Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Royal Wedding Day Photos capturing the best moments

Twenty of the best moments at Kate Middleton and Prince William‘s wedding shook the whole world. Now let’s look back to more than ten years ago.

The world watched as Kate Middleton and Prince William tied the knot on April 29, 2011, and later became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Kate and William exchanged vows in front of family members, including The Queen, Prince Philip, and Prince Charles, with Prince Harry serving as the maid of honor and Pippa Middleton serving as the best man.

So let’s go back to that crucial day in April 2011, the day of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding. The dress reveals the couple’s kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony at Kate Middleton’s wedding. We’re reliving all of our favorite moments. It’s hard to think that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been married for eight years, but if you read through the pictures below, it will seem like yesterday when you got up early to turn on the TV to see them exchange vows.

The Celebrity Guests

Between 8:15 and 9:45 a.m. London time, guests—including the couple’s college friends, Prince William’s air force buddies, and celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham, Elton John, Guy Ritchie (who went stag), and Joss Stone—arrived dressed to the nines in their finest suits, gowns, and, of course, fascinators.

The Arrivals 

Prince William Arrives

At 10:10 a.m, the groom arrived on time and went inside Westminster Abbey to wait for his bride.

The Queen Arrives

Queen Elizabeth II wore a butter yellow dress and coat by Angela Kelly to her grandson’s nuptials.

The Best Man and Bridal Party

As Prince William’s best man, Prince Harry rode along with some of the smaller wedding party members while donning the traditional Blues and Royals attire. Will’s goddaughter Grace van Cutsem, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s granddaughter Eliza Lopes, his cousin Lady Louise Windsor, and his second cousin Margarita Armstrong-Jones served as the mini bridesmaids. They all wore Nicki MacFarlane-designed custom white satin gazar dresses with pale gold sashes. Pageboys included Billy Lowther-Pinkerton, son of Will’s secretary, and Tom Pettifer, godson of Prince William.

The Bride’s Grand Entrance

Kate Middleton rode to the ceremony with her father in a vintage Rolls-Royce and was excited to reveal her ivory and white satin gazar Alexander McQueen ball gown designed by Sarah Burton. The bride carried a small, shield-shaped wired bouquet of myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, Sweet William, and hyacinth designed by Shane Connolly.

Pippa Middleton

Pippa, Kate’s younger sister, was maid of honor and wore a cowl-necked ivory crepe gown with a satin foundation that Sarah Burton created for Alexander McQueen. She paid particular care to the bride’s train, which was just about nine feet long like any good MOH should.

The Ceremony

The first time Prince William saw Kate in her wedding dress was made even more memorable by the fact that he was facing the crowd, as is customary in Britain when his wife went down the aisle.

Learn more about: 4 reasons why Kate Middleton Wedding Dress So Expensive

The Music

Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry’s song “I Was Glad” played as Kate made her way down the aisle. The Westminster Abbey Choir, the Chapel Royal Choir, the London Chamber Orchestra, and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force all contributed to the concert with a number of pieces, including Gerald Finzi’s “Romance for String Orchestra Op. 11,” Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Greensleeves,” and Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry’s “March from The Birds.”

The Vows

Three people officiated the ceremony:

• The Bishop of London delivered the speech.
• The Archbishop of Canterbury oversaw the vows.
• The Dean of Westminster led the service.

Traditional vows were exchanged by Kate and Will, although Kate did not make a commitment to “obey” her new husband. The pair promised to “love, comfort, honor, and keep” one another instead.

The Recessional

When Kate and Will retreated to the song Crown Imperial by William Walton, which was also performed during Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ 1981 wedding, the ceremony ended at 12:15 p.m.

The Carriage Procession

In classic Cinderella style, the newlyweds then rode in the same carriage—a 1902 State Landau originally built for the coronation of Edward VII—that the groom’s parents had used to travel to Buckingham Palace following their wedding.

The Bridal Beauty Details

Half-updo and the Queen’s loaned Cartier halo tiara was Kate’s hairstyles, both done by James Pryce of the Richard Ward Salon. Kate’s parents gave her a pair of diamond earrings by Robinson Pelham. The bride also decided to do her own makeup after taking numerous private sessions from London cosmetics expert Arabella Preston.

Buckingham Palace Balcony

The newlyweds continued a tradition started by Charles and Diana by sharing a public kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1:25 p.m. Before the pair kissed again (much to the pleasure of onlookers! ), Royal Air Force jets soared overhead. The couple then went back inside for a buffet-style wedding breakfast provided by the Queen for 600 guests.

The kiss(es)

The couple’s tiny displeased flower girl, Grace van Cutsem, was the only one who appeared dissatisfied with the PDA despite the audience’s thunderous shouts.

JU5T WED

The newlyweds left their first celebration in an Aston Martin that was adorned with bows, ribbons, balloons, and a license plate that said “JU5T WED.”

Their Getaway

The two would have some quiet at Clarence House before the evening function, so William drove the short distance there.

The Evening Reception

Kate Middleton switched out her classic Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress for a more refined satin ensemble by the same designer for the evening event hosted by Prince Charles.

The Wedding Cakes

British cake artist Fiona Cairns created a multi-tiered classic fruitcake for the official royal wedding cake. Each layer of the cake included a distinctive flower motif, and the cake was embellished with the couple’s new cypher. Along with Sweet William, lilies of the valley, and acorns, there were also depictions of the English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh daffodil, and Irish shamrock.

There was also a chocolate biscuit cake available. The groom’s childhood favorite, the cake, was manufactured by the McVitie’s biscuit firm and included 1,700 McVitie’s Rich Tea biscuits and 35 pounds of chocolate.