Britain’s Prince William and his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton are officially engaged. The announcement was made earlier this morning via Twitter. He proposed during a vacation in Kenya last month with his mother’s oval blue sapphire engagement ring surrounded by diamonds.

“This was my way of making sure that my mother didn’t miss out on today,” William said as the couple posed for photographers in the state apartments at St. James’ Palace. It may seem eerie to some, since Diana’s marriage was ultimately an unhappy one. But it is a phenomenal sparkler. Kate wore a sapphire blue dress for the press conference to announce the engagement, as Diana did in 1981.

It was a long awaited proposal – Kate had become somewhat of an icon in waiting after eight years of courtship. Royal officials announced that the couple will marry next spring or summer in London, ending years of rumored splits, reconciliations and will-they, won’t-they speculation. The nuptials will be Britain’s biggest royal wedding since Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer almost 30 years ago. I’m sure we are all looking forward to a royal show stopper.

Just because you’re getting married in the fall doesn’t mean your wedding has to scream ‘Halloween’. It can be classy and elegant, and still embody the colors and spirit of the fall season. Here’s an inspiration board we put together showcasing a lovely October color palette.

Natural tones such as browns and tans, paired with various shades of blue, orange and red can really make a statement. We also LOVE the individually served pumpkin pie trifles (we like to call them pumpkin shooters), found on Gourmet Magazine.

This weekend Disney announced that they have teamed up with fashion designer Alfred Angelo to release a new line of wedding gowns inspired by the Disney Princess characters. The collection is called ‘Disney Fairy Tale Weddings by Alfred Angelo‘ and was announced at the National Bridal Market in Chicago on October 2, 2010.

The gowns are inspired by seven iconic Disney Princess characters – Ariel, Jasmine, Cinderella, Belle, Tiana, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. According to the company, the gowns reflect the essence, style and personality of each princess.

The collection will be available in sizes 0 to 30W, at all Alfred Angelo Signature stores and select Alfred Angelo wholesale Partner Bridal Boutiques in 2011. All the gowns will be priced from $599 to $1,199. Check out sneak peek footage of the gowns in this behind the scenes YouTube video from Disney Living here.

The treasures of the sea inspired Ariel’s gown. The mermaid silhouette features re-embroidered lace, pearl beading, and sequin sparkles.

Jasmine’s wedding dress is a sleek and exotic gown made of shimmering soft satin and accented with a bejeweled neckline and low cut back.

Cinderella’s gown radiates with sparkle as its inspiration is the fairy tale’s enchanted glass slipper.

Belle’s wedding dress has a draped waistline is inspired by the iconic ballroom dance scene from the film and focuses on making a grand entrance.

The regal, one-shoulder taffeta gown for the newest princess, Tiana, reflects her independent spirit with an asymmetric bodice and ruched skirt.

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) has a gown that is romantic with a dreamy, willowy skirt.

Snow White’s dress is inspired by nature and features floral appliques throughout the dress.

Disney inspired wedding dresses have become popular in recent years. It’s something that every little girl has probably dreamed about at some point in her life, but then realized that dressing up like a Disney princess is maybe a bit, well, cheesy. What’s nice about this collection is that all the dresses have a modern design. To someone who doesn’t know it, the dresses look like beautiful designer gowns. So, you can get married in a gown inspired by your favorite Disney princess without looking like you dressed up as a Disney princess – brilliant.

It’s a clever move on Disney’s part – we think it’s about time they finally came out with a Princess collection! What do you think, would you wear a Disney princess gown to your wedding?

The Hills used to be one of my guilty pleasures. Originally we had posted some photos of Heidi Montag’s first wedding dress from season 3 on the old blog. So we thought it would be fun to recap and compare that dress to the one she wore on her wedding day in season 5 last year.

Though the marriage between Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt may be less than perfect (the couple filed for divorce earlier this year much to everyone’s surprise), we really can’t say the same about her dress. Since filing for divorce in back in July 2010, the two have reconciled and officially called off the divorce last week on September 30, 2010. Heidi and Spencer are back together again! Perhaps they will renew their vows and we can see her in yet another dress.

The original dress she tried on in season 3 was a simple satin A-line with beading on the front.

On her wedding day she wore a very Cinderella-like ballgown by Monique Lhullier with a long tiered veil. Sure, the $7,500 princess ballgown, veil and million-dollars worth of jewelry may have been a bit over the top, but it seems to suit her personality just fine.

The bridal party at the Pratt-Montag wedding. The bridesmaids wore floor-length dresses in light pastel yellow and the groomsmen wore classic black.

It seems that Heidi’s taste changed for the more extravagant since season 3 when she thought she wanted something classic and traditional. In the end what she got was the big fairytale wedding. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Which look do you prefer?

Who ever said that you need to take out a second mortgage to afford a beautiful wedding dress? These days there are tons of affordable options out there for brides on a budget. Sure, you can spend thousands of dollars on a designer gown (and if it’s in your budget, I say go for it). But for many brides that is simply not an option. Or perhaps you are just a cost-conscious person who would rather spend the extra cash on other things like a luxurious honeymoon. Whatever the case, you can feel better knowing that there are some gorgeous wedding gowns out there for crazy low prices. Here are five wedding dresses we love for under $200.

JS Collections One Shoulder Mesh & Jersey Gown
$198 from Nordstrom.com

JS Boutique Pearl Trim Crisscross Matte Jersey Gown
$198 from Nordstrom.com

Betsy & Adam Asymmetrical Chiffon Gown
$160 from Dillards.com

Strapless Empire Formal Dress with Rhinestone Belt
$177.99 from GoJane.com

Pleated Strapless Gown with Rhinestone Brooch
$85.99 from GoJane.com