Dear Peter,

As you know I was recently in London where I thought I would do some footwork for Kate Middleton, who will marry Prince William in a few months.

All the chat shows in the U.S. and UK are already agog with details and curiosities; I think my favorite was the question as to whether Princess Anne will curtsey to Kate, who actually will take royal precedence over her.

HOTEL SECRETS

I discovered The Levin Hotel in Knightsbridge, which is not only a great place to stay on a shopping spree but has a special bridal package fit for a, uh, queen.

The Levin is a luxury townhouse hotel with just a handful of rooms—it’s like stepping inside a Tiffany & Co. box because the walls are robin’s egg blue.

Instead of going after wedding or event business, The Levin has a much more unusual deal—they offer a package for the bride to be and her family or girlfriends wherein she gets four nights overnight (she picks the nights) with two rooms (a junior suite and an executive double), breakfast, unlimited champagne from the in-room bar and a series of private meetings and fittings with British wedding gown designers Saint-Hill and VonBasedow.

The package includes the dream dress (possibilities include Italian Duchess Satin embellished with hundreds of hand-beaded Swarovski crystals or French Lace on ivory silk with a princess-length train) and costs about $10,000.

If you just want a glam place to stay in tender luxury, rooms book for around $300 a night.

OFF-THE-RACK BRIDES

Rumor has it that Kate’s gown is budgeted at about $50,000 while Diana’s cost a mere $10,000.

If the bride wants to save a little money, she can go to any of the major London department stores for a ready-made dress—such as Harrods (next door to Levin Hotel) or Liberty of London, where a dress can be had for $3,000 or less (if you hit the 75 percent off sale).

There’s a Vera Wang Bridal Salon in Selfridges and Browns Bride offers exclusive international designs.

I went out to Bicester Village, the wonderful factory outlet mall near Oxford, to see if there were any wedding gowns there. Unless the bride is big on a white blouse from Anne Fontaine (Ms. Fontaine’s specialty is white blouses), there was little to buy in terms of wedding gowns.

However, Monsoon had a huge outlet store and could offer up a gown or maybe some choices for a bridesmaid. Monsoon is a large chain of clothing stores with branches all over the UK on almost every High Street—they are a great resource for party and prom dresses, as well as a possible place to find a gown for bride or guest.

LITTLE SHOPS OF HONORS

There are several specialty wedding gown designers and shopkeepers for potential princesses. Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge is home to several of these tiny designer shops where Kate is likely to be interested in stopping by Suzanne Neville, #29, Emma Victoria Payne, #48, or the new three-story atelier of Bruce Oldfield, #27.

Other  London bridal salons include Catherine Castigliano, Jenny Packham, andTemperly London Bridal Room.

AFTER THE FACT

Since Kate’s dress, like most other wedding gowns, will only be worn once, it’s a good idea to check out resale shops in London; vintage is the pride of the British retail scene and great gowns can be found at Virginia on Portland Road, and Circa Vintage Clothes.

By Suzy Gershman for PeterGreenberg.com. Suzy Gershman’s Born to Shop California Wine Country by Suzy Gershman & Sarah Lahey is now available on Amazon.com and in book stores near you!

Related links on PeterGreenberg.com:

• Shopping section
• Suzy’s London Shopping & London Luxury Hotels
• London Shopping Guide: Portobello Road, London Malls & Beyond
• Bargain Shopping In Europe: Oxford, England
• Suzy Gershman’s Postcard From Paddington: London’s Best-Kept Secret?
• Finding Good Travel Deals In Pricey London
• Suzy Gershman’s Postcard From Paris
• Off The Brochure(sm) Travel Guide: London, England