Kate Middleton looked absolutely stunning as she walked down the aisle in her Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen custom-wedding gown. Blogs have speculating for some time now that her dress would include long sleeves and even though it made me nervous at first, I feel like this look works for Kate.

Kate also did her own makeup for the big event herself after taking learning a few lessons from makeup artist Arabella Preston. I’m not sure if I could ever trust myself with doing my own makeup for the wedding day, but that is a ballsy move. How did she make it look it so flawless?! I am loving the subtle smoky eyes and the nude lip color.

The dress is made from hand-cut English lace, French Chantilly lace, and ivory and white satin gazar. The lace appliques were handmade by the Royal School of Needlework using a technique called Carrickmacross that originated in Ireland in the 1820s. The lace workers washed their hands every 30 minutes and replaced their needles every three hours to ensure that the lace remained pure white. The flowers designs in the lace are of actual flowers: rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.

If you thought Kate Middleton looked curvier than usual, you’d be correct. The silhouette featured padding at the hips, as a reference to traditional Victorian corsetry as well as a signature of the most dramatic McQueen looks. 58 gazar and organza covered buttons ran up the back of the dress, no wonder Middleton needed help getting dressed this morning.

On top Middleton wore a tiara belonging to the Queen herself. The Cartier “halo” tiara was made in 1936 and given to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday as a gift from her mother. Middleton’s veil is made of ivory silk tulle – nothing too heavy when she’s got to show off a vintage Cartier tiara.

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