CMRUBINWORLDAUTHOR - KATE MIDDLETON

17th February 2011

KATE MIDDLETON - TO DRESS A PRINCESS

Alice Pleasance Liddell

THE REAL ALICE IN WONDERLAND MARRIED AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY By C.M. Rubin and Theresa Blake

On April 29, 2011, Westminster Abbey will be the setting for the most anticipated wedding of the year — the Royal Wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and Kate (Catherine) Middleton. To honor the event, author C.M. Rubin and designer Theresa Blake have joined forces to bring you a series of stories which focus on wedding dresses worn by famous Royal Princesses and Queens over the centuries that continue to inspire wedding dress designers and brides to this day. Who knows? Perhaps one of these historic royal gowns has already inspired the best kept secret for April 29, 2011 — what will Princess-to-be Kate Middleton be wearing?

Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this place in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day.
The Abbey houses a treasure of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artifacts. Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in Great Britain’s history have been buried, including perhaps the most popular Royal princess of all time, Princess Diana, whose funeral took place at the Abbey on September 6, 1997. Westminster Abbey has been the Royal coronation church since 1066, and is the final resting place of seventeen British monarchs.

Alice Pleasance Liddell (the real Alice in Wonderland) was married in Westminster Abbey on September 15, 1880. Other famous weddings at the Abbey include those of Princess Elizabeth II (later Queen Elizabeth II), Princess Margaret (daughter of George VI), Princess Anne (daughter of Queen Elizabeth II), and Princess Alexandra of Kent. Princess-to-be Kate Middleton will join this celebrated list on April 29, 2011.

C. M. Rubin and Theresa Blake met when they collaborated on a reproduction of the design of the original wedding dress worn by Alice Pleasance Liddell at her wedding in 1880 to Reginal Hargreaves in the Abbey. An illustration of Alice Liddell’s dress was featured in the bestselling book, The Real Alice In Wonderland, by C. M. Rubin and Gabriella Rubin.

Theresa Blake trained at Wimbledon School of Art in period costume design. After helping to design magnificent gowns for major bridal and couture houses in the UK, she formed her own company, Rossetti Couture. Today, Rossetti Couture designs period wedding gowns inspired by historical princesses and theatrical costumes for individuals and prestigious entertainment companies around the world.

C. M. (Catherine) Rubin designs many of her own clothes and is also the author of three best-selling, award winning books, including The Real Alice In Wonderland.