Planners expect royals to set the wedding style for many
Ted Daniels will watch on two networks. Tasha Bracken plans to take copious notes. And Anna Nieman, as soon as she sees the dress, will sew a replica.
The royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton is the subject of endless public fascination, with more than 2 billion viewers projected to tune into Friday’s event.
But wedding planners are taking the obsession to new heights as they prepare to face legions of lovebirds (a.k.a. commoners) looking to emulate the lavish affair. For them, this is the most significant wedding in decades, and it’s expected to leave a lasting impression on the industry the way Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s ceremony did a generation ago. (Think big, puffy sleeves and uberlong trains.)
“We haven’t seen anything like this since Princess Diana, and this wedding will likely have more influence because Kate is much more of a fashion icon than Diana was at her wedding,’’ said Bracken, a Newton wedding planner who runs SD Events.
She has transformed her studio into a royal staging ground. On Friday, in the store’s bay windows, Bracken helped hoist a mannequin draped in a royal-inspired gown made of silk faille with a fabric-sculpted rose and a chapel-length train. In another window, three table settings featured blue-gray tones with silver and gold accents — reportedly the color scheme for part of the royal reception. Bracken also has printed out a dinner menu with ideas on what the couple may serve, such as a cottage pie filled with succulent ground beef and a rum-soaked fruit cake.
Bracken, a beacon of organization, has created an Excel spreadsheet so she can easily enter notes on how Middleton arrives (fancy carriage or stretch limo?), the design of the cake, the choice of flowers, the selection of music, the presentation of food, the look of the royal program, and the introduction of any new customs. And she’ll do it in the wee hours at her studio fueled by scones and tea. (Many stations are beginning live coverage Friday at 4 a.m.)
“We’ll watch it live and look at the big details first — like the dress and the cake,’’ Bracken said. “And we’ll have the whole thing taped so we can go back and scrutinize more closely. Truly no detail will be small.’’
Nieman, a bridal designer, plans to create a replica of Middleton’s gown as soon as the bride debuts the dress. Nieman will make a mad dash to the fabric store Friday morning and then head to her workshop to begin the production. She intends to sew nonstop over the weekend until the gown is complete and displayed in the window of her Brookline boutique.
“There’s just such excitement around this event and people are so interested. People will want to have the same dress,’’ Nieman said. “To me, it’s like a competition.’’
The plan for most wedding professionals is to catch every moment of the daylong festivities — the service at Westminster Abbey, the kiss on the balcony, the carriage procession, the reception at Buckingham Palace, and everything in between. Many specifics of the celebration are shrouded in secrecy, but one public detail has caught the attention of wedding planners: a groom’s cake at the reception. It’s a chocolate biscuit confection made from a royal family recipe that was requested by Prince William.
To get in the mood, Daniels, a wedding specialist at Westin Copley Place, watched on the cable channel TLC last night a replay of the 1981 wedding of Prince William’s parents. That ceremony attracted about 750 million viewers, and Diana’s taffeta gown influenced bridal fashion for more than a decade.
“It was a grand wedding, but there was not as much hype without the Internet back then and the nonstop coverage like we have now,’’ said Daniels, who recalled watching the event three decades ago as a student at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. “Now, they have their own royal wedding website.’’
On Friday, Daniels will wake up at 3:45 a.m. to see the next generation’s nuptials. He will watch one network live with a pen and paper in hand, and record another channel to ensure he gets different angles. Nothing is too trivial — not even the embellishments on the napkins.
“What Kate and William do for the wedding will be copied or new ideas will come from what they did for years to come,’’ Daniels said.
Middleton’s sapphire-and- diamond engagement ring is sparking sales across the Atlantic. Craig Rottenberg, Long’s Jewelers president, said his chain has seen an uptick in demand for similar engagement rings.
“It’s a halo effect,’’ Rottenberg said. “The royal family is a family that is synonymous with credibility, luxury, and tradition.’’
Alison Scheier, who is getting married in June, said she plans to watch the royal couple on Friday and will “certainly be taking note of what they do.’’
Scheier, 27, of Boston, admitted that as a child she had hoped to marry Prince William one day — she has no regrets.
“While I am thrilled for Kate Middleton,’’ Scheier said, “I’m very happy to not have the entire world watching my wedding day.’’
Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com. 
