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What Fantastic Flowers Made The Royal Wedding Wonderful?
As you may have noticed, there was a royal wedding last weekend. We love weddings, they are one of the best times to express emotions with flowers. As you might expect, a royal wedding was always bound to be an especially floral affair and we certainly werenβt disappointed by the blooms on show.
It was already well publicised that the new Duchess of Sussex is a lover of flowers, not to mention there were to be numerous floral tributes paid to the late Princess Diana β another lover of flowers β so there were no surprises by the number of beautiful and symbolic blooms that made the day all the more magical. There were also a few surprises to be found throughout the day too, where the creative use of flowers really made the difference.
Join us as we take a look back at all the key facts about the royal wedding flowers that made May 19th 2018 an occasion to remember in Windsor.
What flowers were in Meghanβs bridal bouquet
The bridal bouquet that Meghan carried into St Georgeβs Chapel on Saturday was a simple arrangement reflecting the classic, traditional style of the day and complimenting the dress designed byΒ Clare Waight Keller. As reported by the official website of the Royal Family, the veil of the dress itself contained a floral design reflecting a flower from all of the 53 commonwealth countries (of which Queen Elizabeth II is the organisational head).
A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on May 19, 2018 at 6:09am PDT
The bridal bouquet however, was a much more focused affair. It was combined white variants of seasonal spring flowers such as forget-me-nots and, as reported by the official website to the Royal Family, also featured, βsweet peas,Β lily of theΒ valley, astilbe, jasmine andΒ astrantia, andΒ sprigs of myrtle, allΒ bound with a naturally dyed, raw silk ribbonβ.
What flowers adorned the Chapel?
A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on May 19, 2018 at 1:02am PDT
For an event as big as this, it comes as no surprise that the floral designs were big, bold and extravagant.
The key flowers in the designs that decorated St Georgeβs Chapel were peonies, white garden roses and foxgloves. These three flowers had been reported in the run up to the wedding as being among the key choices for the wedding flowers, with peonies being favourites of Meghan herself and garden roses being favourites of the late Princess Diana, the mother of the groom.
To add the greenery, beech, birch and hornbeam branches were added and shaped to fit the doorways and arches of the medieval gothic chapel and were used as a base frame for the rest of the floral decorations.
The wedding cake is to be served at the Reception. It was designed by Claire Ptak and features elderflower syrup made at The Queenβs residence in Sandringham from the estateβs own elderflower trees, as well as a light sponge cake uniquely formulated for the couple. #royalweddingpic.twitter.com/kt5lE4tEn9
β Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 19, 2018
Itβs also worth noting that the wedding cake on the coupleβs big day featured a floral design and taste. It was designed by Claire PtakΒ and was flavoured with a syrup made of elderflowers from the trees on the Queenβs Sandringham Estate. As if that wasnβt enough the cake was also decorated withΒ 150 fresh flowers.
Who made the floral designs for Harry and Meghanβs wedding?
The designs were created by Fulham-based florist Phillipa CraddockΒ and her team. She made great use of local springtime flora that is primarily found around Windsor and worked closely with the couple to create floral decor that was significant, sustainable and in-season.
A post shared by Philippa Craddock (@philippacraddock) on Apr 1, 2018 at 1:53am PDT
Why were these flowers chosen for the big day?
There was a great deal of significance behind the flowers chosen for Harry and Meghanβs wedding service. First of all, peonies were present due to them being Meghanβs favourite blooms. White garden roses, as mentioned previously, were favourites of Harryβs mother Diana, as also were forget-me-nots. The presence of myrtle in the bouquet is however a royal tradition, dating back to the time of Queen Victoria.
Many Royal Brides across the generations have chosen to carry a sprig of Myrtle, which represents love, in their bouquets.
This tradition dates back to the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albertβs eldest daughter. Find out more β https://t.co/s88dWSfqvCpic.twitter.com/kKWjay4S0cβ The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 11, 2018
The locally selected branches and flowers were chosen to give a British feel to the coupleβs big day and also to keep the wedding as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. Many of the flowers for the day were chosen from local sources, from the Queenβs estates and the local area around Windsor. Some of the flowers were even hand-picked by Prince Harry for his brideβs bouquet from the gardens of their official London residence of Kensington Palace.
Where did the flowers end up after the ceremony was over?
The Duchess of Sussex has sent the bouquet she carried during yesterdayβs #RoyalWedding to Westminster Abbey to rest on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. More: https://t.co/pdFnYO1S49@KensingtonRoyal@RoyalFamilypic.twitter.com/TnrCEl4M4u
β Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) May 20, 2018
The bridal bouquet was left symbolically on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, as has been the tradition since the wedding of George VI to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923. The future Queen and Queen Mother did this originally to commemorate the death of her brother Fergus during the Great War and this custom has continued since.
As for the numerous other blooms that had decorated the ceremony at the Chapel during the day, some were donated to St Josephβs Hospice, a palliative care home in London, whilst some of the other wedding flowers were left in the chapel to be used in another wedding later in the week.
We hope you enjoyed our little look back at the festive flowers that made Harry and Meghanβs wedding truly special. What did you think of the flowers that were on show at the royal wedding last Saturday? Would you like to have any of these designs or flowers at your own big day? Let us know in the comments.
Make your own big day extra special or send the sweetest wishes to a happy couple you know with a beautiful bouquet of wedding flowers. Send flowers to over 100 countries in time for a coupleβs wedding celebration, with FloraQueenβs international delivery service.
