Wedding of William and Catherine: Suggestions and Musings


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Interview of the florist in the Telegraph:

The six English field maples and two hornbeams, which are up to 20ft tall, arrived at the Abbey today as it prepared to close its doors to visitors for the wedding preparations to begin in earnest.

Shane Connolly, the florist chosen to decorate the Abbey, said he wanted to achieve a “wow” factor with the design, in which Miss Middleton played a hands-on role.

The aisle will be decked with native flowers filled with symbolism and grown on the royal estates after the bride-to-be told him: “It has to be British.”

He said: “Catherine is a dream client…like few other brides I've ever met. She has an incredibly good eye.

“Right from the beginning she wanted it to be English, natural, seasonal, ethical, and they're all my great keywords as well.”

Mr Connolly, 47, who is originally from Belfast and designed the bouquet and flowers for the Prince of Wales’s wedding to the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005, said he was told about the commission just before Christmas when St James’s Palace asked him to “pop in and discuss something”.
Since then he has held several meetings with Miss Middleton, who was joined at some of them by Prince William, who helped in “a nice and encouraging way”.
Mr Connolly said the bridal bouquet would remain a secret until the wedding day, but added that both he and the bride believed that "green is a very important thing".
The seasonal flowers being used in the displays include Solomon's seal, brought from Sandringham, which symbolises confirmation of love; azaleas, the Chinese symbol of femininity; lilacs, which represent first love, and blossoms, signifying spiritual beauty.
Other blooms being used include rhododendron, euphorbias, beech and wisteria, mostly from Windsor Great Park.
"One of the things that has been very important to Catherine and to me are the meanings of flowers and the language of flowers," Mr Connolly said.
"We've tried, especially in the wedding bouquets, which you'll see on the day, we've tried very much to make beautiful stories.
"The symbolism means a lot to her and also the sourcing has been hugely important.”
The English field maple symbolises humility and reserve, and was used to make loving cups in medieval times, while the hornbeam signifies resilience.
The trees will also evoke Miss Middleton’s home village of Bucklebury, Berks., where the family home lies on an avenue of oaks planted to commemorate a visit to the village by Queen Anne in the 17th century.
Mr Connolly said he hoped the Abbey would look "understated".
He added: "I think you can get wow in several ways and certainly it won't be 'wow, what an extravagance'. It will be 'how beautiful' and hopefully 'how perfectly suited to the day and the nature of the marriage'."
After the wedding, the flowers and trees will remain in situ for a week, where visitors to the Abbey will be able to enjoy them, before the trees are taken to the Prince of Wales’s Highgrove estate, where they will be planted as a permanent reminder of the day.
The team working alongside Mr Connolly includes the Middletons' local family florist, Emma Sampson, 27, who owns the florist Green Parlour in Bucklebury.
She said: "Catherine asked us herself and it was wonderful, I mean, what an honour to be asked to do such a fantastic event and use some amazing flowers hopefully as well."
The young florist said she would be assisting Mr Connolly with two large arrangements that are to be placed on either side of where the bride and groom will be sitting.
 
WOW! I can't say I expected real trees in the Abbey, but it sounds look it will be absolutely beautiful! And if the Prince of Wales gets bored he can always lean over and talk to one of them! ;)
 
The trees do look lovely..I can't wait to see the flowers. This looks like this is going to be gorgeous.
 
The trees are getting me excited now!
 
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Are the trees going to be on the actual aisle or on the perimeter of the Abbey? If it's on the actual abbey I would imagine some guests view would be blocked.
 
The trees do look lovely..I can't wait to see the flowers. This looks like this is going to be gorgeous.

From what I've been reading, it sounds like Kate really has had a hands-on approach with all of the flora and fauna for this wedding. I love how the trees will be planted at Highgrove after they're removed from the Abbey. Seems that she wants things to be very green, seasonal, British and every flower has some special meaning to it.

What is in her wedding bouquet is still very secret but now I'd not be one bit surprised if it contained "Sweet Williams". :)
 
It sounds beautiful- a forest glade!

(Expensive though; they don't seem to have skimped on the floral arrangements).
 
If I were marrying into Nobility neither would I.
What girl would?:flowers:
 
The trees do look lovely..I can't wait to see the flowers. This looks like this is going to be gorgeous.

I completely agree! I love that they are using living trees, both for the environmental element (they can later be replanted and keep living) and for how pretty the foliage is. So, so lovely.
 
:previous:Yes the church is nice enough to stand by itself but I don't see anything wrong with spicing it up and putting her touches, her personality, on it. I love nature and I don't think it's an overkill at all.
 
Sorry, but I find the trees to be overkill. Is the Abbey not beautiful enough? Did Kate not want to be married in a church?

That sounds like Prince Charles' contribution. I can't imagine Kate walked into the cathedral and claimed "What about living trees!", however I can certainly see Prince Charles doing that. After all, he is paying for the wedding and probably cringed at the thought of using cut flowers and greenery.
 
Trees were also used as part of the decorations at St Georges Chapel for Charles and Camilla's blessing. It's an unusual idea and certainly more "eco-friendly" as the trees will be replanted - so you get a huge floral/greenary impact with no waste!

I can understand what KittyAtlanta says because the Abbey is absolutely stunning. But it is a vast space with extremely high vaulted ceilings, and I think the uncomplicated simplicity of the trees will not distract from the architectural beauty of the abbey. If anything they will draw the eye upwards towards the ceiling.
 
WOW! I can't say I expected real trees in the Abbey, but it sounds look it will be absolutely beautiful! And if the Prince of Wales gets bored he can always lean over and talk to one of them! ;)

LMAO! :lol:
 
Sorry, but I find the trees to be overkill. Is the Abbey not beautiful enough? Did Kate not want to be married in a church?


Who knows, but, as long as she is getting married in such a grand church why not fill it with lovely meaningful flowers and breath taking trees. she wont please everyone so I hope she pleases herself and William.
 
Something just struck me about these living trees that will be a part of the deco for Westminster Abbey. Maybe in some aspect this is for William and Kate another silent tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales.

From what I've read on the subject, leading up to the Oval island where Diana is interred, there is an arboretum where both William and Harry planted trees both as children and after their mother's passing. One source I've read somewhere online reported that 36 tress were planted in 1997, one for each year of Diana's life.

Trees can make such a wonderful living remembrance of any occasion that is important and it doesn't surprise me in the least that William and Kate are doing this. Everything going into this wedding has been given a lot of thought by both the bride and the groom so I really have to believe that there's reasons behind the trees.

"The pair also visited an ancient arboretum where William and Prince Harry planted trees as children."

Read more: Prince William Takes Kate Middleton to Visit Diana’s Grave at Althorp - TIME NewsFeed
 

Although it looks more elaborate than a normal bun, I doubt she would be getting her hair formally done for the wedding, it's possible it could be a practice look. I thought her hairdresser and confirmed that she will be wearing it down for the wedding. But who knows.

A few things from this article. The pics show her and Pippa leaving their home to drive to London for the final time for the wedding. Also, it shows William driving away earlier and it said he had spent Easter Sunday with the Middleton's and wanted to spend as much time with them as possible before the big day. I imagine this is to help ease them and perhaps himself with the nerves of the big day, not to mention tying up loose ends with the wedding details.

It also states that he brought a big brown wrapped package with him....I know it's speculation and we will probably never know what was in the package, but I would like to think it is either some of his mother's jewels he has picked for her to wear, or perhaps a tiara!

This is getting really exciting now! :D
 
Does everything have to be about Diana?

Actually by my post about the trees its more William and Kate incorporating what is meaningful to them in their wedding day. I would be very surprised if there weren't gentle reminders of his mother throughout the entire day but with no one person being "singled out" as more important than the other.

This couple has obviously put a LOT of thought and planning into each detail of this wedding and of course they are going to make it as memorable for everyone around them as much as they are for themselves.

The trees may be not only symbolic of what they stand for but also a part of life that William remembers vividly as planting at certain moments in his lifetime. That they will be planted after the ceremony at Highgrove again tells me these trees have significance in meaning.

So its not about Diana.. its about William's memory of Diana.
 
It also states that he brought a big brown wrapped package with him....I know it's speculation and we will probably never know what was in the package, but I would like to think it is either some of his mother's jewels he has picked for her to wear, or perhaps a tiara!

This is getting really exciting now! :D[/QUOTE]


Yes it is getting exciting , Every one is hoping a tiara was in the brown box. Could have been Easter Eggs. Like you said we will never know whats in the box.
 
It also states that he brought a big brown wrapped package with him....I know it's speculation and we will probably never know what was in the package, but I would like to think it is either some of his mother's jewels he has picked for her to wear, or perhaps a tiara!

This is getting really exciting now! :D


Yes it is getting exciting , Every one is hoping a tiara was in the brown box. Could have been Easter Eggs. Like you said we will never know whats in the box.[/QUOTE]

Actually I am revising the tiara idea. By this point if she is wearing one, she laready has been loaned or given one. The Tiara is an integral part in fitting with the design of the wedding dress for a Royal bride, so I can't imagine that she would just be getting one now.
 
Yes it is getting exciting , Every one is hoping a tiara was in the brown box. Could have been Easter Eggs. Like you said we will never know whats in the box.

Actually I am revising the tiara idea. By this point if she is wearing one, she laready has been loaned or given one. The Tiara is an integral part in fitting with the design of the wedding dress for a Royal bride, so I can't imagine that she would just be getting one now.[/QUOTE]

I have to agree with you here. If the tiara she is planning to wear all day of her wedding day is one of the "heavier" ones, she would most likely have wanted to wear it for a while to just get used to it along with having it figured into what hairstyle she would wear to support such a tiara.

I'd think by now anything Kate is wearing is a done deal with perhaps just last minute adjustments and such to be done. Who knows about the little brown box? It could be something that William wants Carole to slip into what Kate packs to take to the hotel with her for all we know. :D
 
I had a differing thought, Osipi. I immediately thought that the trees and other living plants would go a long way to creating a different feel in the south nave than what existed during Diana's funeral (which was gorgeous indeed, but much the way the Abbey always looks but with the addition of stunning flowers on the altar). And, yes, KittyAtlanta, the Abbey is very beautiful just the way it is, but under the circumstances, this is a celebration of life, and if it were me, I would want to try and keep my husband from experiencing too many reminders of a very sad time in his life on a day that he should be looking ahead to a whole new life. Just a thought....
 
Actually I am revising the tiara idea. By this point if she is wearing one, she laready has been loaned or given one. The Tiara is an integral part in fitting with the design of the wedding dress for a Royal bride, so I can't imagine that she would just be getting one now.

I can't imagine taking an expensive, irreplaceable piece of jewelry out of BP into the country, only so that Catherine can bring it back later in the week. I'd say it was more likely a gift for her or for her parents.
 
I had a differing thought, Osipi. I immediately thought that the trees and other living plants would go a long way to creating a different feel in the south nave than what existed during Diana's funeral (which was gorgeous indeed, but much the way the Abbey always looks but with the addition of stunning flowers on the altar). And, yes, KittyAtlanta, the Abbey is very beautiful just the way it is, but under the circumstances, this is a celebration of life, and if it were me, I would want to try and keep my husband from experiencing too many reminders of a very sad time in his life on a day that he should be looking ahead to a whole new life. Just a thought....

I really like your thoughts on this too. I can remember when the couple first got engaged and the thought that the Abbey might not be the venue because of Diana's funeral there in 1997 and that St. Paul's was probably out because of the ill-fated marriage there in 1981 even.

I do think this wedding ceremony will be totally William and Kate and whatever reasons they do things, it has meaning for the both of them. Although I do think that William now can look back happily at the time he did share with his mother and as he gave Kate her ring, she is going to be very much in his thoughts on his wedding day, you're totally right about this being a celebration of life and growth and moving onwards.
 
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