Guess what, not everyone's a princess

If everyone were a princess, the royal wedding wouldn't cause such hubbub. So don't get caught up in the royal wedding fever and completely homogenize your wedding. Or, worse yet, try to make it look like a royal wedding if that's not your style. You'll just look dumb.

Ok, maybe I should say I'm not here to be snarky. I'm just worried. Don't get me wrong, I thought the Royal Wedding was beautiful. And yes, I was one of these west coast nuts who got up at the butt-crack of dawn to watch it. And, you know what? I'm glad I did. I even cried. Though, like I said on Twitter, I cry at every wedding. Shoot, I cry when brides share their engagements stories. I'm a freaking cry-baby, full stop.

And, I'll admit, the royal wedding was fascinating (as was the Twitter and TV coverage.) Kate's dress was gorgeous, very Grace Kelly-esque. Her small Lilly of the Valley bouquet, elegant and understated. Westminster Abby was grand and truly regal, and the carriage ride a classic "fairytale" detail.

This is all fine and dandy for the royals. It's appropriate. The long train, the handmaid attending to it, the horse-drawn carriage, it all fits. But what about for us mere mortals? I'll tell you right now. We commoners look ridiculous when we go over the top with that level of pomp and circumstance, especially if you're broke as a joke. I cringe to think of the DIY princess project that will percolate through the InterWed. Listen, not everyone needs to get married in a huge cathedral, be pulled about in a horse-drawn carriage, have a reception at a palace, or wear a freaking tiara.

My greatest fear is all those sweet, highly personal, funky hipster and whimsical weddings are going to fall by the wayside to be replaced by dumbed-down, homogenized, replicas of The Royal Wedding. Consider all the the hippy dippy weddings of the seventies. They all but vanished after Charles and Diana's wedding. I just get sick in the stomach thinking that the wedding industry will mindlessly fall back on copy-catting the royal wedding, especially the wedding professional who cater to the so-called high-end bride, and her princess-for-a-day dreams. Blat.

Still, I remain conflicted. I'm a live-and-let-live kinda girl. On the one hand, I think Kate and Will's wedding was gorgeous. I was thrilled to see the long-sleeved gown (though realized that I was watching a paradigm shift in the wedding fashion world that would leave my own strapless gown woefully out-of-date.) I was enthralled by the elegance of the ceremony. And I am thrilled that millions of people are finding such joy and inspiration fromWill and Kate's wedding. 

On the other hand, I want to issue a rally cry to all brides, vendors, and bridal parties out there. The wedding industry has come so far in the past decade. The internet has fostered an unprecedented level of creativity and the diversity among ceremony and reception styles. It's been a breath of fresh air. Don't freaking ruin it! Keep the faith! Trust in yourself and make your wedding the most meaningful and personal that you can. If you've always dreamed of a horse-drawn carriage ride, fine. By all means, do it. But if you've never considered such a think before Kate and Will's wedding, don't just jump on the band wagon because you think it's something you should do.

And consider this.  I couldn't help but think through out the ceremony: I wonder how much input Kate had during the wedding planning process. Did she choose her own gown? Were there royal rules to consider? For example, do all royal brides have to were sleeves? And who planned the reception? The Queen likely. I'm willing to bet the Queen's not to keen on funky photo booths and bocce ball on the lawn. I'm sure Will and Kate's reception will follow a royal-wedding-reception formula. While such a situation works for some, it doesn't work for all, nor should it.

So I'll issue my rally cry once more: Brides, attendants, wedding professionals don't give up the beautiful diversity and creativity that we've cultivated in this industry for a homogenized royal-wedding formula. Pretty Pleeeeeeese!!!

First image from Fashion Wire; all other images from the Huffington Post.