Diana a celebration - Talking With Tami

Today was a magical day for me. I got a chance to be the very first to see the Diana a celebration exhibition held at the Atlanta Civic Center today! In my brain I think I am a princess lol. My husband makes me feel like one everyday.

Diana in 1980

When I got to the Atlanta Civic Center this morning,I felt a lil sad because I really loved this remarkable lady. I remembered that night. I sat up in my bed and just cried when I heard the news on Cnn,that she had been killed in a car accident. I was in total shock. I thought to myself she is such a great humanitarian, why?

Beautiful words from her brother Charles Spencer

Going to see this exhibit was kinda bitter sweet for me. Her brother Charles Spencer was suppose to be in attendance but he couldnt make it due to some unfortunate circumstances in South Africa. I really wanted to meet him lol. I got a chance to interview Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson a few years back and she was a delight.

Hand written letter from Diana to her dad in 1970

When we went through the exhibit the first stop was Princess Diana’s childhood. There we saw her childhood toys,her diary,letters to her dad,ballet shoes and photo albums. She loved collecting small figurines. I can’t believe her dad kept her letters she wrote to him,that was so sweet. I loved her tuck box from 1969, with her name engraved on it.

Diana’s Tuck Box from 1969

The next stop was this room with “The Crown”. Her crown was so sparkly and gorgeous! It was loaned to her to wear from the Spencer family and it’s worth millions! The stones and detail on the tiara was simply exquisite! The crown goes back to the 1800’s. I always thought that Prince Charles gave her all her jewels but it was the other way around lol. She was the “true blue” as they say.

The Royal Crown from 1840’s from the Spencer family

The next room showed her beautiful wedding gown. Her wedding gown was made of silk taffeta,ivory tulle & lace.It was designed by a couple that was not that known. Their names are Elizabeth and David Emanuel of London’s Mayfair district. They had only been in business 7rs. She picked them to make her dress because they were very low key. The train on the dress is 25 ft!

Wedding Gown designed by Elizabeth & David Emanuel

Fun Fact: A tiny horseshoe in 18 karat gold and studded with white diamonds, a second good luck token, was also sewn into the intricately embroidered dress.

I thought it was unique that she chose to wear low heeled slippers at her wedding. Her shoes were made of ivory silk,top stitched with pearls and sequins,wih suede soles etched n gold. I was looking very close and you could see tiny letters C&D engraved on the soles of the shoe, too cute! The shoes were designed by Baboucha.

Next we saw her pictures and videos of her endless charity work. I saw one of her momentos too,it was a prayer book from 1993, that Mother Theresa had given her. It was very tiny and it looked so sweet.

Prayer book Mother Theresa gave Princess Diana

I saw a hand written lyric sheet from 1997 of Candles in the Whind that Elton John & Bernie Taupin wrote. I got a lil teary eyed when I saw this, plus they were playing the song.

Candles in the Whind manuscript

After that, there was a room dedicated to her ball gowns, evening dresses and suits. I loved this part. You could see how she blossomed into a mature woman. She went from plain boring suits to sexy evening gowns designed by Versace. They also had the last black evening dress that she wore to celebrate her 36th birthday. That was her last public engagement on July 1,1997. The black chantilly lace dress was designed by Jacques Azagury.

Princess Dianas dress she wore on her 36th bday.

The exhibition, honoring Princess Diana will open on Saturday, January 23,2010 and will be here only for a limited engagement. So get your tickets and see this amazing exhibit! Atlanta,Ga is the only southeast region that will be having this.You can get tickets through www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Thanks to Atlanta Civic Center for inviting me out! I had a wonderful time! It was also nice meeting Graeme Murton and Nick Grossmark from London,who organized this exhibit! You guys were so sweet!