Marriage and Motherhood: what's it like being pregnant on your big day?

It's the ultimate sign of commitment between a couple; a day you'll remember for the rest of your lives...  But what are we talking about here?  Getting married or having a baby?

I recently asked a friend of mine what she thought about a bride being pregnant on her weddding day.  "Well," she said.  "If you can see the bump yet, then I guess it's kinda cute.  I mean, it's like a secret between the bride and the groom.  It's the ultimate commitment.  But if she's showing then it just looks desperate."  So, according to my friend, on that basis Lily Allen was cute but Alicia Keys was desperate.

Having kids before marriage, or even without it entirely, is no longer the taboo it once was TF4T.  If anything there seems to be a complete reversal in that couples now want to procreate and have their children participate actively in their wedding.  Take Victoria and David Beckham: notorious for being extremely protective of their children's privacy, they took great pains to include their son Brooklyn in their wedding photos (covered exclusively by OK! magazine) because they didn't want him asking in later years, 'Where was I at your wedding?'

Perhaps I take a far too practical view of these things, but I think it would simply be too much.  When you're pregnant, your energy levels are lower, your hair and nails are devoid of their normal nutrients and feeling like you want to throw up on your wedding can't be a good thing.  I understand why couples feel the need to be married before their child arrives - legally, it makes things a heck of a lot more simple! - but organising a wedding is a full time occupation.  It's hectic enough to organise without having to plan for a baby as well.  My advice: marry before the baby comes if you wish, but please, leave the big wedding celebration til later.  That way the newest member of your family can also be a part of it.

Lily and Sarah - Fashion rules on the big day

We all know that celeb weddings set the trend of the rest of us poor common folk, and many people quite rightly predicted the boom in lace detail following the wedding of the  Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Given how she's set up a fashion label as well as a vintage clothing boutique with her sister Sarah Owen, all eyes were on the sometimes-wacky-sometimes-uber-chic Lily Allen to see what she would be wearing on her big day.

And I have to say... I was rather taken aback.

We all know that vintage is 'the' by-word in wedding culture at the moment, and many brides spend hours traipsing around charity shops in a bid to find their perfect antique dress. In her line of work, I would be very surprised if Lily hasn't come across a dress or two like this, so why go to all the bother (not to mention expense) of making this 'modern' vintage, lacy oddbox.

Especially those Princess Leia earmuffs.  We can all see the Rag Time influence in this dress, but this detail feels overblown and over the top to the point of being ridiculous.  It seems such a shame too when the rest of the cap headdress looks rather pretty.

For a high profile fashionista wedding such as this, fashion etiquette cannot be entirely forgotten, but that's exactly what the bride's business partner Sarah seems to have done.  That is FAR too much cleavage on show.  And who told her that those shoes go with that dress??  Okay so she's got to draw attention to her outfit in order to get notice for her business, but is upstaging the bride really the way to go?

Having said all that, given the rough year Lily's had, it's nice to see her with a beaming smile on her face.  No matter what a bride looks like or does, we should always wish her well.  Marriage is a tricky business and the wedding is just the start.