Friday, April 29, 2011

My wedding hats






I promised a post with photos of my hats, so here they are. I bought them from www.nyfashionhats.com, so it was a real feat of trust that they would look as good on my head as they did online because there's no brick and mortar store. But Mia at NY Fashion Hats in Bainbridge NY gave me great advice over the phone; we chatted for over an hour and she helped me winnow down my selections; and by the time we hung up, I felt like we were already old friends.


I wore the black hat on Wednesday in front of Buckingham Palace and was interviewed by an Italian TV journalist (it pays to dress well!). She was surprised to find out that she'd snagged a royalty expert. When I gave her my card after the interview, she indicated that she'd heard of me ... several of my books have been translated into Italian.



The mood on the Mall was like one giant block party -- with half a million of your closest friends.


Here I am with Melanie (English) and Cavell (Scots), who broke out the pink champagne after William and Catherine said their vows. I was standing diagonally opposite Clarence House. The wedding ceremony was broadcast on speakers and people sang along with the hymns (when they sang "Jerusalem," I became all choked up. It was the favorite hymn of my dear friend Patrick Tull, an actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company, fellow Player, and Lord Nelson aficionado. Needless to say, I became all teary during the vows as well. I always cry at weddings (except for my own, where I was beaming throughout the ceremony).










I wore my turquoise hat to the royal wedding -- along with my late paternal grandmother's antique garnet necklace. Her family was English (she said that long after her father emigrated to the States he referred to George VI as "our king"), and she would have wanted to be here today.





Here's my wedding suit -- it's a similar color to Carole Middleton's!

9 comments:

Passages to the Past said...

You look marvelous Leslie! So glad you are enjoying yourself and I love the hats!!

I was up early to watch the wedding on TV and it was amazing! I have never seen a more beautiful bride and her dress was to die for!

Unknown said...

Leslie I was thinking about you this morning as I caught some of the coverage before work! I can just imagine you are having a great time. I was happy that I got to see the bulk of the wedding before heading out.

Lizzie said...

Leslie, OMG lovely lovely, you look like you had so much fun today. I wonder I bet the palace is rocking with a party right now. It is so nice to see you smiling!

Lucy said...

This is so wonderful Leslie!! You lucky girl you! You look great in your hats- very regal and so fitting for the grand occasion. Enjoy:) Can't wait to read and see more!

Leslie Carroll said...

I love sharing these moments with my die hard hsitorical fiction blogger goddesses!! You ladies rock. I added the photo of me in my wedding suit (not to be confused with a birthday suit, tee-hee) today. It's a very pale robin's egg blue-turquoise.

I loved Kate's dress (it was so "her"), although I'm not a big fan of lace in general. But it was absolutely perfect for her and for the occasion. Pure understated elegance and every stitch filled with meaning. I utterly adored Pippa's dress!

elena maria vidal said...

I love your hats, Leslie! So glad you got to be there for such a spectacular occasion! I so enjoyed the wedding and thought everything was lovely!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you got to go to London for the wedding! An exciting time for royal watchers. And I love your hats!

Leslie Carroll said...

It was really a magical occasion. There was such a celebratory mood, not just on the Mall on the wedding day, but for the days preceding the wedding, with hardcore royal watchers coming from all over the world and pitching tent cities along the Mall and across from Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey to secure the best views of the processions.

I thought Kate's dress was sort of Arthurian, but with a 21st c. sensibility. Camelot returns to the English monarchy? There does seem to be a general hope for a renaissance of dignity and something altogether new -- humility - with this lovely couple; young enough to breathe fresh air into the musty palace walls, but mature enough to have pragmatic heads on their shoulders.

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