To catch the entire wedding in our corner of the world required a sleep adjustment that was very much embraced by many on this side of the Atlantic, and fascination with the royal nuptials has been especially present in the television programming where even reality programming on subjects such as pawn shops featured a royal theme, competing with docudramas and accountings of the royal family, especially from the point of the last royal wedding between Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Unlike the UK, the United States chooses their leader in an exercise of democracy and therefore do not have a royal family that grows with the population, so the concept is distant yet romantic. The idea that a commoner is swept off her feet and married by a handsome prince is fodder for dreams pondered by every little girl who was raised on similar plotlines in childhood stories read to them to lull them to sleep. So universal is this fantasy that it is hardly a wonder that over two billion people the world over were expected to be watching, rapt in fascination and eager for drinking in every detail.

There are some who are rebelling by declaring their disinterest for whatever reason, but regardless of personal opinion one cannot escape the inevitable and large influence the details of this wedding will have on hair, beauty and fashion. What we have seen today will be, without a doubt, a cultural influence that will affect many aspects of fashion much in the same way it has done previously.

When Diana wed Prince Charles in 1981, her cropped and layered hairstyle was immediately copied, as was the puffy Victorian mutton sleeves that were translated into day blouses, and brides everywhere sought wedding gowns that mimicked the fairytale quality her gown projected. Her style influenced high street fashions for young women hungry to imitate her look in a manner similar to what we are seeing with Kate Middleton (or we should now say Princess Catherine) today.

Copies of the blue Issa dress worn for the engagement flew off the shelves, and when she wore a Burberry trench in October last year it sold out in hours. With this much influence you can rest assured that her wedding look will be copied as quickly as Diana’s was, with the same excitement that taps into the streak of fantasy anyone craves when a romantic and powerful element of childhood comes to play in real life.

Some elements from the ceremony are certainly going to inspire upcoming ceremonies, such as the Edwardian placement of foliage indoors (those trees were simple yet magical) as décor. Others are a new twist, like the bridesmaids wearing white. The children were adorable in Nikki Macfarlane dresses utilizing the same fabric as that of Catherine’s wedding gown. Her sister, Pippa, looked breathless in her McQueen bridesmaid dress that is sure to inspire brides-to-be looking for streamlined modern simplicity. Her beauty in that dress nearly eclipsed the bride, but ultimately Catherine was the star and her gown, as well as the designer she chose, lived up to the public’s hopes and expectations.

Many wished Catherine would have chosen Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen to design the dress, and speculation turned into expectation when Ms. Burton did her best to disguise her arrival at the Goring Hotel yesterday, but we could tell it was her. Perhaps it was the shoes, or the body language, but everyone who saw her try to sneak in just knew, and was even more excited to see what was to come down the aisle on that wedding day.

The design of Catherine’s gown was similar to another trendsetter making the step into royalty: Princess Grace of Monaco. Whereas Catherine’s was more modern with a v-neckline, the appliqué lace over a sweetheart bodice was similar, as was the way she enchanted the crowd with her beauty as did Princess Grace in a storybook wedding where true love radiated. The simplicity of the skirt was similar as well. The gown embodied the clean esthetic that fits Catherine’s sensibility in an executed elegance that Sarah Burton put forth in design. At once it was classic and modern, traditional and historic in the way the skirt portion folded into itself as would a medieval gown.  Topped with an heirloom Cartier tiara loaned by HRH Elizabeth II, she epitomized understated elegance befitting the family she was marrying into.

With the romance and fantasy such storybook weddings emote, the image of this dress is sure to sweep into imaginations of every hopeful bride as this gown will set the trend in weddings as did before by Princess Grace and Princess Diana, with v-necks, lace sleeves and simplicity sure to be most requested details. And Pippa’s dress, with its lean lines, cowl neckline and capped sleeves, are sure to be a close second.

While it is true that the Royal Court will be taking the reins regarding what Catherine will be wearing in the future, she will, with her refined elegance, be a fashion influence for years to come and a smart manufacturer and designer will keep an eye on her as will the public keen on emulating her effortless implementation of modern sophistication.

Congratulations to them both as I’m sure we all wish them a long and happy marriage.