Not since Lady Diana Spencer prepared to step out of her glass coach at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981 had there been so much anticipation about a wedding dress.

While there had been ample speculation surrounding what and who Kate Middleton would be wearing on the big day - with names including Amanda Wakeley, Alice Temperley and Stella McCartney thrown about - the riddle of the dress remained unsolved until the last moment.

We caught a glimpse of the gown as the bride drove away from the luxurious Goring hotel, where she spent her last night as a single woman. We saw the plunging neckline and a flash of the long lace sleeves as she waved to the tens of thousands of people lining the streets of London to wish her well.

But it was not until the bride emerged from the vintage Rolls Royce and on to the red carpet outside Westminster Abbey that we saw the dress in its full glory.

The ivory and white satin skirt fell to the ground, contouring her hips and cinching in at her tiny waist. The Carrickmacross lace covered her arms, back and shoulders in an elegant and understated fashion, yet the dress - which we learnt was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen - plunged revealingly low at the chest.

She wore a simple one-layer silk tulle veil, topped with a resplendent antique Cartier tiara, lent to her for the occasion by the Queen, simple diamond drop earrings, and with her hair falling on to her shoulders in soft, styled curls.

No wonder Prince William’s first words to her as she joined him at the altar were: “You look beautiful.”

His words were echoed by the crowds outside, the media commentators and the millions of people watching the event around the world.

Hannah Phillips, 22, travelled from Austin, Texas, to be among the crowds to watch the procession. 'It was amazing, beautiful, magical. Kate's dress was lovely,' she said.

UK resident Michaela Coutakis, 45, dressed herself in a Union Jack to enjoy the day. 'Kate’s dress was very classy - she looked absolutely stunning,' she said.

The newly titled Duchess of Cambridge looked every inch the modern-day fairytale princess, but there were fewer parallels with her predecessor Diana, Princess of Wales than perhaps expected.

Her dress featured the same traditional lace as Diana’s, yet the similarities ended there.

While the late princess’s meek presence was stifled and swaddled by metres of material and an unfeasibly long train, Kate’s train was less than three metres, and glided gracefully behind her as she made her way down the aisle, arm in arm with her beaming father, followed by five bridesmaids and two page boys.

In fact, it was to another princess that she drew the most comparisons. With its long lace sleeves and fuller skirt, Sarah Burton’s creation was reminiscent of the young Grace Kelly’s gown, at her 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco.

'Obviously the whole thing is a nod to Grace Kelly,” commented Jenny Swire, fashion director at Wedding magazine.

“I remember being interviewed a few months ago and what I described as what I thought it was going to be was pretty much what she was wearing.

'I said it would be quite minimalist without too much beading or crystals and she would have to be covered up somehow, possibly with a lace overlay of sleeves or a shrug.

'She does wear that plunging neckline quite often, that 'V', so she knows it suits her.”

Harriet Quick, fashion features director at Vogue, also saw the parallel.

She said: “It is absolutely beautiful and very restrained and quite modest in many ways. It has lots of echoes of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress.

“It’s incredibly grown up, it’s timeless, so I think it shows a very smart choice, one which suits her, but it’s incredibly respectful for her as the commoner joining the Royal Family.”

Ms Quick added that it would not be long before the implications of Kate’s choice of dress are visible in the fashion industry.

She said: “That lovely slender silhouette on top and the long lace sleeves will echo through in many different ways, from party wear to bridal fashion and I think we’ll see that impact as soon as retailers can get their versions out there, which, with today’s whizz-bang technology and speed of manufacturing, will be pretty immediate.”

The wedding gown is also likely to give a huge boost to the label Alexander McQueen, which was rocked last year by the tragic death of McQueen himself. The label’s chief designer Sarah Burton took over from her former mentor, and was soon tasked with what might be the most important commission of her life.

“For McQueen and for her it’s remarkable,” said Ms Quick. “What can be more magnificent than to have that honour?”

There is no similar plug for anyone in the cosmetics industry, however, after Kate opted to do her own make-up. She went for minimal eyes and lips, but rouged her cheeks like a classic blushing bride.

Her softly curled hair was hailed as “the death of the straightening iron” by hair stylist Andrew Barton, while the decision to do her own make-up has been seen as a way of telling the world that, despite her new status, she is still a down-to-earth girl - as at home among designer labels as she is on the high street

Kate’s was not the only outfit which attracted attention, with Westminster Abbey alive with an array of wide-brimmed hats and sky-high fascinators, and neat skirt suits and dresses in sapphire blues and fuchsia pinks.

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham dressed up her baby bump in one of her own designs in navy blue, Sir Elton John wore a smart tailcoat and purple-rimmed glasses and socialite Tara Parker-Tomlinson wore an extraordinary hat - fittingly in royal blue - with a dress and high heels in the same vivid hue.

The spotlight was also on Kate’s relatives, the Middletons, and their choice of outfits. Her sister Pippa, who was chief bridesmaid, wore an elegant, sheaf-like crepe dress with a cowl neck, also designed by Sarah Burton. She and the younger bridesmaids, who were dressed by bespoke childrenswear designer Nicki Macfarlane, wore ivory to match Kate’s dress.

Mother-of-the-bride Carole Middleton had attracted almost as much speculation about what she was going to wear as her daughter. It was rumoured that she had changed her mind about the look she wanted shortly before the wedding, ditching a specially-designed Lindka Cierach outfit just days ago.

Not letting the side down, she eventually stepped out in a teal blue Catherine Walker silk shantung ‘Sydney’ day dress with short pleated sleeves and pleated pockets.

Over that she wore a sky blue wool crepe coat-dress, and a hat by British miliner Jane Corbett.

But it was Kate who was the belle of the ball, and who, in tribute to her now husband, included the flower Sweet William in her bouquet.

A sign, if ever, that their marriage is going to be a happy and devoted one.