Over the course of her two decades with Prince William, Kate Middleton has proven that she is respectful of royal tradition, while also keen to do it her own way sometimes. (William, by the way, is the exact same.)

One time when Kate insisted that she go her own way? Understandably, her April 29, 2011 wedding day to William, which took place 14 years ago next month. For the occasion at Westminster Abbey, Kate broke a 350-year-old royal tradition by insisting that she wear her hair down for her big day, per Marie Claire.

“Royal sources tell me that the royals insisted very strongly to Kate that they would prefer her to wear her hair up for this very special occasion,” Ashley Pearson said in the documentary William & Kate: The Journey. 

“Kate had her heart set on wearing her hair down with long flowing curls, which is her favorite way to wear it, and actually William’s favorite as well,” Pearson continued. As is evident from photos of the day, the royals “ended up compromising on her look.”

Hairdresser Richard Ward arrived at London’s Goring Hotel at 5:30 a.m. to begin her hair, he told People, and she kept the television and radio off as he got her ready to walk down the aisle. “I’ve seen brides far more nervous than Catherine!” Ward told the outlet, adding, “She was fantastic—she kept us calm, not the other way ‘round!”

Kate had been visiting Ward’s salon in Chelsea since she was a student, and he told People of her wedding day, “I have some incredible memories of that day. When she walked back into Buckingham Palace and her hair was all still in place, I cannot tell you the relief we all felt!”

William even stepped in to help at one point, when Kate was getting ready at Clarence House for the evening party. “I wanted to show Kate the back of her hair, and I was struggling to walk with this 500-year-old mirror,” Ward said. “He [William] just said, ‘Let me give you a hand.’ And I said, ‘No, no, honestly.’ But he took one end and I’ve got the other and we’re shuffling along with this mirror—he’s great, he really is.”

“It was the most incredible experience, and I’ll never forget it,” Ward added.

Wearing Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Kate also was keen to do her own makeup for her wedding day, which she’d perfected by taking lessons ahead of the big event.