Bridal
Famous weddings: royal and storybook ceremonies
Crowds in the streets, carriages, cathedral bells and a balcony appearance. Great public weddings fire the imagination of millions, and quietly shape the weddings of everyone else.
Why do so many people care about the weddings of strangers? Part of the answer is spectacle: processions, music, flowers and fabulous dresses are a pleasure to watch. Part of it is shared ritual. A wedding is one of the few ceremonies almost everyone understands, and a grand public wedding lets a whole country, or even the world, take part in the same moment of celebration. And part of it is inspiration. Couples planning their own weddings have always looked to famous ceremonies for ideas.
Wikipedia's article on the wedding notes that most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of vows, the presentation of a gift such as rings or flowers, and a public proclamation of marriage, and that special wedding garments are often worn. Great public weddings contain exactly the same elements as any other, only on a vastly larger stage.
A wedding watched around the world
Few weddings have been watched as widely as the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. According to Wikipedia's article on the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, the ceremony took place on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral in London, was a traditional Church of England wedding service, and was watched by an estimated global television audience of 750 million people. The same article notes that the United Kingdom had a national holiday to mark the day, that the ceremony featured the state carriages and roles for the Foot Guards and Household Cavalry, and that the couple made the traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace afterwards.
The article also records that the couple chose St Paul's over the traditional site of royal weddings because it offered more seating and permitted a longer procession through London, and that the marriage was widely billed as a "fairytale wedding" and the "wedding of the century". Whatever came later, the day itself remains a landmark in the history of public weddings, and its dress became one of the most famous in the world; read more in a short history of the white gown.
A royal wedding in Oslo
Years later, Norway celebrated a royal wedding of its own. Wikipedia's article on the wedding of Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, and Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby records that it took place on 25 August 2001 at Oslo Cathedral and was the first royal wedding in Norway since 1968. The article describes the bride's dress of white silk crepe and the groom's black army uniform with a red sash and medals, and notes that after the ceremony the couple appeared on the balcony of the royal palace as cannons fired and bands played.
It was a smaller and more modern occasion than the London wedding, but it shared the same essential shape: a cathedral ceremony, a procession, a public appearance and a nation celebrating together.
What couples borrow from famous weddings
Most couples will never ride in a state carriage, but grand weddings still leave their mark on ordinary ones. Some of the ideas that trickle down:
- The procession. Whether it is a walk down a church aisle, a stroll along a beach or a short walk through a village, the procession is the moment everyone waits for. Music makes it; see wedding music.
- The setting. A cathedral wedding inspires couples to look for beautiful historic churches, old halls and grand spaces for their own ceremonies.
- Flowers. Famous bouquets and floral arches are copied and adapted in countless weddings.
- The dress. Royal and celebrity wedding dresses have shaped bridal fashion for generations.
- The cake. Grand tiered cakes have their own history; see the wedding cake.
- The moment afterwards. A balcony appearance may be out of reach, but a first appearance as a married couple, greeted by cheering guests, is a joy at any scale.
Scale is not the point
For all their splendour, the most famous weddings share something with the smallest: two people making promises in front of people who care about them. A wedding for two on a beach, a family gathering in a garden and a ceremony watched by millions all rest on the same foundation.
That is worth remembering when wedding planning becomes overwhelming. It is easy to feel that a wedding must be bigger, grander or more perfect. Famous weddings are wonderful to watch, but the most meaningful details are usually personal: a reading chosen together, a family ring, a song that means something to the two of you.
Storybook ideas for your own day
If you love the romance of a great public wedding, there are many ways to bring a touch of it into your own:
- Marry in a historic church, chapel or cathedral city.
- Arrive in style, by horse-drawn carriage, vintage car or boat.
- Choose music with a sense of occasion for the processional and recessional.
- Plan a moment after the ceremony when guests can greet you together.
- Consider a castle or grand house for the celebration; see castle weddings.
And if the whole story starts with a question, the guide to proposing covers where, when and how to ask it.