Updated May 19, 2017, 2 p.m. PT: Fam, we are less than 24 hours away from the social event of the English summer calendar: Pippa Middleton‘s wedding! She’s all set to tie the knot with her hedge fund manager significant other, James Matthews, and we’re about to find out whether all the rumors we’ve been hearing about the big day (feel free to review them all below) have been true.
But before that actually happens, we have a few more rumored wedding details to throw into the mix. ABC is reporting in the hours leading up to the ceremony that those in attendance will be mostly the younger, hipper royal crew, like William and Kate and Prince Harry and (reportedly/hopefully) his soon-to-be fiancée Meghan Markle.
The guest list is rounded out with other young, hip celebrities, including, apparently, a bunch of unnamed reality TV stars, according to ABC.
But that means that some of the royal family won’t be attending, including Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. There’s no word on whether they were even invited. Another face we shouldn’t expect to see? Queen Elizabeth II, who palace officials say will not be there.
Why isn’t the queen attending? We have no idea. Maybe because Pippa doesn’t want her wedding to be a circus of media and security personnel (as if it won’t be already). Maybe the aging queen just doesn’t want one more social event to add to her calendar. The world may never know.
Updated May 15, 2017, 8:30 a.m. PT: Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews is only one week away, so obviously, we can hardly contain our excitement. Good thing there’s plenty of new info about the event hitting the headlines to keep our obsession fed until the big day actually arrives.
In today’s news, we now know how Middleton is preparing for her I dos — she’s in bridal boot camp. E! News reports that she has a customized three-month membership at Grace Belgravia, a super-swanky health club in London. According to the site, the bridal package offered by the club includes a personal trainer, skin care and leg toning treatments, plus yoga, Pilates, spinning, cardio training, dance and meditation classes and home delivery of personalized healthy meals.
“Pippa has met with her PT about five times a week and mostly sticks to cardio and Pilates,” a source told E!. “She feels amazing. Her diet is the healthiest ever — she hasn’t even had a glass of wine in months. She’s had facial treatments sometimes once a week or once a fortnight.”
Meanwhile, it’s been revealed that Prince Harry’s GF, Meghan Markle, finally scored a formal invitation to the wedding, which bucks the “no ring, no bring” royal tradition that says weddings are for married and engaged folks only. Our theory? She and Prince Harry are already engaged, but waiting to make their announcement because they don’t want to steal Middleton’s wedding thunder. We’ll be watching them like hawks in case they slip up and give us some hard evidence that they’re next to tie the knot.
Updated May 9, 2017, 9:11 a.m. PT: As if there weren’t enough excitement surrounding this impending wedding, we are now learning some juicy details about the cost of Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews.
It would appear that this wedding is set to break even the most well-endowed coffers. Thanks to the sleuthing skills of Marie Claire and the wedding-planning app Bridebook, we now know that Middleton’s wedding costs are going to soar. To be fair, these are all estimates and official figures have yet to be confirmed from anyone associated with Middleton’s wedding-planning group, but if these numbers are anywhere near the actual price, Marie Claire believes her wedding could cost up to 15 times the average cost: £246,949 or $318,888 USD. Whoa.
Her dress is reportedly estimated to cost around £10,000 (that’s roughly $13,000 USD); the bridesmaids dresses, of which there are typically three in a U.K. ceremony, are estimated to cost around £2,250 (that’s around $2,900 USD); the wedding rings for Middleton and Matthews are reportedly from Cartier and could collectively set the couple back £19,900 (or close to $26,000 USD). Those are just the essentials, though.
Never mind the costs associated with the venue and the logistics of the ceremony. The actual wedding venue, which will be the Middleton family home complete with dry- and wet-weather conditions, could cost up to £65,000 ($84,100 USD) to prepare. Combined, catering and floristry are estimated at £86,000 ($111,240 USD). For music, entertainers and videography, combined costs could hit the £12,250 ($15,850 USD) mark. This is merely a fraction of the cost, but if you tally up the figures I’ve just listed out, we’re already looking at around £195,400, or $252,750 USD.
The kicker, though, is the estimated cost for Matthews to get transported to this dream wedding: nothing. Marie Claire seems to think that since Matthews is a former racecar driver, he’ll have access to a sweet luxury car that can act as his transportation. Nice to see they’re going to cut costs in some fashion.
Updated May 8, 2017, 9:43 a.m. PT: With wedding bells less than two months away for Pippa Middleton and banker James Matthews, the world waits with bated breath to see how the nuptials of Duchess Kate’s adored sister will unfold. The latest news about Middleton’s wedding is sure to pique public interest even more — Prince Harry’s girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has reportedly snagged herself an official invitation to the full ceremony.
This is a big deal for the couple for a few reasons. For starters, the big day has long been rumored to be governed by a “no ring, no bring” rule. This unofficial rule states one must be engaged to or married to a person on the guest list to bring a plus one. However, the soon-to-be-wed couple did extend an invite to Markle to attend the evening party after the ceremony on May 20, suggesting she is quickly becoming an important part of Middleton’s social circle. Now that Middleton has made an exception for Markle and is giving her the green light to attend the actual ceremony with Prince Harry, does that mean another royal wedding is in the near future?
A source allegedly close to the cute couple told Us Weekly that Prince Harry has every intention of marrying his Suits star girlfriend and even plans to propose by their first anniversary. “They will be engaged by the end of summer,” the source claimed, adding that the two have “spoken candidly about their future” and “see a life together.”
When royal duties beckon, after all, one must be available to answer the call.
Updated April 24, 2017, 9:00 a.m. PT: Over in the U.K., the Daily Mail is reporting that Pippa Middleton’s wedding could be crashed by locals looking for some royal-tinged excitement. Middleton’s upcoming nuptials to banker James Matthews will certainly offer locals the opportunity to attend and spot a famous face or two. Thanks to a rule from the Church of England, locals can attend celebrity weddings if the church is their actual local church. I mean, how cool is that?
OK, as cool as that is, here’s the thing: This funny little detail opens up the floodgates on who can actually attend the Middleton-Matthews wedding, potentially paving the way for the most prim English turf war ever. There are conflicting opinions on whether locals will actually be allowed in. According to a local official, “It’s a rather nice thought that they might be able to attend. I’m sure there will be interest.”
However, those involved with planning the Middleton-Matthews wedding appear ready to ban local peeping Tom’s should they threaten to derail the carefully planned ceremony with their average people nonsense. As reported by the Daily Mail, a spokesman for the Englefield Estate where the reception is being held has commented that “the church would be ‘restricted for security reasons’. The wedding is a private family event. I can confirm that all pedestrian and vehicle routes to Englefield House will be closed on May 20th, and access to the church will be restricted for reasons of safety and security.”
It looks like we should grab some popcorn and get ready to watch as the most prim and polite wedding crasher-prevention plan gets put into action.
Original story:
Call it royal wedding-adjacent: Pippa Middleton’s nuptials to James Matthews are the most anticipated since her sister Kate said her vows six years ago. We’ve got the deets on Pippa’s dress, her venue, her guest list, her wedding party and even what kind of champagne will be flowing.
Princess Charlotte will be very involved
Multiple sites are reporting that Princess Charlotte, who turns two next month, will be one of Pippa’s bridesmaids. Still no word on whether she took part in the booze-fueled hen party Kate and Pippa threw on the slopes of the French Alps.
Her gown will be very different from Kate’s
Pippa has none of the restrictions Kate had to deal with when searching for her perfect gown: She doesn’t have to look the part of demure virginal princess, for example, nor does the fate of the entire British fashion industry rest on her (possibly) lace-covered shoulders. Designer Giles Deacon was spotted at Pippa’s house with armfuls of dresses last November, and his Instagram feed is full of clues about the shape her gown may be taking, based on his other designs. It remains to be seen whether Pippa’s butt will be the focus of this dress, as it was at her sister’s wedding.
More:Kate Middleton Is Planning Pippa a Pretty Stellar Hen Party
Her venue is a bit smaller than Westminster Abbey
Pippa’s ceremony will be held on May 20 at St. Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshire — a modest little country church close to her parents’ house, where her reception will be held. It’s a lovely venue, and the ceremony definitely will not be broadcast to nearly every country in the world. While Kate invited nearly 2,000 guests to her nuptials, Pippa is thought to be nipping her guest list to a “mere” 400.
Kate won’t be her matron of honor
It’s a bit surprising, since Pippa and Kate are like peas and carrots, but Kate probably won’t stand up for her sister at the wedding like Pippa did at the royal wedding. Reason? Kate doesn’t want to steal the show the way Pippa’s butt did on her own special day. “Kate would upstage her sister,” royal expert Judy Wade told People. “If your sister is a future queen, she is going to upstage the bride and draw attention. Kate would want to be in the background as much as possible.”
Kate may join their brother James for a reading, though, and we’re still holding our breath for George as a ring bearer or Charlotte as a flower girl!
More:Pippa Middleton Says Yes to Her Own Prince Charming
Bottles will be popped — lots of them
No red cups here, and you can forget the modern boho farm vibe while you’re at it.
“It will be blingtastic,” a source close to the couple told The Mirror. “The best champagne, Krug or Bollinger, and a specially devised champagne cocktail. Pippa and James have a penchant for Blanc de Noir Tillington 2009 from Nyetimber at £75 a bottle — and wonderful food. No expense will be spared. This isn’t a bangers-and-mash, sitting-on-hay-bales affair. Pippa is hardly a floaty bohemian type.”
Only a little less than two months to go until those wedding bells ring! We can’t wait to see the pics!
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