionaires gotta budget.)
“Dinner will be served on paper plates from Tesco” You made me spit water in front of my computer 😀
“Locally bred” horses? Is that like “organic horses”? Love all your comments!
My lady Countess, what is a Tesco?
Asking for the Baroness.😊
Darling Baroness LAK! Do you know, I haven’t a clue? My neighbor’s boy, sent down from Oxford sadly, mentioned something about ‘every little helps’ and this ‘Tesco’.
And I thought, you know those poor Middletons, only Billionaire’s on paper! Too ghastly! Maybe they could use this ‘Tesco’ and finally make it over the hump into true wealth. How is Gtaad treating you by the way?
So my wedding present, en famille, was a ‘Tesco’ gift card. So useful! I know they just loved it. Carole was simply speechless.
But darling, one never knows these days. Trade marrying the Moderately Wealthy, tsk tsk, what is the world coming to?
@ LAK:
Tips, ecologically sound, completely organic.
… as in PippaTips, obvs. 😉
signed: the Marchioness
Darling Marchioness, What utterly delightful tips! I have instructed Roger to make sure to incorporate them in the house. As you know Roger is a godsend. He understands all the tips instantly.
Dearest Countess, How good of you to ask. Gstaad is proving very entertaining. The stars are shining brightly, but rather like those ghastly manet paintings that Roger insisted i acquire. He also tells me that our hotel is infested with toads. I don’t believe him, so i will go investigate.
Mr vast fortune is infact moderately wealthy? I don’t like to talk about money, but how ghastly. And the bride is trade? Please do not tease. I was reliably informed that she was of the Goldsmith family of Maison de Bang Bang.
I will send Roger to investigate.
Roger – roger – that is my big brother’s name. Can I come with you LAK? Show me ideas that I am not aware!
Investigation and utter delight – will you share? I am very loyal and will stick with you thick, and thin. Will you show me?
@Rapunzel – if she didn’t want Kate as Matron of Honor to keep attention focused on her, Pippa must be spitting nails that they were forced to cave in on MM, whose appearance as Harry’s date will set off massive press covers screaming, “Princess Meghan!” covers on all the tabs. Pippa’s wedding will be an afterthought.
Of course, it’s also always possible that outlets like HELLO sweetly told the Middletons that they’d up their price for exclusive photos if Harry and MM were there, knowing full well that they’d attract more viewers with the prospective Next Royal Pair there . . . and the Middletons gulped and took the money and told Pippa to suck it up.
Rapunzel, you’re probably right, and this is why little girl princess fantasies are so toxic. Planning your whole life to be princess for a day at your wedding is is setting yourself up for a huge let down after. If you really want attention, study hard and be good at something.
Great point @Bettyrose. Its like Pippa, what’re you going to do Monday morning? Caviar eaten. Organic horses stroll home. And its just you and Hubby. Everyday can’t be a party. I hope they can enjoy life outside of the Glass Palace.
Absolutely! ignore all that is Middleton abnormal!
Prince Harry Meghan is not a bad example and role model – freal fairytale dreams come true – if/ when she becomes Princess Henry.
I like Pippa but she starts to annoy me, she’s so media-hungry and loves all the attention. It also says a lot about her that she hired PR manager Jo Milloy (who also works for the Beckhams).
True story: most of the weddings in my family are registry office affairs followed by a piss-up at the local Labour club, WI hall, Catholic club or other non-posh venue. Since there are a gazillion of us, I have been bridesmaid more times than I can count. But one of my older cousins went full-on bridezilla and I had to RIDE IN A HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE WEARING A CERISE MONSTROSITY WITH A CRINOLINE.
It was the worst day of my life.
And yes, I did change for the reception. No “demand” from the bride necessary. One nano second after the speeches were done.
Piss-up gives me life.
OMG. Your thrift-store clothes loving heart must shudder at the memory. It’d bring on nightmares for me.
You can imagine, right? She hired a make-up artist who caked me in the stuff, too. Plus, I got hit on at the reception by a handsy mate of the groom. It. Was. Not. My. Favourite. Wedding.
Did you give them a hideous wedding gift in return? Something tacky and cerise?
I think I just let my mum and dad do all that stuff. I was about nineteen or so?
When I think of horse drawn carriages I think of that awful ‘My big fat Gypsy wedding’ tv show.
That’s what I was saying to Lainey below. I’m sure #pippatips wants to appear aristocratic with this choice but unfortunately for her, more people are going to see it as trashy and vulgar than they are royal-adjacent. Sadly for her, it’s a Hyacinth Bucket move.
Wish you could post a pic, Sixer. 🙂
I believe such photos exist but I would not countenance any of them being in my actual possession. They would trigger me!
The wedding of her dreams…..
Maybe she will wear the “Middleton Tiara”. The one made of Wisteria. Would be appropriate.
Cheryl Cole/Tweedy whatever shes going by now and Jordan both had horse drawn carriages at their weddings. *Just saying*
This wedding really is turning into Keeping Up With The Cambridges isn’t it? Everything they can do to replicate a royal wedding they’re doing. – Horse drawn carriage, fly-by, multiple parts to they day, a (glass) Palace, multiple change of clothes. Just waiting for news of the tiara.
And i defo think the Midds are using Meghan for attention. I don’t think Harry pressured them to invite her I think they saw all the attention they will she wont she was getting and decided to invite her to get attention. No one cared even after using KP to confirm George and Charlotte, they were getting desperate.
Horse drawn carriages are a bit of a bridezilla thing here. Not uncommon. Not usually classy though, either. Pippa will be mocked for this because it will remind more people of trashiness than it will of poshness.
Where exactly do they go? From the church to the reception venue? Do the people inside wave to the villagers as they clomp on by?
I don’t mean to be rude. It fascinates me. Such a thing here would make everyone think you had lost your ever-loving mind. Plus traffic control would loathe you.
My one was bride’s home to the church. And it really is seen as tacky.
If she is using the carriage just to get to the church, who is exactly is there to see her arrive? Wouldn’t most people be inside the church by the time she arrives? Unless she assumes there will be people outside waiting for her to arrive?
That is pretty presumptuous.
It would make more sense to leave the church with the carriage because then those invited to the wedding are leaving the church and are outside to see everything.
There was a northeast US trend awhile back to have a bagpiper at thirsty weddings — said bagpiper would lead the guests from the church to the reception venue. It. Was. Awful!
The whole wedding sounds so loveless. It’s only to show off.
Do they make a cream for second hand embarrassment?
LOL
Yes please. I need industrial strength cream.
Ha. Let us hope.
Who knows if any of this is true, but every story about this wedding reminds me of the scene in “Working Girl” where best friend Joan Cusack tells Melanie “Tess” Griffith, “Yeah well I vacuum in my underwear but that don’t make me Madonna.”
I adore you for posting this 🙂
One of my best friends arrived at the aisle of her wedding in a horse and carriage!! They spent all this money and the day of it poured rain, which all 7 of us bridesmaids stood in getting drenched because no one thought to put an effing tent up.
I don’t get big weddings but to each their own. Even my small wedding had me a nervous wreck.
Pretentiousness is soooo unattractive.
Very bourgeois.
I read elsewhere that Pippa looked into a carriage but decided against it.
I would want climate controlled transport to my royal-adjacent marriage. Who would risk arriving at the church freezing cold or over-heated?
Here are my predictions.
1. No one arrives or departs in a horse-drawn carriage because Landrover deal
2. Kate will wear a new pale pink or blue outfit and new Kiki McDonough earrings
3. The glass marquee will suck for guests because the weather forecast is cold and rainy and it will be damp and cold inside that thing.
Pippa, you will regret not following my advice about renting Versailles.
‘renting Versailles’…….loooool!!!
From what I saw of the weather report for the area tomorrow, Pippa will need a closed carriage, which will make her look even more pretentious.
Actually, I’m one of the few in disagreement that Pippa is using Markle to get more attention for her wedding. I think the wedding would always have received attention because of Kate, at a minimum. Not global attention, but certainly attention. I think they invited Markle because it was the only way to get Harry there, and because they know Harry either has or is about to propose to her. If they could possibly have avoided it, they wouldn’t have let her anywhere near the wedding, because they know the frenzied speculation about Harry and her will eclipse interest in the bride.
If they really wanted MM there for PR, they wouldn’t have hesitated so long to extend the invitation.
Too bad you lost George Percy, Pips. Then you could have ridden through the streets waving to the peasants, the future Her Grace Duchess of Northumberland.
I know, money is such a poor substitute for lands and the perks of aristocracy! But Pippa will soldier on.
I agree. I think if she could have avoided the Markle Sparkle invite she would have! But the Midds bowed to the inevitable.
All of you can tsk tsk at my poor taste and tackiness, but I would totally dress up and go to this wedding and have myself a grand old time. You all can keep your DIY Pinterest weddings in barns. Give me an old fashioned pretentious knees up in a manor.
You know that the food will be good and the drinks will flow, and that the people watching will be top notch. I would poke around Middleton Manor and explore every square inch of the garden. I would drink Harry under the table. I would dance with Wills until he fell over and knocked out another tooth. I would even kitchy koo over Charlotte at the childrens table.
I would give George a water balloon to break over dad’s head. I would finish off the evening having a ciggie with the staff and gossiping over what a godawful lot these folks are to service.
I would love every glorious tacky over-orchestrated minute of it.
I want to go with you, suze!
Ha Ha!
I don’t think the Percy’s would have allowed it..They did not allow Anne Boleyn either and look what happened to her!!!!..Actually the Boleyn and Middleton have a lot in common..raw ambition..!!
I just commented about that wedding below!!
I was there and it made me nauseous!!!..And probably contributed to my more republican sympathies than I thought..The Duke is not as nice as he seems and I do not believe that popular but the family owns so much land ..I wish Dave Stewart..of the Euthymics would have won his case against them and had become the Duke!!!!
I commented in the Wrong place, but I want to look up that lawsuit!
Dave Stewart has tried to prove a birthright to the Dukedom….unfortunately he lost a final appeal a while back…it would have been great to see him in Alnwick Castle ..
Being a Geordie here comes the rain again is not an unusual experience for him!!!!
@Deveraux – thanks for the clarification. And yes, the girls still don’t inherit – it’s really scandalous in this day and age. I was watching come overage of the Japanese princess, the Emperor’s eldest granddaughter, who is planning to marry a commoner and has to give up title – and how, because the “grey men” who dominate the Japanese court refuse to change anything, the number of male heirs is shrinking rapidly. I think they pressured Naruhito’s younger brother’s wife to have a third baby, rather late, because Naruhito’s wife only had the one daughter – and thankfully [sic], it was a boy, and he is now the heir, having pushed aside Naruhito and Masako’s daughter simply by virtue of having male genitalia. I thought it was dreadful how Masako was treated.
The word on that one is that it was science-aided to make sure that it was a boy, too. The Japanese court sounds awful to actually live in.
Why are men so happy to be born male? Answer this, and the entire question of the right of being born as merely human will come to view.
Men do not want to be us, despite the travail of giving birth. They do not wish to be in our place. I would choose to be male and have a wifey! That is a wifey. like me! So much trouble, making a man’s life smooth, so he can devote tiny time to the children.
One might hit a woman on the head, but she will never stop caring for the life of those who come from between her legs, like an arm or leg, that is, a part of herself.
“Why are men so happy to be born male? Answer this, and the entire question of the right of being born as merely human will come to view.”
It is not my experience that they are. Few people spend much time thinking about their sex (because it’s mostly pointless unless you are going to change it), but in conversation I have found many many times that those who do think about it tend to *envy* women, for all sorts of reasons.
Conversely, I’ve always felt, ever since I was a teenager, I would never ever want to be a man. Too much brutal psychological pressure on all fronts. No way would I ever want to be a man.
And the men I know (quite a few) tend to agree.
Haven’t both she and Percy said for years that they never dated? We know what the gossip on him is.
Not to mention, the Percy family may not be the expert on acceptable partners considering that after that big shindig Melissa Percy’s marriage lasted all of 18 months.
What is the gossip on Percy? Do tell.
Yes ..schaenfraude for me as not too impressed with how it interfered with my annual hols ..and those awful teethy Yorks walking down Alnwick high street …..
The divorce announcement was low key ..I think family somewhat embarrassed….Heir will have to marry anyway ..His father got the title from his brother and the aristos still work on the male line..Look at the latest on the BBC website about the Japanese RF and the princess who will be kicked out once she marries a commoner!!like her Aunt before she now has to learn to drive and shop!!
Knowing the Percy’s nothing less than a royal will do for the heir and no spare!!..They may accept any royal line but not someone from an Airline!!!
Ohhhh that WAS a scandale – what did it last, three years or something?
But they definitely dated – and his Mum did make that public statement about her “not being quite wife material” – they’re old line aristos (remember “Hotspur”, Harry Percy of Northumberland in “Henry IV”? same family) and they didn’t like the circus that followed Pippa around everywhere. They probably feel privately quite as royal as the actual royals, if not more so. The Percys probably view the Windsors the way quite a few other old aristo families do: dumpy German second-class arrivistes. And if they view the Windsors that way, you can imagine how they view the Middletons!
The women don’t count in terms of inheritance but they are suppose to make a good match..financially or by title..nothing has changed since Mrs Bennett..!!!
Middleton is just a hustler …..trying to get her girls an aristo..what did Mrs Bennet say..get one good match and that puts the girls in the way of other eligible men!
That’s why I mentioned Anne Boleyn..she was also wanting to marry Henry Percy..though eventually she and he and his father all ended up excuted by the Tudors…another arriviste family..this time from Wales !!!
Only the heir still matters in a Dukedom..
I don’t doubt that the mom said something publicly, though again both Percy and Pippa maintain that they’be always been friends and that at the time she was dating one of his flat mates (Jardin) and that’s why people thought she dated Percy. Considering that they really are still friendly I’d actually believe it, since she’s not exactly friendly with the other exes and having your boyfriend’s mom think you’re not good enough wouldn’t exactly set the stage for an amicable breakup. Not to mention, Pippa may very well not be Percy’s type in the first place.
And while Pippa can indeed be delightfully tacky, I don’t know that I would declare that ‘worse’ or a less acceptable match than marrying one of the guys in William and Harry’s notoriously hard partying crew (though some of them are settling down, hopefully).
@SeeIt – it lasted 18 months. Very, very short.
George Percy’s Mom never said that. You are thinking of Alex Loudon’s Mother. It was Alex and Pippa who dated. The gossip on that was his Mother then proclaimed Pippa “Wasn’t wife material”. Alex is now engaged to an American who works for Uber. She’s very pretty.
But George and Pippa never dated. Both Daughters of the Duke of Northumberland had lovely, public, expensive weddings. Both marriages ended in divorce after less than 3 years. Sad, but it happens. The younger son, Max is getting married this Summer.
Yep, it was Loudon (it’s easy to find). That was right at the height of Pippa’s post-wedding high profile too, and that was a significant factor. If there was a party she was there.
Well Her Grace..may not have said it to anyone out loud but if Loudon’s mother did.how tacky..you know she absolutely thought it!!
Once I was in a shop in Alnwick and a lad was complaining to his friend that he was told to always address the Duke as His Grace..etc..
That was another nail in the Percy coffin for me..just for that I would be deliberately wrong..!
Its interesting that you’ve relayed that story, because people who have interviewed Jane and Ralph (the Duke and Duchess) have written that they were told to just call them…Jane or Ralph. *shrugs*
She is very PR aware..plus needs people into that Garden of hers..plus with some friends who live in the county they are not popular..Money more than anything..but that castle and then Syon House by the Thames to run could turn you into a…….!!!!!!
No one in the US even knows who Meghan is, so I’m not sure about all of this frenzied media attention. Maybe with those who read People and the Natl Inquirer, but I was asking at work and school and no one ever even heard of her.
Well you obviously know who she is (and appear to care greatly)…
BBC website news is carrying a story how millennial’s are rejecting that sort of wedding for lovely DIY ones..almost as if they are saying how out of touch and privileged she is..let’s hope is not like the Duke Of Northumberlands daughter.a couple of years ago.very fancy wedding,of course, with the bridal party parading down the Main Street of Alnwick,as if they own it…which of course they do and she is now divorced…
I think after all this she will have to stay hitched ..whatever as you know the royals don’t really approve of divorce ..well Mrs W doesn’t and she has had to put up with 3 of her offspring doing just that..Head of the Chirch of England and all that !!!
I’m really looking forward to all the wedding pics and to dissect it here with you all! Gonna be fun!
Can’t wait!
Kaiser, you will be busy.
Of course she is.
Carole Middleton an Kris Jenner should be bff by now.
And I hate me for saying this: but I would totally have a Martini (ok a lot of Martini) and get drunk with them.
Exposure to ideas other than your own is a good thing, Eleonor. Those women are my age, and I would kind of hate it – but for you, (possibly much younger) – go watch and laugh and learn about the world! Why not?
This is totally a wannabe royal wedding:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4521756/Security-erect-metal-barriers-St-Mark-s-Church.html
They have apparently hired their own security who are putting barriers up – I guess they are expecting ALL THE CROWDS. It’ll be hilarious if only a dozen turns up to watch Buckleberry’s internationally renowned beauty marry Mr Bingly.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some dumb people waste their time to show up.
More people will probably show up to see Spencer Matthews than Pippa and the Lamebridges. Carole and her tacky gang sure over-estimate their own popularity. Run James, run before Carole is running your life too!
Why do they have to constantly remind us that Nanny Maria is Spanish?? Is written in every single reference to her. Are they afraid that we forget she is not British?
Might they be to fend off paparazzi, though? I imagine there’ll be a lot, because of Harry and Meghan Markle.
They must have sold the wedding photos to HELLO because HELLO is already playing it up to the hilt.
I’m kind of hoping the noise from the crowds drown out the speakers inside, being glass and all.
Wouldn’t expect anything less!
Meh. I’m only here for Merry. Honk!!
I still think Carole is behind all of this. Pippa doesn’t strike me as that pushy and in your face.
I respect Pippa for her devotion to extreme sports. My take is she will have the better life of the two sisters. None of this royal stufft, she is free to do as she likes. And I believe that once this wedding is over, she will be left alone.
So everyone, I propose a toast to the Moderarely Wealthy Couple on their big day. Let us all wish them happiness for years to come.
I too respect Pippa for her commitment to serious fitness. It takes a lot mental fortitude to run a marathon. I think Pippa is a very driven person.
In another family she might have grown up to be a successful lawyer or business manager, but her family only encouraged their girls to chase rich men, so that’s what she did. But I also agree that she got the better deal, and will have a happier life than Kate, all things considered. I think she is smarter than she is given credit for. Ok, there was that stupid party book, but the publisher was responsible there. i hope whoever was behind that error of judgement missed out on their yearly bonus.
One can afford to not be pushy if one’s mummy is always way in front elbowing all obstacles from one’s path.
If she wasn’t thirsty she would not have written columns for Vanity Fair and tried to become a Today show correspondent. She and her mother are incredibly pushy.
So tacky. The Middletons are krass…money can’t buy class. I’d love to know what QE2 thinks! lol!
Someone posted pics of MM in London today http://belgianeyes.tumblr.com/post/160841199962/picture-exclusive-prepping-for-her-prince-a
(I know there has been disagreements over if she is even London currently)
Aw, a Toronto Blue Jays hat.
Cringing over the choice of yoga/running pants as streetwear, particularly with a very short hoodie. Maybe in a suburban parking lot, running from the gym to the car. But this is London and that is a fashion crime worse than jeggings, in my book.
Where is your bella figura, woman?
Don’t make me clutch my pearls Meg.
Combined with that ‘chanel’ type chain bag which is formal yuk..!
Per my London friend, she’s is coming from yoga, since she lives there and I don’t I’ll go with what she says
She was not walking around the streets of London in that attire! The shots were taken outside of the gym/spa when she was waiting for the taxi to pick her up.
In my vast experience, there are dressing rooms in London gyms and spas. Yoga cooch is for yoga class. A longer hoodie or tee would have greatly reduced the cringe factor here. This is how the Kardashians dress to get papped going to and from the gym and yoga. Team Meg all the way, yet this is tacky, that is all.
Well, she IS a California girl – Southern California in particular. People coming out from the gym or spas or whatever out here don’t really care how they look since – nine times out of 10 – they are just headed to their car to go home and shower/change. (Because no one takes public transportation or walks here). Even in the LA area and even if you live on the Westside.
Diana was always seen in her exercise clothes running to the gym. There was no way she would have escaped criticism. If she changed and dressed up then she’d be accused of trying to get attention or something. In LA she looks like thousands of other women coming from yoga.
Since when is it preferable to shower and change in a locker room (no matter how nice)? She’s wearing workout gear, not pasties.
maybe it’s because i’m a socal native, but i’m also part british and i’m bicoastal (socal/nyc)…i don’t see anything wrong with what she’s wearing. i wear the same thing when i’m working out.
absolutely nothing wrong with what she is wearing for working out. when exiting the building knowing she’ll get papped? its pretty easy to grab a cooch covering shirt or jacket.
let’s face it – she is no longer a normal person going about a normal day, doing normal things.
she is on her way to becoming one of the most photographed women in the world, waiting on a chauffeured range rover commissioned by a “prince of the uk” to whisk her back to his palace. or maybe she’s going to harvey nichols for lunch, i don’t know, but the paps who are tracking her every movement know.
we can still adore her while admitting this looks as much like a contrived “here’s meghan doing a totally normal yoga class before the wedding festivities” moment as pippa’s recent post-spa pap walk (thankfully she did not wear her plush terry robe and slippers out into the street).
@CynicalCeleste
Or, here’s a crazy idea, maybe it wasn’t a pap walk, and she didn’t care that someone might take her picture? I mean for real, people who work in Hollywood are used to getting their picture taken if they are out and recognized doing the most mundane things all the time, all over LA or NY. It’s kind of a standard thing really, and many have learn to just ignore it whenever it happens. And if they aren’t getting their picture taken, then TMZ is likely popping up with a TV camera to stick in their face. Hell, I’m willing to bet that MM just learned what the heck a “pap walk” is only recently. (I sure as heck didn’t know what it was).
This is perfectly normal for going into/out of a spa/yoga studio/etc in Chelsea. She could even pop into Peter Jones to pick something up without too much side-eye. But she couldn’t sit down in that gear, even for a coffee, or eat anything, without criticism. I think this is unlike the US and Canada.
@Tina
As far as LA goes, it depends. She could go into any Starbucks dressed like that, sit down, and no one would bat an eye. Hell, she could go hang out on Melrose or even go to Cheesecake Factory dressed like that and no one would care.
Only if she went some place like La Scala or some other high-end trendy restaurant or club would she get any kind of criticism. (And maybe then not harshly so.)
Are we really having the “classy” discussion while also using the word “coach”?
Meh, everyone here dresses like that. I work in South Ken and you can’t walk down the street without bumping into some trust fund princess in yoga pants. That outfit would not raise any eyebrows in London at all (for the street, in daytime – obviously going out to dinner or something would be another matter).
Oh, no!!! Another hair twirler!!! She is playing with her hair like a Kate wannabe in those last few pics. NOOOOO!!!
It looks to me like she had her hair in a low ponytail when she came out and was taking the band off – in one of the photos, you can see the band on her left hand.
Are “locally bred horses” the new fad? Like reclaimed wood or farm to table dining? God forbid she should be pulled by London bred horses, how gauche!
I am old enough to remember ps Diana walking to her car in her gym clothes, so I’m going to cut her some slack, I don’t think Harry is going to be happy with these pictures, so she won’t be doing it again
Andrea – to make a woman subservient to a man’s thinking is why men would never wish to be female.
I’m a Leo like MM there is nothing subservient about us. I was talking in terms of Harry seeing all her little bits exposed and probably telling her to cover up next time, and he would have the right to do so seeing as Meghan’s ass is on the front page of three tabloid tomorrow.
I think the chance Harry gives even the tiniest atom of poo-poo that his girlfriend walked around the street in the middle of the day dressed in the exact same way half the women in London dress is about equal with Donald Trump’s chance of winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
He has the right to tell her to cover up in public? Like hell he does. I’d ask him if he was on glue, and tell him to give his flipping head a shake.
there is a church on the corner of my street and about one a month during “wedding season” some bride pulls up in a horse drawn carriage. bridezillas are everywhere.
I view the Bridezilla syndrome the way I view the inventors of social media: they didn’t fill a need, they created one.
Saw a very depressing bit on how Instagram and Snapchat were contributing to increasing depression amongst the young, constantly bombarded by idealized lives and bodies and comparing them to their own lives – especially the girls, needless to say.
I have two sons who felt as though they were opening up to me, telling me that if they were women they would get all plastic surgery needed to make them into sexual creatures that rich men cannot seem to resist.
What they do not understand is that some women care about having a good character, rather than a fancy life; that some women see their lives as a journey with themselves, being the core of everything that they experience; that some women choose their path and their own happiness and are satisfied well.
@wolfpup, that’s very sad. Becoming a creature whose only goal is to be attractive to rich men is not a life I would wish for anyone (see Trump, Melania).
Reserving judgment until we actually SEE her prancing around in a carriage … which is so OTT … having said that I was at a wedding (Italian peasantry lollll) in Toronto and the bride arrived in a horse-drawn carriage. It was beyond cringe-worthy.
There were photos of the family at the wedding rehearsal today, and I must say (all right, meowww) that I thought Pippa looked leathered and wrinkled already. The Middleton girls need a lot of makeup for the cameras. They don’t age well once past thirty or so. Too much sun, too much exercise, too much dieting . . . there’s no softness in those faces.
I’m one of those people that believes that as you age you get the face that reflects who you are inside. All the Middleton women look hard and bitter with life. They have all that they do, but it still isn’t enough and they never seem happy.
No, you are right. They never seem complete or truly happy. Their demeanour is tense even when smiling. Carole and her daughters are very rough.
The only photos I’ve seen are the weird far off ones of the guests, no Pippa.
And considering that I’m a fellow distance runner of a similar age as Pippa, I’d choose your words wisely, because I do not appreciate the implication that I am old and leathery because of “too much exercise”. I feel like people have forgotten what normal faces look like, albeit Pippa’s is a very dark shade of tan, but hopefully you know what I mean.
@Bridget: please note that I said that Pippa looked leathery and wrinkled, not that all distance runners did, and that I mentioned dieting and sun along with exercise. For me, aesthetically, Pippa looks too “worked out”. As for “normal” faces – Pippa isn’t 50, she’s barely over 30, an age at which it is still “normal” to see some softness in many women’s faces: the hormones are still plentiful. And distance runners would hardly set the “norm” for faces or bodies – they are the exceptions: the average dress size for women in the US is a 12-14, and the average height still about 5’4″. The fact that Seventh Avenue and Hollywood ignore that reality is another issue. I don’t see that I am obliged to compliment Pippa’s looks jsut because she’s athletic. Not everyone appreciates the same aesthetic.
@Seesit – there’s no denying the heavy hand with the self tanner. But the rest? I get that people are trying to make the criticism socially acceptable by saying that she’s ‘brought it on herself’ with smoking and tanning (though I’m guessing that she gave up the smoking a while ago what with her very sporty lifestyle). She looks like a normal (though thin) person in her early-ish 30s. I get that folks dislike the Middletons (and everyone is clearly allowed to hold whatever opinion they like and this is a gossip site). But still, think about what we’re saying.
Is it really that weird to have a carriage at a wedding? My family is pretty humble, but we are farmers, so we actually OWN horses, so it’s not unusual to have them at the wedding. And they’re prettier than limousines. Honestly, I think limos are tacky and “prom night blowout” whereas carriages are genteel and old-fashioned.
If it’s part of your family background, then it would be fitting to have the horse and carriage as part of the wedding.
You are being authentic if horses are part of your family background.
People probably don’t mind that some brides want some kind of Cinderella-type wedding with horsedrawn carriages.
What people do mind is the ridiculous pretension of the Middletons. Neither Kate nor Pippa are known to love horses. Middletons aren’t into horses but tennis. They aren’t aristos and they just don’t have any kind of authentic connection to horses nor carriages.
All of that is done in pursuit of social climbing.
Social climbing without talents nor merits (financial or other) has been ridiculed for centuries in Europe. Partly because the Aristos wanted to exclude “new arrivals” into the aristocracy. Partly because talentless meritless social climbing is innately ridiculous. It screams insecurity. In order to “translate” Middleton-type social climbing one can imagine it like that: imagine a well-off accountant or a well-off shopkeeper buys an aristo title and a Phd h.c.. Why does he do it? If he is well-off he doesn’t do it for professional benefits. He does it because he is insecure and has neither talents nor merits to climb “naturally”.
^^^ This. I think having your own horses carry you to your wedding would be beautiful, especially if you’re the one who has raised and cared for them. I think people are reacting to the fact that Pippa seems to be emulating the royal tradition of arriving at or leaving one’s wedding in a carriage.
I hope a bird shits on her head en route.
That’s lucky in China I believe!
“Tell me what part of this wedding would not be at home on a very special wedding episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. TELL ME.”
All she needs is a Vera Wang gown.
I used to like be the show about brides coming into to a store in NYC to try and buy a gown..sorry old and have forgotten the name…it was interesting the choices they made!…to say the least!,,
I had never heard of Meghan Merkle? Markle? until Celebitchy. Actually, I still haven’t seen her anywhere but here.
It seems that the two worlds: SUITS fandom and Harry & the BRF gossip do not have a huge overlap. I talked to someone yesterday who is a BIG BIG fan of the former and lit up at the mention of Meghan Markle(in that role), but knew nothing of any Harry/Royal doings. Now, due to my obsession with the latter, she knows more than she ever wanted to know about Pippa’s wedding, etc.!l I never had heard of Suits before H+M (and still haven’t bothered to watch it).
That seems about right! I know two people that watch Suits. I’ve never been interested. I looked at MM’s IMDb and she’s had what I’m assuming are tiny roles in a movie or two I seen. She just doesn’t ring a bell. However, I’d certainly notice her now! 😄
1. Pippa can’t be outdone by her big sister. She needs a horse-drawn carriage, too. Let’s wait and see if she has the same frozen expression on her face as Kate.
2. Many aristo brides do the horse-drawn carriage thing. Middletons need to pretend they belonged. For example the daughter of the duke of Northumberland. George Percy’s sister. The very same George Percy who dated Pippa and whose mother told him that Pippa wasn’t quite “wife material”. Of course these Northumberlands need to be out-done and over-triumphed! Horse-drawn carriage!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2346423/A-whirlwind-romance-Chelsy-battles-brides-billowing-dress-William-Harry-lead-Royal-party-society-wedding-year.html
Lol @Zaratustra, neither one of those things are true. Pippa and George dating was denied again and again, before the DM finally admitted they’d been ‘extrapolating’. No nookie between the Orange one and the Earl.
And Jane Percy never said Pippa wasn’t ‘wife material’. That was Alex Loudon’s Mother. Jane Percy has only ever said lovely things about Pippa. (How have I turned into the Percy archivist /apologist)?!
The Yorks never look polished. I just had to say that from those photos.
The carriage didn’t look over the top because everything else seemed lower key and unpretentious. Pippa is just extra. If the weather allows I am sure they will release a thousand white butterflies as she walks out of the church.
I would love 1000 butterflies surrounding me! I don’t want this in public, however, although I would love my children to experience this also, perhaps on some gorgeous hike somewhere or another…
but me, me, me, dancing in the wind that is in love with the mountains and meadows!
Show your daughters true awe, and they will not get sucked up into the silliness of needing to impress others. Give them experiences that feed and shake their souls with life! We are a true beauty, as females, because of our care for the young. The only reason that I would choose to be female in a man-centric world, is for this – that love between mother and child. Needing to impress is tiring, and does not add to happiness. Love pours from our veins, and that is a beauteous thing.
Stay well wolfpup, you are an inspiration. I’d rather be alone in nature than be with most people.
The Percys don’t need to borrow a carriage. That one belongs to the family.
Ah so that is why she looked so comfortable in it. It is a shame the marriage didn’t last.
No horse; no carriage. Not unless they had it waiting at the Middleton’s home. They arrived via car; left via car.
One word comes to mind: twee
This from the Telegraph – guests will be dining this evening at a five-course, black-tie dinner. I wonder if Harry is attending and bringing Markle to that?
I’m totting up the cost of the wedding, conservatively, at $1.5 million, unless whoever the bridal gown designer is gave the Middletons a huge discount just to get this much PR for his/her line.
Tackiness aside I must admit one thing though: mama and papa aren’t holding anything for this wedding. The bigger sister got a big wedding (I know she married the heir to the heir). They spent a lot of money of their own although the royals footed the main bill as it should. So it seems only fair to give this daughter also a big wedding. Yes they are social climbers etc etc BUT I like that they are giving her something grandiose. The perception was that Kate was the preferred daughter and the other two were an after thought. Maybe it was just that she needed more help in her quest to land the prince??? I wonder about the son though. I think he is a lost cause. Nobody they wish for (aristo, moneyed, titled) would want to marry him.
As for the carriage even here in my hometown for a year or two a carriage appeared. It was ugly as hell but a lot of couples had fun with that just for the photos and videos. People lost interest after that period thank God. A friend of a friend asked her future husband that ride and he told her to choose him or the carriage lol.
The resources is coming from bill Middleton Duchy taxpayers funds to help ma pa Middleton and TMW Matthews.
Make no mistake, e waste of space bill middleton lambridged the kids, Prince Harry are the excuse ,for the funding,of security – other royal entitlements famewhungry pips need! She has the paps on speed dial for every meeting, trip foot out the door . Its a miiracle the paps are always present.
The whole thing is ridiculous. No better way to highlight your humble origins than to go full Vegas for your wedding. James looks like he is seriously contemplating throwing caution to the wind and fleeing to the Highlands as soon as he can. That or fake his death and start fresh in a remote area of the world. Maybe he finally realized Carole has every intention of being a central part of their lives forever and ever.
Poor chap.
As the second sister/middle child, I am so happy for Pippa!!! She can afford it and she is marrying someone who wants her to have whatever she may want! And she seems very happy…Her family must be bonkers!
Well it has to be a horse drawn carriage because Kate had one, and Ma Middleton has always tried to treat them equally, hence the faux royal wedding. Unfortunately Ma Middletons plans for Pippa to also marry into the aristocracy failed but they can still pretend of course.
Can someone explain the signet ring thing. Why do all these posho’s wear one?
No Markle at wedding. A few possibilities:
Markle didn’t want to attend, Harry didn’t want her to attend, Middeltons didn’t invite her, Harry is not going to marry Markle, Markle is not overseas and is working, Harry is going to marry Markle but wants to keep public guessing, Harry is playing and has a wandering eye.
Well, we should have known not to trust any source that wasn’t Harry or MM or the Middletons. There was no real confirmation from any source authorized to make one.
Perhaps they are just taking it more slowly than the press would like, because it’s not such a big story that way? After all, they both probably know that him showing up with her on his arm at the church might as well be an announcement, and they aren’t ready for that? This way, they take some pressure off the relationship, because otherwise the press would be trumpeting and bellowing and designing the invitations and the dress. That kind of pressure doesn’t do any relationship any favours. So maybe they did the smart thing.
Markle was snapped at a spa in London a few days ago. Perhaps she really is just going to the reception – if she doesn’t show to that, either, perhaps she’s just there to keep him company for a few days.
We should take a lesson from this: don’t believe anything “confirmed” unless the people involved confirm it.
I thought Kate looked a frump – very matronly dress, but I did like the hat.
seesittellsit: Kate dressed like her mother, so a third mother of the bride at that wedding. And yes I agree, the hat was nice.
Sorry – meant third mother of immediate wedding party. No one has been really been focused on James’ mother.
For the record, I did like the colours Carole and Kate wore. Very nice for spring season wedding.
Re: Meghan, the Fail has confirmed that she is going to be at the reception – she apparently stayed away from the ceremony as not to steal Pippa’s limelight. Harry was apparently papped driving away from the church to pick her up to take her to the reception.
People Mag have also said she’s going to the reception, and some reporters there have reported they’ve arrived in fact. Which was what the initial reports about Meghan and this wedding all said – reception only.
One of the UK reporters said she saw her come in through the side door of the church.
well, we already knew she IS overseas. scroll up, there’s a link to photos of her papped in london on friday.
Well first photos out and no horse drawn carriage, looks like an open RR, the dress by Giles Deacon is gorgeous, I think, the ensemble is a sort of scaled down model of her sister’s with a very similar veil, and I see they gave her a tiny diamond tiara. I have to say, it’s a beautiful outfit.
Just a quick glance at HELLO but Harry seems to have arrived with his brother, I did not in the gallery see MM. Did she arrive separately?
Correx: not a Rolls, a vintage1951 Mk V Jaguar.
Wait no Pippa post?!
I know I came here expecting a Pippa post but there will be one tomorrow, pretty sure. So I’m in LA and happen to wake up around 3am and saw a live link to People’s coverage and I clicked but was so bored I turned it off. The photos I just saw were nice, nothing felt over the top but I wish they’d have the page boys were pants ffs! I thought Princess Eugenie looked great!! Her dress and shoes were super stylish!! The pocket-like flaps on Kate’s dress were frumpy but at least no coat dress!! I think Carole stole what she was going to wear lol sad no Meghan sightings, I wanted to see what she wore. I want to see what everyone wore 👗 👠
why was eugenie there? i thought the york sisters and middleton sisters had a feud.
Well…she didn’t. So much for believing The Sun (which is like believing The Enquirer FFS)
She didn’t, and I for one never thought she would. It doesn’t really sound like Pippa (not that I know her). The vintage open car – if that’s what it was, I only saw one photo – was absolutely LOVELY.
Um – Donna Air WAS there. She arrived separately as James M. escorted his mother, as Father Middleton was walking the bride down the aisle.
Her nearly ankle length dress was hideous, I thought. But the fact that she was there (despite the “no ring, no bring” rule – maybe that was a made up story by the press, too, like the horse drawn carriage and the hysteria over MM) and MM was not – what do we think that means?
Of course, they’ve been dating for four years or so. It may be that THEY are the really “about to be engaged couple” or that over four years the family just really knows and likes her.
Intriguing.
Eugenie was there with her BF, so I don’t know about the whole “no ring, no bring” thing, unless they’re engaged too.
I think that once they realised that no one was really interested in the wedding and it was ‘leaked’ that Meghan Markle was going they had to relax that for other guests. Plus they needed as many ‘celebs’ as possible to justify the ‘pap’ walk upto the church.
As i said in my post below – it was a complete and total rip off of the royal wedding but done on a budget and paid for by sponsors.
Mildred, I was surprised to see Eugenie there since the rumor that Pips and the York sisters don’t get along has been circulating for a long time. Donna Air’s presence was less of a surprise. Both women looked very nice, but there was a bit of the eccentric and the eclectic among the guests, too. Makes for an interesting people watching event.
I think no ring no bring and all the speculation about Meghan etc was made up by the tabloids for clicks. I don’t think the Middleton’s were leaking any of it. The gossip about the Midds meangirling Eugenie and Mirka is obviously a load of boolocks as well because here they both are. Pippa looked great and they look happy. Kate’s dress is ugly, I hate the colour and it needed a better bodice.
Its the first time that I know off that Donna has been seen at a Middleton family event that’s been in the press. Meghan would have been there but they made sure she was NOT photographed at all – after using her to generate press interest (plus it also believed that Harry insisted on bringing her) in the fake royal wedding. If there are any photo’s of her it will be from the reception and probably released as part of the exclusive Hello deal – they had exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ access, they were interviewing people as they arrived.
As for the wedding itself – IT WAS A COMPLETE RIP OFF OF THE ROYAL WEDDING – right down to the sporty Jag used to speed away from the church where they were papped giving the royal wave to all the peasants on the drive back to Middleton Castle.
When it comes to the battle of the dresses – Pippa wins. Giles Deacon did a far better job than Sarah Burton.
The Fail is all over it as expected but there is the usual passive aggressive snark – Amanda Patel basically called Pippa out for being trashy. And then there is the snide about how her and Waity’s dresses are almost identical.
Yes, Pippa’s dress was nice and bonus!……she didn’t wear a mosquito net over her head.
MM was not there – Harry drove all the way back to London to pick her up and take her to the reception, apparently. There are no pix of the reception, and there may never be. It is, after all, a private event. In fact, there were no pix of William and Kate’s reception, either, only them greeting guests on the receiving line, and of Kate in the “party dress” heading down the corridor to the party – but I never saw photos of the party itself.
I think they knew if MM was there, it would have looked like they were stealing Pippa thunder on her big day and simply decided discretion was the better part of valor. If that’s the case, they were right, I agree.
Chelsea Davy went to Peter and Autumn Phillips wedding (as did Kate), church and reception, if I remember – and that eventually went away. So MM going only to the reception takes the heat down and doesn’t leave the press room to scream, “She was at the church! This is it! This is it!”
Loved the dress, thought she looked great. Hope the press will leave her alone for a while now.
Okay, jimmy/dave 😉
I am LOVING the DM’s coverage of this. “The guests were dressed in an array of outfits”. As opposed to what? Fig leaves?
What a lovely dress. Hope they will leave her alone for a while.
Okay, dave.
No George Percy at Pippa’s wedding. I thought they were so “tight”…
I love weddings, no matter whose it is, so I was always going to be into this.
Love Pippa’s dress. Kate’s dress seems very 40’s to me, which seems to be in her wheelhouse. I hope Ma Middleton has something better for the reception because that was a total yawn.
Loved Pippa’s dress. Kate looked like a grandma.
Happy day, it all looks quite beautiful, especially Pippa 🙂
Am starting a count of the pre-wedding publicity pack of lies….
1 – horse drawn carriage
2 – harry bringing meg to all events, incl church
3 – no ring, no bring
what else?
The fly past??
The fly pass happened. It was one plane. The Daily Mail have a picture of it.
The fly past happened:
https://twitter.com/JournalistEmily/status/866020869801476096
Pretty much everything else, I’d guess.
I only saw a few photos, and everything looked quite lovely (except Carole’s outfit, which looked a little too flimsy, rather cheapo, though I am sure it wasn’t), including preeminently the “horse carriage”.
The one thing I did not like was that photo of the couple’s “first kiss” after exiting the church, published in the Guardian (I think) . The bridegroom – well, husband, by then – was actually looking PAST Pippa. Not a good sign. And yes, it was just one photo. I hope he loves her, and I hope she loves him.
Pippa’s dress was very nice down to the waist but I would have added a tiny bustle at the back, which would have pulled the skirt of the dress up and out a bit and made her hips look a bit bigger. As it is the dress looks as if it is too heavy for her below, as she has no hips to carry the heavy weight of the skirt part of the dress. If she was taller she might have been able to carry it off better. But she looked radiant and her make up was lovely. Yes, driving away in a sports car was another copy from Kate’s wedding. I am glad Meghan did not go to the church, she does not need the Middleton’s. I am sure she could have gone if she wanted to. Anyway Meghan HAS stolen the show in a way because loads of people who waited to watch people arriving and leaving were disappointed not to see Meghan, and it seems as though there is now even more of a desperation to see her after the build up. This Middleton wedding has been about Meghan Markle more than anything. I am now waiting to see what happens at Royal Ascot.
I wonder if the new wannabe Royal couple will be there mugging in the royal enclosure – cause you know they are ALMOST royal now.
Hated Kate’s dress. The boob flaps. UGH. It also seems to be channeling Downton Abbey. Carole overdid it with the fillers and botox, and her Walker dress is ugly. Pips dress was pretty nice, although too much lace for my liking. I liked her hair. Hopefully she will start eating again, too, now that this show is almost over.
I didn’t mind Kates dress – i could see she was going for vintage but as usual failed to pull it off. Didn’t think much of the material and yeah hated the flap things.
I liked Carole’s outfit – was better than what she wore to Kates but I see she has those same ugly skin coloured shoes that Waity loves.
One of the things i liked on Pips dress was the high neck collar – it worked with the dress and overall style and suited her. Giles Deacon did a far better job with that style of dress than Sarah Burton as lets face it the dresses were very very alike.
I wonder if we will get to see photo’s from the reception or we’ll have to wait for this weeks Hello mag?
I loved Pippa’s dress. She really looked gorgeous. And happy. I guess that was Kate’s definition of looking after the kids. She walks them up from the car then hands them to Nanny Maria who was neatly tucked inside the church.
There were plenty of pics of Kate, the kids, Carole, Oompf, Donna, and the creepy brother Spencer. I didn’t see a single picture of Jane Matthews. She is the mother of the groom. for heavens sake.
All in all, a nice spring wedding. I am sure tonight’s party will be great. Hopefully, we will see some pics of Meghan.
Total boob flaps-like a clothing version of side boob
🙂
I loved Pippa’s dress. It was similar to Kate’s wedding dress, but it was a good style for her figure, showed off all of her hard work. I didn’t like Kate’s dress, didn’t hate it, but didn’t like it. Surprisingly I liked Carole’s dress. Classic style, non fussy.
The kids were adorable!
I have to say Pippa and Moderately Wealthy James looked truly happy. I can’t wait to see any reception photos.
They looked very happy and congrats to them.
Re: her dress, while it looked at lot like Waity’s its almost identical to Nicky Hiltons (saw this comparison on another website):
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=nicky+hilton+wedding+dress&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8wvSvvv_TAhUnLMAKHW9pCIcQ_AUICigB&biw=1224&bih=564#imgrc=_
Very similar! I like Pippa’s better. Nicky’s looks sloppy, or like it doesn’t quite fit, Pippa’s fits like a glove.
I remember being disappointed in Nicky’s dress. All of that money and the dress looked like it was off the rack.
Betti, thanks for the link. Pippa did look great. Her dress fit like a 🥊. Just enormous Botox to soften up the crows feet and a hint of lip plumper softened up the smile. Mazel Tov
Did anyone else find it funny that the link with Nicky’s dress also compared it to other famous brides? I actually thought Pippa’s was far better constructed, but there’s only so much originality you’ll get with a lace wedding dress.
Pippa looked really good the best I’ve ever seen her …I just thought she looked a bit too tanned but aside from that pretty gorgeous.
I really liked Kate’s 40s style dress too, but not a fan of Carole’s. That was rather dull..
The most interesting thing about the wedding is seeing how many of the previous articles were fake.
Lovely dress on Pippa. Everything else was quite tasteful too though they definitely tried to copy the Royal Wedding, down to a mini-tiara ;). I think that Kate made a deliberate effort not to upstage her sister, hence the mother of the bride dress (apparently, it’s Alexander McQueen). Pipster looks happy and much younger looking, without her usual ghastly tan and eyeliner. I’m dying to see what Meghan wore to the reception – apparently, Harry drove back to London after the wedding to fetch her for the reception. It’s kind of sweet, William never did anything like this for Kate.
@Sixer, FT…LOL! You sound a typical mumsnet user. It is always about you,Minor, Major and non-sense.
So pretty much everything that was written in the lead up to this wedding was fake? I’m glad the Darling of Toronto wasn’t at the ceremony, that would have just overshadowed the bride on her big day. Pippa looked very nice. All the photos of Kate shepherding the kids…where was William? You’re a parent too, baldy.
I wouldn’t call Markle the “Darling of Toronto” sincerely.
If you stopped most people DT Toronto, to ask, she is not on their radar and most never heard of her. Additionally, she is not from Toronto. I thought it interesting how Markle made the big jump from American D actress to assoc of Mulroneys. It likely occurred from social set connections of cuisine plus certain modelling echelon plus Toronto film festival and ET Canada connections, plus the intl work in charity.
It didn’t happen overnight. Markle worked hard.