From an Etiquette Point of View: Royal Wedding/Reception Primer

I was asked to give my opinion quite often during the week leading up to the royal wedding. It was a wonderful experience for me, as I had to do quite a bit of research. I had forgotten so much due to the fact that I don’t use this information/material on a daily basis. What I found intrigued me. What follows is just a small sample of the history and protocol of the royals and their weddings/wedding breakfast.

Royals Set Trends & Make History

For one, royals tend to begin traditions, such as the white dress for brides. Queen Victoria wore white for her wedding with Prince Albert (in 1840). She also chose to include a sprig of myrtle in her bouquet because it represented true love. After her wedding, she planted a bush in her yard. A sprig of that same bush has been added to each British royal bride's bouquet since.

Laying the bride's bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a tradition that began with The Queen Mum, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon when she married Prince Albert (future King George VI). She did this to honor her brother Fergus who had died in France during the First World War. Royal brides have returned their wedding bouquets to Westminster Abbey the day after the wedding to be placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Kate and Meghan left theirs in the Westminster Abbey as well.

The bride's wedding ring is made from Welsh gold from the same nugget mined in Dolgellau, North Wales—tradition began in 1923 with the Queen Mother's 1923 wedding to King George VI.

Please Read

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