Prince William and his bride Catherine Middleton have made their highly anticipated appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, answering the crowd's calls for the first public kiss of their marriage.
The couple known around the world as William and Kate walked onto the balcony and waved to the tens of thousands of well-wishers for a few moments before the prince turned to his bride.
The two then shared a quick kiss, before turning back to the delighted crowd. Moments later, as it became clear their public demanded more, they relented with another longer kiss.
Kate appeared resplendent in a lacy ivory and white, long-sleeved satin gown designed by Sarah Burton of British fashion house Alexander McQueen. Her long, dark hair was half-up, half-down and decorated with a veil and sparkling tiara.
Prince William was nobly appointed in the scarlet uniform of the Irish Guards, bedecked with a gold and crimson sash and golden sword slings.
Less than two hours earlier, both appeared nervous, but happy as they stood against the imposing stone and glass backdrop of the Abbey transformed for the occasion with the addition of towering English field maple and hornbeam trees.
Clasping hands, the pair vowed to "love and to cherish ‘til death do us part" before the prince struggled to slip a Welsh gold wedding band on his bride's finger. William, however, has chosen not to wear a wedding band.
Then, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams declared their union with the words, "I pronounce that they be man and wife together."
Having officially tied the knot -- but not shared a kiss at the altar, as that is not in keeping with Church of England tradition -- the ceremony continued with some words from the bride's brother.
In the only reading of the day, James Middleton exhorted the couple to, "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind," as he recited from the Letter of Paul to the Romans, 12: 1-2, 9-18.
Then, after the congregation joined in the singing of a hymn, the Right Rev. Richard Chartres delivered his sermon. As he concluded, he led a prayer composed for the ceremony by the couple themselves.
"God our Father, we thank you for our families, for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the busyness of each day, keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy," he prayed.
"Strengthened by our union, help us to serve and comfort those who suffer."
The couple then disappeared to sign the documents making their union official, before they re-emerged to board the Queen's iconic horse-drawn, open-topped 1902 State Landau. Maid of honour Pippa Middleton, dressed in a simple column dress with naturally styled hair, dutifully followed holding her sister's 2-metre train.
With their new titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate then made their way on to the processional route where they smiled and waved to the adoring throng. The dukedom is one of three new titles bestowed on Prince William by the Queen, who revealed ahead of the ceremony that the second-in-line to the throne will also now be known as the Earl of Strahearn and Baron Carrickfergus.
Fewer than 1,900 people were invited to witness the ceremony from the pews of the Abbey, including Canadians Galen and Hilary Weston. Prince Harry's sometimes-girlfriend Chelsy Davy was spotted among the invitees in a striking blue ensemble, while soccer star David Beckham was joined by his pregnant wife Victoria dressed in a black dress of her own design.
Pop star Sir Elton John and his partner, Canadian David Furnish, arrived a short while later among dignitaries and officials that included Canada's Governor General David Johnston and his wife Sharon.
Other famous faces spotted in the church pews include Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, the groom's uncle Earl Spencer and former British prime minister John Major.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was also on hand, of course, wearing a yellow hat and coat dress.
Outside the vaunted Abbey, the crowd of 'commoners' basked in the pageantry.
Some have camped out for days, braving the cool weather and threat of rain to stake their claim to a spot from which to catch a glimpse of the royal newlyweds. Speakers along the procession route and giant screens in Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square were set up to allow everyone else to catch the day's events.
And while organizers dispatched some 5,000 police and security forces in anticipation the city's streets could fill with as many as 1 million people, some estimates have pegged the anticipated audience tuned into televisions and the Internet will top 2 billion worldwide.
Just 650 guests were invited to the Queen's lunchtime reception, however, where they toasted the couple with cocktails and canapes.
The Queen left Buckingham for Windsor Castle a short while later, leaving Prince Charles to host a more intimate dinner and dance for 300 guests at the palace.
In her first public comments about the wedding, Middleton told a photographer at Buckingham Palace: "I am glad the weather held off. We had a great day."
Guests began arriving at the palace around 7:30 p.m. for the evening reception, driving past crowds who still lined the surrounding streets.
Middleton wore another Sarah Burton design to the dinner, a strapless white satin evening gown.
Not unlike wedding parties around the world, there will be food, and the obligatory speeches, including remarks from Middleton's father and William's best man Prince Harry.
British singer Ellie Goulding was reportedly due to perform later in the evening, and there were rumours that Prince Harry had planned a breakfast for guests who dance through the night.
Celebrations are dotting the kingdom, too, as officials say they've fielded approximately 5,500 applications for street closures on Friday.
Of course, Britons may have other reasons to celebrate, after the British Government declared the day a public holiday. The so-called bank holiday, combined with the previous Easter weekend and the annual May Day holiday on Monday meant Britons had to book just three days off work to enjoy an 11-day stretch off of work.
With files from The Associated Press
