36 THE QUEENS COURIER • BRIDAL • JANUARY 17, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
bridal
ROYAL INSPIRATION
Every bride wants to be a princess
BY CHELLE CORDERO
Th ere are few things more romantic
than seeing a beautiful bride marrying
her Prince Charming. Th is past May, the
world got a chance to watch as beautiful
Meghan Markle married Prince Harry.
Millions watched the nuptials and surrounding
pomp, from the moment of
Markle’s arrival on the steps of St. George’s
Chapel in a vintage car to the Duke and
Duchess of Sussex’s horse-drawn carriage
ride through the crowd-lined streets surrounding
Windsor Castle.
Many future brides no doubt took note
of some of the royal touches that they
might want at their own fairy-tale weddings.
British royal weddings have infl uenced
wedding day choices of many bridal
couples since at least 1981, when Prince
Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.
Brides-to-be and the fashion industry are
still talking about Kate Middleton’s iconic
lace-sleeved, deep V-neck 2011 wedding
gown. “Long sleeves, V-necks, and
lace have been seen all over the bridal runways
since, even at the most recent Bridal
Fashion Week,” Roberta Correia of Brides
magazine told style website Racked earlier
this year.
And even before the 2018 royal wedding
took place, jewelry shops were buzzing
about Markle’s engagement ring, featuring
the classic three-stone setting. “Th e little
diamonds (on) either side are from my
mother’s jewelry collection,” Prince Harry
told BBC, “to make sure that she’s with us
on this crazy journey together.”
Trends already beginning to star in
bridal showcases include simpler wedding
gowns -- ones without glitzy embellishments
-- paired with lavish veils and
trains that can be removed during the
reception to allow for easier movement.
Markle walked down the aisle in a sleek,
three-quarter sleeve Givenchy A-line
gown featuring an elegant boat neck. Her
natural makeup further added to this classic
look. She balanced things out with an
extravagant veil and regal train, which
required multiple train bearers.
Markle rejected the idea of a massive
bridal bouquet and opted instead for a
small, delicate white fl oral arrangement.
Prince Harry helped to select the arrangement
of fl owers for Markle’s bridal nosegay,
which included the traditional sprig
of myrtle, a symbol of hope and love;
white forget-me-nots, a favorite of Harry’s
mother, Princess Diana; sweet peas; lily of
the valley; astilbe; jasmine; and astrantia.
Th e inclusion of Diana’s favorite fl ower
may infl uence other couples to fi nd subtle
ways to pay tribute to family members
who have passed away.
Another notable feature of the past two
royal weddings is the use of pint-size
attendants, with multiple fl ower girls and
pages making up most of the bridal party
(just two of the attendants at each royal
wedding were adults). Th e bridal industry
is expecting to see this more oft en.
“Lately, we’ve been seeing some bridal
parties comprised entirely of cute kids,”
David’s Bridal said in a blog post. “In
Great Britain it’s a royal wedding tradition
to have children as attendants, rather than
adult friends.”
It’s also a tradition for royal weddings
to take place early in the day and are celebrated
with a breakfast meal. Markle
and Prince Harry’s wedding reception
featured a lemon elderfl ower cake covered
with buttercream and decorated with
fresh fl owers, as reported by the palace
Twitter account. However, earlier reports
had suggested that the royal couple would
be serving a banana-fl avored confection
at their reception. Th ese reports seemed
to lead some couples to order colorful and
fruity wedding cakes.
Th e royals typically follow the breakfast
festivities with a formal luncheon and an
intimate dinner at the palace -- making
morning ceremonies and brunch receptions
another trend to watch in the coming
years.
Th ere is no better way to feel like royalty
than getting married in a fairy-tale setting.
While hardly anyone has the privilege of
getting married at Windsor Castle, there
are, fortunately, castle wedding venues
around the world and even right here in
the United States. Couples can take advantage
of such palatial venues as California’s
Chateau Julien; North Carolina’s Biltmore
Estate; or New Jersey’s Pleasantdale
Chateau Estate, to name a few.
Th e most signifi cant aspect of the royal
wedding is Meghan Markle herself. Th e
American who married into British royalty
has spoken out in defense of women’s
equality. Th e next generation of little
girls who aspire to be princesses just
might have a whole new outlook.
Courtesy Creators.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
/Creators.com
