Royal Wedding Recap
Like 100s of others around Pittsburgh and 1000s around the world, I woke up way too early for a Saturday morning to get dressed up for a Royal Wedding Viewing Party. If you've been following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's romance over the past year and a half, you couldn't help but be glued to any coverage of the Royal Wedding.
The wedding day should be a representation of the couple. The royal wedding was no exception to this. The new Duke and Duchess of Sussex maintained a level of British royal tradition while putting their own spin on the day. They held on to the sense of family and legacy, but filled the day with romance and love.
The Dresses:
It's royal tradition and expectation that the bride exhibit a sense of modesty with the wedding ceremony dress. Royal brides often wear long-sleeve dresses and do not show cleavage or shoulders. Meghan Markle upheld this tradition while pushing the limits by the nearly off-the-shoulder look. Royalty is expected to show class and sophistication. This sleek and clean design showed those qualities and was perfect for the occasion.
To continue to add her own version of modern class and sophistication, Meghan opted for a sleek and clean design for the ceremony dress. However, this featured a high-neckline with open shoulders. It was the perfect definition of sexy sophistication.
The Jewelry:
Most royal brides have worn a diamond tiara at the wedding ceremony. Since this is not required, many speculated that this would not be something included on May 19th. Meghan borrowed the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau from the Queen's jewelry vault. This ornate tiara with a longstanding family legacy shows her acceptance and respect for her new family and their history. Since the other ceremony jewelry was subtle, this brought more attention to the elaborate tiara.
She continued to show her love for Harry and the royal family by the cocktail ring choice she wore for the evening reception. It was important to Harry to incorporate elements of Princess Diana throughout the day. This choice was not only fitting for the memorial aspect, but also to incorporate her something old, something borrowed, and something blue.
The Bouquet:
According to royal tradition, the bridal bouquet often contains a sprig of myrtle (oftentimes from Queen Victoria's garden). It was no surprise to anyone to see this included in the assortment of white sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine, and astrantia. The most romantic feature of this bouquet and the one that has helped the couple put their personal touch on the wedding was the white forget-me-knots included in the bouquet. These were picked by Prince Harry for this bouquet since they were Princess Diana's favorite flower. To include a detail like this in the wedding helps to show their sense of family, love, and thoughtfulness and add the personal stamp to a day full of tradition.
The Suits:
Although the groom can choose which suit he wears, he must wear one of his military suits for the wedding ceremony. The part of this that I loved was that Harry made sure to keep the attire unique to the couple. As part of the official military uniform, men should be clean-shaven. He was given special permission by the Queen to keep his famous unshaven look. Why look like someone you aren't on the biggest day of your life. Opting for a traditional black tuxedo for the evening reception also gave the day the sense of maturity and sophistication the couple wanted to bring to it.
The Music:
The music choices for the wedding ceremony allowed the couple to set the tone for the wedding and put their personal stamp on the day. There was a theme of love in each of their music choices that carried through the entire ceremony. With untraditional selections like "Stand By Me" and a gospel choir performance, they showed the intent to blend traditional with modern weddings and that it can be done with the same level of class and deeper meaning.
The Cake:
The wedding cake at royal weddings is traditionally a fruit cake. Harry and Meghan opted to go against tradition with a lemon and elderflower cake. They also broke tradition by having 3 cakes sitting on golden stands rather than a tiered cake. Does anything look more royal, but also modern than beautiful British flowers on romantic and whimsical cakes sitting atop gold thrones?
Everyone has their own opinions on the Royal Wedding just like people will with any non-royal wedding. I didn't love every one of the details they chose to incorporate in the celebration, but that doesn't mean they weren't perfect. The choices have to be unique to the couple and be a reflection of who they are. This romantic and family-oriented wedding with a mixture of traditional and modern elements was the perfect combination for the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex and was a true reflection of them.