Giles Deacon Didn't Always Want to Make Wedding Dresses

It's official! Pippa Middleton wed this morning wearing a custom wedding dress by Giles Deacon. Here, six things to know about the designer of the hour.

1. He has a classic British (designer) upbringing

Despite making the dress of the year, Deacon didn't always want to be a fashion designer. The designer grew up in the countryside of Darlington, County Durham, hoping to be a marine biologist. But once he discovered his passion for illustration, he attended Central St. Martens. He was part of a storied class there that included Alexander McQueen, Luella Bartley, and Stella McCartney. He graduated in 1992, held jobs at everywhere from Dazed & Confused to heading Bottega Veneta, until finally launching his eponymous line in 2004.

2. He only focuses on couture and customization

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However, in 2015 Deacon closed his RTW line to focus on red carpet dressing and custom orders. He told ELLE UK: "I just felt the ready-to-wear world was in such a confused mess of good, bad and indifferent. I wanted to distance myself from it."

3. His celebrity fan list is long (and impressive)

Solange at the 2015 Met Gala wearing GIles Deacon

Cate Blanchette, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Solange are all fans of Deacon's designs. Fashion-forward celebs appreciate Deacon's risk-taking and craftsmanship.

4. He has a penchant for irreverence

Giles Deacon Summer 2009 collection

Pippa Middleton's classic lace wedding dress deviates pretty sharply from Deacon's typical designs. His runways were scattered with horses, Kate Moss prints, dinosaur bags, and even oversized Pac Man helmets worn with feminine dresses.

5. He has worked with Pippa's veil designer before

Stephen Jones on Giles Deacon\'s SS13 runway.

Pippa's pearl-encrusted wedding veil isn't the first time Giles has worked with Stephan Jones. From ostrich headpieces in Fall 2007 to a hat made of artificial hair (pictured above), his past runway collections have often included headpieces from the famed milliner. A far stretch from bridal veils, indeed.

6. He hasn't always loved wedding dress designing

A successful wedding dress design, we assume.

In 2008 he told The Guardian: "For an event, they want to spend a fortune, have three fittings, fly in from wherever, you make them a cracking gown which fits perfectly, they feel fantastic and it's "Great - let's go". But you get the same person wanting a wedding dress, and it's a totally different discipline. They don't actually want to listen to you because they've been planning it for years and years—it's almost like you've become just a dressmaker. And they can't make up their minds and then their mother wants to see it, and my head starts spinning at that point." He's since changed his tune, telling Business of Fashion's Tim Blanks, "When you set up a modern British couture house, bridal is an essential part of the business...They're wonderful pieces to work on. The red carpet is fantastic, but it's a real privilege to create a unique bridal piece for a client who may have dreamed about it all their life."