Kate Middleton's Wedding Gown Designer: Sarah Burton

Kate Middleton: INFDaily.com

Middleton's McQueen choice is a shock.

Kate Middleton's giving us a bridal surprise with her choice in gown designers. With the royal wedding just over a month away, she's chosen Alexander McQueen's protege, Sarah Burton, to prepare her wedding gown. After what "OK!" calls much oohing and ahhing, here's why Middleton went with McQueen.

We were expecting Kate Middleton would go with a British fashion house to design her royal wedding gown, and indeed the Alexander McQueen decision makes sense there. But with all the drama the McQueen brand has gone through in the past year and a half, it's kind of awesome to see Princess-to-be Kate giving them massive reason to celebrate.

Sarah Burton is the creative director at Alexander McQueen, and she is Kate Middleton's choice for a wedding gown designer. Sarah Burton's styles are whimsical and haunting, reminiscent of Lady Gaga or even "Twilight," and the look she's known for is definitely less traditional than what many of us were anticipating for Kate Middleton's wedding gown. Leave it to Kate the Great to choose such a relevant style, right?

Read: Kate Middleton Wearing Princess Diana's Engagement Ring

The UK's "Telegraph" reports that Kate Middleton's wedding gown will combine design visions from both Middleton and Sarah Burton. The Telegraph also gives this background on Burton's career:

Burton took over as creative director of Alexander McQueen after his tragic suicide. Burton has worked with McQueen for 14 years and has previously designed dresses for Michelle Obama, Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sara Buys.

Burton's work caught Middleton's eye when she designed an off-the-shoulder wedding dress for Sarah Buys, a fashion journalist who married Tom Parker Bowles, the son of the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005.

Read: Prince William's Wedding Style Crisis

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Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen and Clarence House refuse to confirm the reports that Burton will design Kate Middleton's wedding dress, but reports suggest the designer is sworn to absolute secrecy (and these privacy contracts could be what's taken the wedding gown announcement so long).

Flip through our Kate Middleton slideshow, and hit the blue links for more.

Read: Prince William, Kate Middleton Wedding Site Launched