48 MAY 2017
and father of the bride,and I imagineshe will
probably be accompanied by her son, James.”
Pippa will be walked up the aisle by her father,
Michael Middleton, who was praised for his calm
demeanour when he escorted Kate to the High
Altar at Westminster Abbey. “Both Carole
and Michael have been a lot more
hands-on with Pippa’s wedding and they
are far more relaxed this time round,
understandably,” says a family friend.
“They are really looking forward to
Pippa’s wedding day, not least because it’s
their turn to shine and show off what they do best.”
After the ceremony, cars will take guests back
to the Middletons’ $9.6 million heritage-listed
family home, Bucklebury Manor, just outside the
Berkshire village of Bucklebury, where the wedding
dinner and party will take place in a grand purpose-
built marquee. Big enough to serve guests a lavish
four-course meal, the marquee will be transformed
into a nightclub later in the evening.
Although they run a multi-million-dollar online
children’s party business, the Middletons have
called in the formal-event experts for Pippa’s big
day. As well as Table Talk, The Admirable Crichton,
which holds a royal warrant and caters for Prince
Charles, is said to be in charge of the food.
“It’s a chance for the Middletons to show off
their daughter and their beautiful family home,
and also to do what they love best, which is
entertaining,” says a family friend.
“They have hired plenty of help, including
caterers and event organisers, to oversee all the
food, which will be simple and very English,
and the marquee is rather special.
“Pippa has overseen all the details, from the
lighting to the flowers. She loves to dance and
there will be a band and a DJ, and she wants
the party to go on late into the night.”
According to Lady Elizabeth, home weddings
are the preferred choice for England’s upperABOVE, FROM LEFT: Parents of the bride, Carole and Michael; the bride and sister Kate; Bucklebury Manor; th
engaged couple and the ring worth an estimated $411,000. BELOW: The bridesmaid dress that made Pippa a s
that they want to keep it private.
Of course, the couple will want their day to be
memorable and Pippa has consulted her sister
Kate, herself a keen photographer, on which
photographer to hire, while Lavender Green
Flowers, based in chic London suburb
Chelsea, has been commissioned to do
the springtime bouquets.
While she had a number of possible
wedding venues, including Scotland,
where the Matthews family has an estate,
and the Caribbean island of St Barts,
where the family owns a resort, Pippa was keen
to get married in her local church. The ceremony
will be conducted by the parish vicar Reverend
Nick Wynne-Jones, who says the church is big
enough for 350 guests.
The service at St Mark’s Church Englefield,
where the Middletons, together with the
Cambridges, worshipped on Christmas morning,
will be traditional and at least two pews in the
12th-century church have been reserved for the
Cambridges’ security. A team of at least six
protection officers will accompany the royals
to the church, which will have been swept
before the ceremony.
According to the Queen’s cousin, Lady
Elizabeth Anson, whose company Party Planners
helped organise the royal wedding in 2011, the
security will be thorough but unobtrusive. “Royal
protocol is to sweep the church two hours before
the wedding and after that the doors will be locked
down until just before the ceremony,” she says.
“The protection officers will accompany the
Cambridges, but they are trained to be discreet.”
When it comes to arrivals, there is also a strict
protocol when the royal family is in attendance.
“The royals should be the last guests to arrive
after the bridegroom’s family,” explains Lady
Elizabeth. “Mrs Middleton should be the last
person to arrive at the church before the bride
“ Pippa has
overseen all
the details. ”
he
star.PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES, ALAMY, REX FEATURES AND SPLASH NEWS.