The world watched with bated breath as Kate Middleton wed Prince William on April 29, 2011. Six years later, her sister Pippa Middleton walked down the aisle to her very own Prince Charming, James Matthews, in a traditional ceremony on May 20, 2017.
The two sisters may look alike and also be married to notable Brits, but their weddings were pretty different when you look at the nuts and bolts of their big days. We're breaking down Kate's Royal Wedding vs. the Royal-Ish Wedding by the numbers...
Ceremony Location: Both sisters had church weddings, however, Pippa's wedding was in the country, at St. Mark's Church in Berkshire, England. It was about 50 miles outside of London. Meanwhile, Kate's wedding was in the heart of London at Westminster Abbey.
Size of the Guest List: Around 300 guests were at Pippa and James' wedding. As for the royal wedding, there were 1,900 on the guest list.
Grooms: Pippa married James Matthews, a British former professional racing driver, hedge fund manager, and heir to the Scottish title of Laird of Glen Affric. Kate married William Mountbatten-Windsor, heir to the throne of England.
The Dress: Pippa donned a custom-made, lace Giles Deacon design, which reportedly cost $52K, according to The Sun. For her day, Kate wore a sleek gown by Alexander McQueen, which cost more than $400K.
The Wedding Reception: Pippa's wedding reception was a nighttime gathering of 300 family and friends at the Middleton's country estate. There were several speeches and an aerial show by a spitfire plane. At Kate's there were two: A lunch-time reception at Buckingham Palace for 650 guests hosted by the Queen for the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Then there was a night time one, in which there were fireworks, a live band led by the pop star Ellie Goulding, and the Palace’s magnificent Throne Room was transformed into a "massive nightclub" Only the couple's inner circle, 300 people, were invited to that bash, hosted by the Prince of Wales.
Wedding Cakes: Pippa's wedding cake by Domino Purchase Cakes, cost in the region of $3,000. On the other hand, Kate and William's cakes for their two receptions reportedly cost $80K, according to ABC News.
The Flowers: The Mirror believes the cost of Pippa's wedding flowers wes around $20K. The total cost estimate for the flowers for the royal wedding was about $800K.
Scope: The New York Times estimated that 3 billion people watched the royal wedding on TV. Only around 100 guests watched on as Pippa and James wed.
Total Cost: Initial estimates, via wedding planning site Bridebook, put the cost for Pippa's big day is $343K. But The Sun is now reporting that the wedding ran over $900k. Other outlets are estimating the wedding cost over $ 1 million. That may sound like a lot, but compared to the royal wedding not so much. The overall cost of the royal wedding was reportedly around $26 million.