Fashion designer Elizabeth Emanuel, who created Princess Diana’s iconic wedding dress, has urged her sons William and Harry to put the gown on public display.
Emanuel worked on the gown alongside her husband and co-designer, David, in the months prior to the wedding, which was held on 29 July 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Its 25ft train and 10,000 hand-sewn pearls made it the most famous wedding dress in the world.
After Diana’s youngest son, Harry, celebrated his 30th birthday last month, he and older brother William inherited the gown in accordance with their late mother’s wishes.
The designer has now asked the royal princes to put the garment in a permanent exhibition at Kensington Palace in central London, which was Diana’s city home and now home to the next generation of royals.
Emanuel told The Daily Mail newspaper: “I’m hoping and assuming that it will go on display at Kensington Palace, as so many people want to see the dress. It’s ridiculous that the Diana dress was not in the recent V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) exhibition Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 (in London). They had to make do with a video instead.”
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The wedding dress and other items that were on display at the Althorp Estate (Diana’s family estate) have just been returned to the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. It is too early to say what the long-term plans will be for the wedding dress.”
Prior to the princes inheriting the gown, it was exhibited at Althorp, the family’s Northamptonshire estate, for two months each year and was then taken on an American tour called Diana: A Celebration, which showcased the bridal gown and 28 of Diana’s designer dresses.
Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash in Paris, France in 1997.
The stereotypical man dreams about his wedding like he dreams about his first prostate exam: He’s not sure when it’s going to happen, but he knows that when the time comes, he won’t be able to avoid it. When pressed about what they envision, plenty of guys do come up with some variation on “pass,” “I’ll let her plan it,” or “I haven’t really thought about it.” Some men, however — including gay men who have only recently gained access to expensive cakes, cringe-inducing vows, and embarrassing toasts — have very particular feelings about exactly which foods and drugs should be on offer. Here, 12 men on their dreams for the big day.
The men would be dressed as clowns and standing on stilts.
“I’d just want it to be fun. I’d fly everyone I know to Bali for a weeklong party. The wedding would be on the last day in a church. I’d rent out an entire hotel. There’d be activities like Jet Skis, sailboats, fishing, paddleboards. Wild horses and 100-year-old Galápagos tortoises would roam the beach. The Blue Angels would fly in heart formations and drop money from the sky. Every night there would be a bonfire with a different cultural theme and some kind of performance from that culture. Seven different groups, one from each continent. I’d give everyone a GoPro camera to film all week long and an editor would cut all the GoPro footage into a film we’d watch at the end of the week. For the ceremony, the men would be dressed as clowns and standing on stilts. All the women are in old-fashioned carriages like from Cinderella. And then fireworks. And go-karts. I forgot about go-karts.” —Lance, 31, Comedian, Straight
“What I’ve thought about is what I’d want it not to be. Conceivably, my parents could find a reason to invite every Jew in the world, but I don’t want people there I don’t know. Maybe a grand total of 30, so that everyone who’s there is meaningful. Despite my atheism, I would want my dad, who is a cantor, to officiate in some nonreligious but culturally relevant way. I’d want to wear something that was perhaps a little bit vintage and is a tad out of the ordinary. Not a regular wedding suit, maybe something repurposed out of something else. I love the idea of a community of friends bringing what they are to it, like a pot luck of talent. A live rock-‘n’-soul karaoke band. If I could have the impossible, I’d dig up Sam Cooke and he could do whatever he wanted. I’m not going to tell Sam Cooke what to do. I’d find some old barn and turn it into a weekend celebration. Maybe we sleep there. The food would be sublime and delicious, farm-to-table. Green beans that knock you out.” —Jack, 40, Teacher, Straight
There will be no chicken dance.
“It’d probably be at the Players Club in Manhattan because it’s cozy and old school, and there’s a pool table. Surrounded by friends and family and not too many of them. I’d have a friend be the officiant. I’d have one hour of dancing that included every style of dance, and I’d make the playlist. There might be the hokey pokey, there might not, but there will be no chicken dance. The ceremony is brief but moving and funny. I don’t care about the food except there has to be mashed potatoes and gravy. Maybe we watch some TV clips of The Dick Van Dyke Show or Green Acres. Maybe a montage of famous TV weddings during the ceremony. We’d play games such as running charades. There’d be card games at all the tables. I would want my friends who are musicians to play. And then I could get up and sing. I’d hire Don Rickles to do a set. We’d end up at my apartment where there would be mattresses laid down for everyone to crash on. When we wake up, we have an amazing but minimal breakfast. Then we do MDMA and get massages.” —Danny, 52, Writer, Gay
I’d wear a really great Marc Jacobs leather sandal.
“When I was in high school, I pictured a large wedding, like Vanity Fair’s Oscars party, but now I want a small intimate affair, so it feels like being inside a warm loving embrace. I love water, the beach calms me, so I would have close friends and select family members join us in Maldives, Africa. I’d wear a really great Marc Jacobs leather sandal, and a taupe or khaki suit with turquoise accents in my pocket square or tie to reflect the colors in the water. There would be a string section playing classical music during the ceremony. Afterward, we’d have a delicious six-course meal but there’d be pie with compote instead of cake. I would love it if everyone at the wedding spoke about me and my husband and told stories, and then we’d speak about ourselves and everyone at the table. We’d dance all night, mostly to hip-hop, with a strong emphasis on Biggie.” —Jason, 40, Actor, Gay
Any wedding is doomed if they don’t have shrimp cocktail.
“I really love the beach and the waves. Maybe the officiant comes in riding a dolphin. I like looking sharp but with some informality to it: white linen suit, no shoes. Would be brilliant to have a brass band from New Orleans play a funeral dirge during the ceremony as I’m taking the stand. I just want good food and an open bar with high-quality tequila. I’ve always thought that any wedding is doomed if they don’t have shrimp cocktail in the reception. No coconut on my wedding cake. I’d like my wedding to be like the end of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, where every character from the movie is at Pee-wee’s movie premiere, congratulating him. I’d want everyone from every chapter of my life to be there.” —Andy, 40, Writer, Straight
Nobody has their cell phones.
“I like the baptismal symbology that comes along with water, like you’re going through a threshold, so my dream wedding would be on a private island. Everyone I know and love is there for a week. Nobody has their cell phones, nobody is planning on leaving early, everyone is just there, undistracted and connecting. The wedding would be in the middle of the week so you’d have a few days leading up and a few days decompressing. During the week, people can hike, play volleyball, dance, and have big group dinners where we’re all enjoying each other’s company. It’d be awesome to have Michael Franti, and Spearhead, and Sean Hayes play a couple sets. I would say formal/barefoot attire, nice looking but with flair. The vows would invoke the idea that uniting makes us freer in some way. Then a big party with DJs. I love “ecstatic dance,” where everyone expresses their own individual movement to bring more joy into their lives. And no alcohol.” —Jim, 40, Executive Coach, Straight
A chuppah to keep the grandparents happy.
“I would lead a small band of 10 to 12 guests and a rabbi up a hill outside the town of Lugano in Switzerland. I’d bring a token glass to step on and there’d be a chuppah to keep the grandparents happy. A brief ten-minute ceremony on a hilltop and then everyone would go back down the hill to eat tortellini, drink beer, and dance to schmaltzy late-’60s music like Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, and Abba. I’d play a Sade cover on a Spanish guitar to fulfill my dream of playing in an Italian restaurant. And at the end of the night my wife and I would have sex in a quaint boutique hotel.” —Jeff, 41, Musician, Straight
I’d want there to be an alleyway so she and I could sneak off to smoke some pot.
“I’d want to do it in NYC at a really nice place like the Players Club or the Rainbow Room or a penthouse with a ton of people. I think it’d be fun to take the subway. Ease is the main thing — the closest thing to normal life as possible. It would not be formal. People can wear T-shirts and jeans. My bride could wear whatever she wanted. I would probably wear a suit. I’d go with a DJ that would play songs my wife and I picked. A round of hors d’oeuvre of fried chicken, sushi, and other finger foods. Soul food as the main course. A friend would marry us. There’d be drinking. I’d want there to be an alleyway so she and I could sneak off to smoke some pot. Probably have my brothers as my best men. Probably get a hotel that night. And we’d walk down the aisle to ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ by the Beatles. Nah, that’s not a real wedding song.” —Julian, 42, Music Producer, Straight
When Grandma goes home then we know we’ve had a full night.
“Being Greek, we’re probably looking at about 500 people and 100 lambs. I’d fly everyone over to Greece. It would be outdoors on one of the islands, probably Crete, and it would be in the fall, ’cause I sweat a lot and I don’t want to sweat my ass off. I would mandate that everyone show up three days early to partake in activities together so that everyone gets to know each other. Get people mixed together in nature, beauty, and adventure, like going out in the fields to collect fruit for the wedding, or a scavenger hunt. You get to explore the country and interact with Greek people. The ceremony would be symbolic but quick. There’d be all sorts of meats, cheeses, fruits, and breads so you taste different Greek foods. Hip-hop and Greek music. My family would bust out their instruments and play bouzoukis. I’d probably request that my friends take a few Greek dance lessons. We’d dance all night. In Greek families even Grandma is still up at 2 or 3 a.m. When Grandma goes home then we know we’ve had a full night.” —Nick, 38, Real Estate Developer, Straight
I would love to have Sara Bareilles perform.
“I’ve always envisioned it being in the fall, being rustic, in the mountains or a country setting. Maybe a castle in the English countryside where everyone could stay. I grew up in a very rural area and when I think about comfort those are the things I think about — not so much about how big or small, or glamorous, it is, but just having the people I love and care about celebrating with me and my husband. Open bar all the way, lots of Champagne; I would love to have Sara Bareilles or Florence and the Machine perform. I would want what they have at Quaker weddings where guests stand and give anecdotal stories or well wishes for the wedding couple And then we’d eat Italian food.” —Brandon, 42, Social Worker, Gay
We would dip each other in butterscotch pudding.
“Everyone would be in costumes in some kind of tribute to the gods. We would dip each other in butterscotch pudding and partake in Turkish oil wrestling. I’d like to jump off a platform into water and there’d be a dolphin in the water. There might be an Esther Williams routine involved. Somewhere in the water there’s a costume change and the three of us — because I’d be marrying two men — would rise out of the water on a platform wearing armor. There’d be some fireworks. And then an enormous talking Hercules statue would say something about love. There’d be ecstasy, and you don’t have to take it, but it would be available. A mixture of music would start during cocktail hour and then escalate as everyone’s ecstasy kicks in. Maybe this would be in Mykonos on a cliff, in a ruined temple. It would transcend the millennium. We’d dance until dawn and then have a feast the next day. Goats and pigs and whatever.” —David, 50, Real Estate Developer, Gay
I’d play music all night.
“I’m imagining a destination like Charleston, New Orleans, Santa Barbara, Martha’s Vineyard, Tuscany, the Caribbean. We have very nice, comfortable hotel accommodations. All of our travel arrangements are taken care of by someone else. Most important, it’s a nice big party overflowing with happy festive people dressed their best, full of joy — for music, love, and life itself. I’d play music all night and I can see everyone from the stage, dancing, smiling, laughing, kissing, and hugging. I’m surrounded by people I love, making music I love, singing with all my heart. If the woman I love can somehow be by my side and share this feeling with me, then that would be my dream wedding.”
The trial of a vicar accused of presiding over a ‘conveyer belt’ of sham marriages between people who never met has collapsed.
The judge accused immigration officers of lying under oath, and of “serious misconduct” including the concealing of evidence.
According to Channel 4 News, the Home Office has revealed that three immigration officers have now been suspended. Upon being questioned in the witness box, “it emerged that evidence had been tampered with or concealed, possibly destroyed, video footage had gone missing, and an investigation log had been doctored.”
Judge Nic Madge therefore stopped the trial. “”I am satisfied that officers at the heart of this prosecution have deliberately concealed important evidence and lied on oath,” he said.
“The bad faith and misconduct started in 2011 when two of the principal defendants were arrested and has continued throughout the course of this trial.
“In my judgment, it has tainted the whole case. It has tainted the prosecution against all seven defendants. It is a case in which the prosecution should not be allowed to benefit from the serious misbehaviour of the officer in the case or the disclosure officer.”
Seven defendants, including Rev Nathan Ntege, were therefore formerly acquitted of being involved in marriages set up purposefully to bypass UK immigration laws.
The marriages were alleged to have been between illegal immigrants and EU nationals with the right to live in the UK.
Attention was drawn to the church when weddings increased from six a year to six a day. On one occasion, nine weddings were booking in a single day; couples apparently queued up to say their vows and some brides even shared the same wedding gown.
Ntege, who is originally from Uganda, is said to have conducted 482 marriage ceremonies over a 15-month period at St Jude’s and St Aidan’s in Thornton Heath, south London.
He was also facing a fraud charge for the £69,498 of marriage fees he allegedly failed to pay the Diocese of Southwark.
Downtown Edgartown was Wedding Central at 1 pm on Saturday afternoon. A group of nervous-looking groomsmen were clustered in front of St. Elizabeth’s Church. Crews were setting up tables under the tent at the Daniel Fisher House. Main Street was crowded with bands of perfectly turned-out couples, the ladies skittering along the bricks in high heels toward the Old Whaling Church and the Harbor View Hotel.
However, Becca Hamilton and Jeff LaMarche’s wedding last Saturday was the Island Wedding of the Year.
The Reverend Canon Robert Edmunds administered the vow.
That’s saying a lot because the Island has 400 or more weddings a year and wedding mags rate Martha’s Vineyard nationally as a top-five wedding venue. Many of the nuptials are elaborate six-figure affairs starring the rich and famous.
But a true Island wedding is a different animal. For starters, one of the prospective spouses has to be an Islander. On Saturday, that would have been Becca Hamilton and Jeffrey LaMarche, both born and raised in Edgartown.
For another, the best Island weddings are planned with a sense of unexpected whimsy, a dash of practicality, and a generous dollop of community participation — a mirror of everyday life here.
Tony Peak led the wedding procession with his bagpipe.
Here’s why the LaMarches get the mythical though coveted Wedding of The Year designation. These two free spirits, both captains on the Chappaquiddick Ferry, got married where they work, aboard the On Time II at Memorial Wharf in Edgartown in front of God, guests, startled fishermen, a few dozen delighted tourists and passersby, and those aboard a couple of passing boats that idled in the channel for a gull’s-eye view of the proceedings.
Several hundred men, women, and children. More than you could fit in the Old Whaling Church. Most of them going crazy with cellphone cameras. At this writing, the World Wide Web from here to Peoria is likely groaning under the weight of wedding photos being uploaded. It was that special.
And the men wore kilts, left to right: Chappy Ferry owner Peter Wells, Tom Sullivan, Rick Hamilton, Matt McKenzie, Sam McKenzie, and piper Tony Peak.
Another piece of the whimsy was provided by Becca’s dad, Rick Hamilton, a man dedicated to his Scots ancestry. He had appealed to all and sundry to wear kilts if they had ‘em. About a half-dozen men including Tom Sullivan and Matt McKenzie and one tyke, Sam McKenzie, came in their clan tartans.
Promptly at 2 pm, bagpiper Tony Peak (“mostly American mongrel, with a touch of Scots”) led the wedding party, pipes skirling, aboard the On Time II to begin a 200-foot voyage to the harbor-facing front of Memorial Wharf. The wedding couple did not pilot the On Time. That was handled by ferry owner Peter Wells, himself dressed in full clan regalia.
Once the On Time II was snugged at the wharf, and after several nonplussed anglers had reeled in, the wedding party completed a stately walk to the wheelhouse where The Reverend Canon Robert Edmunds, in formal cassock (black with red piping and accents), delivered the wedding instructions and administered the vows. The bride was kissed to a roar of applause, pictures were taken, then Capt. Wells sounded the horn and brought the On Time II back to port.
Mr. Peak led the wedding party away from the dock through a gathering crowd drawn by his pipes to the wedding party procession heading toward Main Street and the wedding reception at Atria restaurant.
The bride wore a full-length ivory champagne gown with small pearls at the bodice and a shimmer of delicate sequins. The gown had a short train, a good decision, considering that footing and clean decks can be tricky on ferries. The bridesmaids wore midnight blue knee-length dresses, suitable for reuse, perhaps at a Holly Ball this holiday season. The groom and groomsmen wore buff-colored suits. The wedding party completed their ensembles with fire-engine red sunglasses. Island chic, baby.
On Monday afternoon, Becca and Jeff took a few minutes to review their wedding day with The Times. “We’re kind of shy in general and we were nervous and a little embarrassed by all the people who came,” Becca said.
“I told myself that all these people came because they love us. When I got real nervous I could look at the people and see someone close to me, like my Grandma.
“So many people helped us, Winnetu, Atria, Peter (Wells) and Jay (Gruner). Atria was fantastic and very generous. Benito’s (Oak Bluffs hair salon) even gave Jeff a trim and cleanup — he was looking a little Duck Dynasty a week ago. Your Market provided champagne. We are lucky people.”
The community aspect of this wedding was apparent in the manner in which people and businesses showed up for a couple of kids who worked hard to scrape together a down payment on a house and were strapped for wedding funds. For example, Jason Gruner, a Chappy resident, stood next to his gleaming Jaguar at Memorial wharf, dressed in a chauffeur cap and white gloves. Mr. Gruner, his wife, Lisa, and two-year old daughter, Ella, would drive the couple to the to the Winnetu Resort following the reception for a night in the wedding suite, courtesy of owner Mark Snider and his staff.
The Gruners had worked mightily on the event because they like the couple and because of a strong bond cemented two years ago. “Ella decided to be born in the middle of the night two years ago, long after the ferry stopped running,” Ms. Gruner explained. “We called for an emergency run and Jeff showed up to take us to the mainland.”
The couple’s offbeat wedding plan drew rave reviews from onlookers. The best testimony about an Island wedding must be pronounced by Islanders. Delia and Chris Gibson, Oak Bluffs natives, were at Memorial Wharf with their two grandkids — Alishay, 5, and Rhemel, 2 — to do some last-day Derby fishing in the Edgartown Harbor channel that often attracts bonito and false albacore.
The kids were enthralled with the bagpipes and the wedding pageantry and color. “This is great,” Ms. Gibson said. “We’re lucky to have been here today. The kids love the bagpipes and the colorful clothes and I have never seen a wedding aboard a ferry before.”
The Bachelorette stars Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried are finally actually getting married, and they’re sharing some scoop with fans. Desiree and Chris had previously indicated that they hoped to get married in January 2015, and now they’re confirming it is official. Unfortunately, it also seems official that it won’t be televised for fans.
Desiree tweeted that it’s been an incredible journey with the love of her life and that she can’t wait to marry him. She then linked to an Instagram post that shares a quick video of the two throughout their courtship and engagement. At the end, it has a “Save the Date” shot confirming that Desiree and Chris will marry in January. The video didn’t specify an exact date, however.
Hartsock has designed her two wedding gowns, and she told Bridal Guide that they are a combination of romance and glamour. While Desiree told the site that she would think it would be fun to let fans get an inside look at the reception, and be a part of the event, it seems the plans just didn’t come together.
Though the network hasn’t confirmed anything, sources recently indicated that The Bachelorette wedding definitely wouldn’t be televised. Supposedly even Andi Dorfman and Josh Murray’s wedding, should it happen, may go on without cameras as well.
Desiree and Chris’ fans are definitely bummed that they won’t get to go along for the ride. That said, surely there will be lots of updates shared via social media, and perhaps a spread of some sort will pop up on one of the bridal sites.
Hartsock shares that she is focusing on a romantic palette for her wedding, but there are fun components incorporated as well. She plans to have a milkshake bar and a baseball cake topper, both for Chris’ sake.
What comes after the wedding? It seems that The Bachelorette couple definitely plans to stay in Seattle, and they aim to have “a kid or two and definitely a puppy or two” within the next few years.
For his part, Chris hasn’t shared anything specific about the big wedding lately. He did tweet a tease that the countdown is beginning, or perhaps already began, and many suspect that was indeed wedding related. However, it doesn’t give fans much to work with.
Will Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried share more about their The Bachelorette wedding before the big day? Fans will have to stay tuned for more details, but at least now they know Desiree and Chris have set a firm date and it’s only a matter of weeks away.
