BELLS WILL BE RINGING! WEDDING BELLS THAT IS!
Watch THE ROYAL WEDDING, Saturday May 19th at 2pm on WLRN-TV.
While everyone anxiously awaits the big day, here's everything you ever thought you wanted to know about royal weddings or at least what WE thought you ought to know. So get your tea and crumpets and enjoy this royal lesson...
ABOUT ROYAL WEDDINGS
1840 - THE YEAR OF THE WHITE WEDDING - Queen Victoria wed Prince Albert wearing a white wedding dress, popularizing a new tradition.
ROYALS KNOW HOW TO DRAW A CROWD
- When Princess Elizabeth married Lt. Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947, the ceremony was broadcast on the radio to 200 million people.
- When Princess Margaret married photographer Antony Armstron-Jones on May 6, 1960 it was broadcast on BBC to a worldwide audience of 300 million.
- Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles wed on July 29th 1981 and it was viewed on television by roughly 750 million people in 74 countries.
ROYAL OR NOT, THINGS CAN STILL GO WRONG ON THE BIG DAY
On the day of her wedding Elizabeth had her own wardrobe malfunction, but only one a princess can have, her tiara snapped. The court jeweler was rushed by police escort to his place of work to repair it before the bride left for Westminster Abbey.
CAN YOU SAY EXTRAVAGANT?
Lady Diana's dress had the longest train ever worn by a royal bride, measuring in at 25 feet.
NOBODY TELLS DIANA WHAT TO DO
Diana was the first royal bride to omit the word "obey" from her wedding vows and Kate Middleton followed suit.
Once upon a time in a land across the pond, there lived handsome young prince who would one day meet a beautiful American actress. This is the story of when HARRY MET MEGHAN.
It's been rumored, they were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. Fashion designer Misha Nonoo, who was married to an old school friend of the Prince. They didn’t know about each other before they met. Harry had never seen anything Meghan had been in and Meghan was not familiar with the different members of the Royal family. Harry knew she was the one the first time he met her. He confirmed this in an interview they did with the BBC. Their whirlwind romance began with back to back dates followed by a safari in Botswana a month later. Harry proposed over a typical cozy roast chicken dinner at their cottage in early November. “It was a nice moment, it was the two of us,” Harry said. “I think I managed to catch her by surprise as well.” She interrupted his marriage proposal. Before the Prince got a chance to say his bit she asked, “Can I say yes now?” Prince Harry gave Meghan an Engagement ring made by Cleave and Company with a large diamond from Botswana in the center and two smaller diamonds that belonged to his late mother Diana Princess of Wales.
WEDDING DAY SPOILER ALERT!
LOGISTICS FOR THE BIG DAY
Meghan and Harry's wedding ceremony will begin at 12 p.m. London time (7 a.m. EST; 4 a.m. PST), followed by a carriage procession one hour later around Windsor Town. The couple will also celebrate with a reception at St. George's Hall, according to the Palace.
WHAT GOURMET DELIGHTS WILL BE SERVED
The inside scoop is that the reception food in St. George's Hall will consist of canapes, including sausage rolls, tartlets and mini crosque monsieur. Salmon and caviar will also be on the menu for wedding guests. Also included will be lobster. Bacon sandwiches will be served to party guests, in addition to soup. Other tasty tidbits still yet to be confirmed. Pastry chef Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes in London will make the wedding cake which will be a lemon elderflower creation "that will incorporate the bright flavors of spring." The cake will be covered with buttercream and adorned with fresh flowers.
THE FLOWERS
Locally sourced flowers from the Crown Estate and Windsor Great Park gardens will be used to decorate both St. George's Chapel and St. George's Hall. While it's unclear what exact flowers will be used for the big day, flowers that bloom naturally in May include branches of beech, birch, hornbeam, white garden roses, foxgloves, and Meghan's favorite, peonies.
THE MUSIC
The couple took great care in chosing music for their service which will include several "well-known hymns and choral works" under James Vivian, Director of Music at St. George's Chapel. Among the performers is 19-year-old cello prodigy Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who confirmed that Meghan personally called to ask him to play.
WHO'S WHO ON THE GUEST LIST
While nothing has been officially announced, a dream guest list would include the Obamas, the Trudeaus, Serena Williams, the cast of Suits, the Beckhams, Priyanka Chopra (Meghan once interviewed her for her lifestyle website The Tig), Misha Nonoo (rumored to be the mutual friend who originally set up Meghan and Harry), and Rihanna.
So if you feel your invitation got lost in the shuffle, no worries, just watch Saturday May 19th at 2pm on WLRN-TV.
