Royal wedding inspiration – the flowers

It’s day two of “a touch of Windsor” and I can still smell the fragrance of the lovely bouquet Janelle from Flowers by Janie created for our bride (literally, it’s in my office as I write this).   Today she’s going to educate us on royal wedding inspiration and choosing blooms with a royal twist.

Bride with her bouquet royal wedding inspiration by Tara Whittaker Photography 

For our bride Shacarra, I selected Sweet Peas, Hellebores, Ranunculus, Spirea, New Zealand Crinkle Pittosporum and Queen Anne’s Lace.  Romance is the key to a royal bouquet, with many smaller blossoms.  Traditionally royal brides have carried white and green and many have been on the smaller side.  A Calgary bride craving royal wedding inspiration should keep her bouquet small and classic, with a neutral palette.  Many royal bouquets have had lily of the valley, a fragrant but expensive flower.  Sweet peas are a great substitution for a lovely fragrance with a delicate bloom.  Freesia would also be a good option.  Ranunculus and Spirea are also perfect blooms for a spring wedding and the petals are so delicate.

Bride with her bouquet royal wedding inspiration by Tara Whittaker PhotographyBride with her bouquet royal wedding inspiration by Tara Whittaker Photography 

What will Meghan Markle carry?

Meghan and Harry have their own unique love story and nothing about their relationship (at least as the public knows it) is “traditional”.  Meghan has a timeless style so I’m sure she’ll select flowers that reflect this sensibility.  I foresee a classic palette with white blossoms and greenery, foregoing orchids, roses and lily-of-the-valley, which have all been popular floral elements for past royal brides.  Rather than a wired bouquet I think she’ll opt for the hand-tied bouquet trend.  Although “oversized bouquets” are popular at the moment, I suspect we’ll see her carry something small and delicate.
 
Bridal bouquet Bride royal wedding inspiration by Tara Whittaker Photography

Royal wedding inspiration – the blooms  

Sweet Peas.  They are delicate, feminine and sweetly-scented flowers, perfect for royalty. I think Meghan will choose sweet peas instead of the traditional lily-of-the-valley carried by Lady Diana Spencer and Catherine Middleton.  
 
Hellebores.  A member of the ranunculaceae family it has also been called “winter rose”, “Christmas rose” and “Lenten rose”.  However Hellebores are not closely related to the rose family.  Meghan may choose this bloom to replace the traditional rose in her bouquet.  Roses were held by Princess Anne, Lady Diana Spencer, Sarah Ferguson and Sophie Rhys-Jones.  I find that rather than having the appearance of a rose, the hellebores look like miniature orchids.  HRH Queen Elizabeth ll carried a bouquet of orchids, as did HRH Princess Margaret.  The addition of this flower would be a very subtle nod to their bouquets.
 
Bride with her bouquet royal wedding inspiration by Tara Whittaker Photography
 
Ranunculus.  These small, delicate flowers have the appearance of tiny peonies and are a popular spring flower.  They mean “radiant with charm” and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are indeed a charming couple.
 
Crinkle Pittosporum from New Zealand.  Possibly Meghan will choose a soft green foliage in her bouquet and perhaps something exotic and different like the Crinkle Pittosporum.
 
Myrtle.  I think we’ll see Meghan include a sprig of myrtle in her bouquet as the one floral element that doesn’t break with tradition.  It’s a long-standing tradition for royal brides to carry a spring of myrtle in their bouquet.  Myrtle symbolizes love and marriage and including myrtle in royal weddings started with Queen Victoria’s daughter (also named Victoria).  The royal myrtle comes from Queen Victoria’s garden at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight (source: Florists Review by 2018 pg.30).
 
Spirea.  The name means victory and I think this could be a nod to the couple’s victory, love over public opinion.
 

The story of Queen Anne’s Lace

“The story behind Queen Anne’s Lace flowers is quite interesting. It is said that Queen Anne was making lace by hand, a process known as tatting, and her lace became the flowers we know today.  While tatting the lace, she pricked her finger and out came a single drop of blood.  The drop fell on the lace and this is where the dark centre of some of the flowers comes from.  Although it is agreed that this is the story of Queen Anne’s Lace, what isn’t as clear is which Queen Anne it was.  Some say it was Queen Anne born in 1574 and other say it was Queen Anne who was born win 1665” (source Flower Press & other online sources).
 
Finally, I’d like to thank Janelle from Flowers by Janie for her insight and floral creations.  Her installation on the Grand Staircase at Spruce Meadows was fresh and reminiscent of an English garden.
 
Floral installation from Flowers by Janie at Spruce Meadows captured by Tara Whittaker PhotographyFloral installation from Flowers by Janie at Spruce Meadows captured by Tara Whittaker PhotographyFloral installation from Flowers by Janie at Spruce Meadows captured by Tara Whittaker Photography

Need more royal wedding inspiration?  Here’s yesterday’s post about that exquisite Lazaro gown.

Thanks to the vendor team:
Photographer:  Tara Whittaker Photography 
Bridal gown:  Lazaro from Cameo & Cufflinks 
Accessories:  Joanne Bisley Designs
Florals:  Flowers by Janie 
Venue:  Spruce Meadows 
Shoes:  Christian Louboutin from Holt Renfrew 
Make-up artist:  TOK beauty 
Hair stylist:  Tara Watts
Stationery: Debbie Wong Design
Bride:  Shacarra

Royal wedding inspiration captured by Calgary Wedding Photographer – Tara Whittaker

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@tarawhitphoto

Sophisticated photos that stand the test of time.