What Me & Karina Smirnoff Have in Common

Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with her amazing dancing skills or incredible body or mile-long legs...seriously, very unfortunate.

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What we do have in common is our wedding date. The professional dancer announced today that she will be getting married on January 21, 2012. 

It's a strange thing, to all of a sudden see your special date plastered all over the 'web as someone else's special date. It's even stranger to see that date knowing it is in the near future...because we know celebs don't typically have long engagements; they have the money and teams to make weddings happen what seems to be overnight. But, as the article says, there is just over seven months to go. While our weddings could not be more opposite: mine in cold Colorado, hers in warm Mexico; my dress simple and fun, her dress big and extravagant...and of course the obvious things like extraordinary food and famous guests, I know have a famous wedding twin.

Oh, and I've talked about my girl crush on the new Duchess of Wales, Kate Middleton...so it's only fitting that I mention that I happened to purchase my dress on the day of her wedding, you know while we are talking about having things in common with famous peeps. It was actually really fun to go try on my dress and talk about the Princess' wedding dress with my bridal consultant, just hours after the most televised wedding e.v.e.r. Good luck? Sure, lets go with it.

Royal Results

I did it, I got up at 1:45 am on Friday morning and watched the Royal Wedding. I slept for about an hour and half in between...about half way through their vows and woke up just in time to see the first kiss on the balcony:

{First Kiss!}

I teared up when Prince William & Prince Harry arrived at the Westminster Abbey:

{Princes in Uniform}

I was filled with excitement when Kate stepped out of the Goring hotel and made her way to the church, waving at all the spectators:

{What a ride!}

I teared up again when the Princess-to-be was waiting to walk to the long aisle to her groom:

{Ready for the aisle}

I laughed when Prince Harry turned around to catch a glimpse and whispered to Prince William "Wait until you see her!". And my heart melted when Prince William told his bride she looked beautiful:

{Beautiful Bride}

My royal predictions were wayyyyy off. Kate went very traditional for the celebration. Her gown was incredibly gorgeous and I love that she took a bit of a risk with her deep V-neckline. Her flower bouquet was so minimal, it was almost non-existent. Her bride maids dress was incredible- but I guess it helps that Pippa is stunning. I'm still not sure what kind of shoes she wore, but being that she went so traditional in every other aspect, I'm guessing she did not wear colored shoes.

{Stunning Dresses!}

I thought the wedding was spectacular and I'm so glad I woke up and was sleep deprived for the rest of the day Friday, just to see the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge be wed:

{The Newlyweds}

Happily Ever After.

** All images via People.com and their Royal Wedding Coverage **

Royal Predictions

In my last post I divulged my crush on Kate Middleton...the woman is going to make a stunnnnnning (did I put enough 'n's in there?!) bride. My inbox has been flooding all week with Royal pictures and the blogging Bees have been making their Royal Predictions, so just for fun, I thought I would make some guesses.

The Dress:
Kate is a fashion icon in the making, I am very envious of her style. I think she will not go the extremely poofy a la' Princess Di route, but will pick something very romantic and classic, definitely accentuating her teeny tiny waist. The rumor mill has been filled with potential designers, but I think Kate will surprise everyone and choose an up-and-comer. I imagine something like this:

{image via aliexpress.com}

The Bridesmaid Dress:

As I understand, she will only have one bridesmaid, her sister, but will have some other children in the party, much like Diana did. I'm torn here; I go back and forth between two colors.
Bold royal blue dress:

{image via weddingnuance.com}

Soft romantic blush dress:

{image via weddingbycolor.com}

I think besides the color she picks, I think the style will mimic her own dress. Be it structured, or flowy, or (unlikely) form fitting.

The Groom:
The Prince and his brother, Harry will obviously be wearing his military garbs, cause even she can't resist her man in uniform:

{image via princeharry.co.uk}

The Flowers:
I predict she will go soft and romantic. Not sure how well this goes with my blue BM dress though...

{image via branchesfloral.blogspot.com}

The Accessories:
I don't think Kate will wear a tiara, it's too expected and traditional for her. I believe she will wear her hair half up/half down with a big beautiful bloom, perhaps a peony or rose to match her bouquet. She is a country girl and this could be her nod to that upbringing.

I think she will sport some of the ridiculously gorgeous jewels she has access to, but they won't be over the top. I think she will focus on pieces that blend with her breathtaking ring.

As much as I'd like to think she would rock a funky hat or birdcage veil, tradition will get the better of her and she'll wear a Cathedral length veil that trails a few feet behind her. Nothing quite as dramatic as Princess Di.

She wears a lot of heels, so I'm thinking she will rock a heel. Maybe in color, but I kind of doubt it. I think they will be classic pumps in a champagne color; but to make them interesting they will be sparkly!

The Cake:
It will be grand...I'm guessing 7 layers. Decorated in blooms to match her bouquet. And I don't even know what a fruit cake is, but it will be that. I also read somewhere that Prince William wants a cookie cake, so that will be included.

{image via preparetowed.com}

The Ceremony:
I'm going with 67 minutes.


I can't wait to see how (in)accurate my predictions are. On the countdown to 1 AM!

Royal Thoughts

The Royal Wedding is plastered everywhere, and I for one, could not be more excited. And yes I will be getting up in the middle of the night to watch the celebrations. It is after all, The Super Bowl time 1,000 PLUS CROWNS. To quote my favorite middle-class mom, Frankie, from The Middle.

{Frankie displaying her Royal souvenirs}

I was born exactly a year after Princess Di's wedding and even though I wasn't even alive yet, I can instantly picture her dress, her train, the carriage. I can only imagine the impact the current Royal wedding will have on today's and future brides.





I love that Royal Weddings are not kept a secret and are instead celebrated for the public to see. We know about them well in advance and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people gather to watch as they have their FIRST KISS upon the balcony. I cannot imagine being there, amongst the crowd and feeling the energy, at the exact moment. I get chills watching it on the tube in my home far far away from London. I'm not gonna lie, I wish I was in London right now!



It's only fitting that I'm obsessed with the Royal Wedding since I obviously have something in common with the future princess...what's that? It's not clear what our commonality is? Oh, well we are both brides to be. Meh, it's a far stretch but I'll take it. Wedding brain takes over when you are engaged and the word venue and cake and flowers have never had so much meaning, and I hope that even for a princess-to-be it's the same. So when you can follow someone who is in a similar situation and in such a spotlight, it's like you instantly can relate to her...kind of. I don't have Royal Jewels at my disposal and I'm not marrying an actual prince, but nonetheless, we're both still brides.

I think Kate is gorgeous. She radiates confidence, she's effortlessly beautiful. Her style is to die for. Her smile is contagious. And her hair? I.want.it. I clearly have a girl crush on the woman. Who doesn't:

{Kate Middleton, announcing Engagement}

My mom read somewhere that this Royal Wedding is going to cost sixty million dollars. Obviously Kate knows what she's getting into, she's been dating the prince for years...but I can't help but wonder if she would like more control of her wedding. For her wedding to reflect more of her down-to-earth background. There are certain expectations and rituals you must do, as I understand, when you marry into Royalty and marry in the Westminster Abbey. She won't be showing off her shoulders in the modern sweetheart neckline gown. She will more than likely be wearing a lonnng veil, no birdcage for her. Then I wonder, has she even read wedding blogs? Is she aware of these trends in the wedding world? While she's marrying into Royalty and becoming a princess, is her wedding day about her & Prince William or the Monarchy's traditions? She's a commoner and from the countryside, and while it is easy to say "How lucky for her to have the wedding of her dreams", I wonder if it is really the wedding of her dreams. That's a whole lot of wondering, coming from my realist side.

My envious side? I imagine the team of hair stylists and makeup artists that are going to be tending to her on the morning of her wedding? The dress fit custom to her, with details she specified. The photography is going to incredible. And the food will be nothing short of five-star. And I'd imagine she hasn't stressed much about it, as it's all done by the folks who work for the Royal Family. Or maybe she has, maybe even the Royalist of brides still worries about her wedding day. She is after all, doing this in front of the world to see.

Every bride will be the center of their own wedding, but can you just imagine riding in your carriage down 'The Mall' with all those people yelling you & your new husbands name and waving flags in your honor. So much for a sparkler exit, when you have this, heh?

{The Mall on Princess Diana & Prince Charles' Wedding Day}

I haven't always been up on the Royal history and Monarchy, but thanks to TLC I have gotten my knowledge over this last week and I think that Kate & William have what it takes to brave the Royal world. My expert opinion, ha!

Cheers to the beautifully Royal couple.

{Engagement Picture}