Designing Kate Middleton's Bridesmaids' Dresses

March 23, 2011— -- Back in the Middle Ages, it's said, the bride and her bridesmaids would dress alike to confuse robbers who might be stalking the bride, ready to capture her at any moment.

While royal wedding watchers don't have the same intentions today, they are stalking for juicy details, hoping to capture any scrap of information on Kate Middleton's royal wedding dress designer and the style of her dress.

But will the unknown designer be pulling double duty, creating the bridesmaids' dresses as well?

"It's usually tradition that the bride will choose the same designer for the bridesmaid dresses," Lindka Cierach, Sarah Ferguson's wedding dress designer, told ABC News. And Cierach thinks this is one tradition Kate should follow.

"Personally I think it's very important. If they don't coordinate everything with the designer, then it can all go very wrong."

If Kate indeed continues the custom of having her wedding dress designer create the bridesmaids' dresses, might she channel Middle Age times and ask that they be designed in a similar fashion?

From pictures of Princess Diana's wedding, it's obvious her dress was the inspiration for the bridesmaids' dresses. The bridesmaids had puffy sleeves, a characteristic Diana's for which dress was known. The fabric and color also matched.

As for Fergie's bridesmaids?

"They definitely did emulate her dress just in the sense of the V front and back and the slightly puffy sleeves and then picking up her details in her dress – the embroidery details," Cierach said.

Kate has five bridesmaids of differing ages. Will Kate put her sister, 27-year-old Pippa, in the same dress as a three-year-old? Or will she ask her designer to create a unique option just for her maid of honor?

Cierach said she hopes so. She imagines Pippa will be in a slightly different dress than the younger girls to help her stand out.

Advice For Kate's Designer

With so many possible dresses to design: a wedding dress, a maid of honor dress and bridesmaid dresses – it wouldn't be surprising for the designer to be overwhelmed with only about month left before the big day.

Advice from Cierach to whomever Kate selected as the designer: "It's important to have a sense of joy," Cierach said. "I would just say relax and enjoy it."