Kate Middleton and her Royal Wedding has been the icon to emulate for the past year, but Priscilla Chan may be rocking a new trend toward simple and inexpensive. What a breath of spring, unadulterated air. The bride chose, reports ABC News, a dress that cost less that her new husband makes in an hour. But wait a minute—are celeb-watchers so jaded they think of a just-under $5,000 wedding gown as cheap? Off the internet, is more the point. It's all relative, and the rest is in the details. Choices abound.
The differences are huge, between the fairytale 
princess and the pediatrician and her billionaire. Normal-person brides can choose to go either way, of course, but money, time, and attitude often make the call. Kate Middleton's fabulous gown was "bespoke", as the British call it—custom designed for her by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen and fitted personally to her body. Priscilla Chan's also-exquisite dress was bought online, from designer Claire Pettibone was available online, with options. She bought and had it fitted under a fake name. (Pettibone found out when she saw wedding pictures online.) The point? Both were beautiful. Both were perfect. A bride can go either way.
Kate Middleton chose her sister and a group of children as attendants. Priscilla chose—in a gesture sure to be emulated—her dog!
Kate Middleton's wedding had hundreds of guests at a series of elegant parties, with palace-engineered food. The only touch of sentiment appeared to be a favorite cake from the prince's own childhood. Priscilla Chan chose food from favorite restaurants, including a comic dessert the bride and groom had shared on their first date. They ordered it all delivered, for about a hundred surprised friends, in their own back year. Sweet! Natural! Perfect!
Brides this year have a lot of iconic options, and Kate Middleton and Patricia Chan have laid them out nicely. Simply pick and choose. Fancy or funky, elaborate or plain. Odds are the wedding that will not be emulated this year was the extravaganza Kim Kardashian put on.
© Cindy Kroiss – Gather Inc. 2012
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