Harry and Meghan: Royal Wedding Miscellanea

[Heavs]

Originally Posted by Zaira

I am confused as to why anyone would think this is a big deal. Every major chef [or florist, or designer, etc] in the UK probably sent in offers or proposals that staff filtered before the couple even gave any consideration. Oliver isn't alone in rejection, to be sure.

I think both Jamie Oliver and Meghan can tend to bring out some strong reactions sometimes both positive and negative.

[Soula]

Originally Posted by Heavs

I think both Jamie Oliver and Meghan can tend to bring out some strong reactions sometimes both positive and negative.

That is so true.

[Zaira]

Originally Posted by Heavs

I think both Jamie Oliver and Meghan can tend to bring out some strong reactions sometimes both positive and negative.

I confess I am not much of a Jamie Oliver fan myself

[W.Y.CII]

Zaira, I have to say I am not his fans, too.

I just realize that Clare Smyth, who has 2 Michelin stars, got the offer for the wedding's catering. BTW she had been worked for Gordon Ramsay for a quite long time. MAYBE JO doesn't feel good about that.

[Lilyflo]

Originally Posted by Rudolph

Whether the story about Jamie Oliver is true or not , I certainly think a ‘celebrity wedding’ would be right up Meghan’s alley. I think there were a lot of corners she had to cut to bring it into BRF standards, but given free reign it would have been a monstrosity.

Everyone marrying into the BRF has to adhere to certain traditions for the wedding so that's not unique to Meghan. Which corners do you think she had to cut?

Could you also elaborate on how you think the wedding would have been a monstrosity if she'd had free reign?

[jacqui24]

I have to confess that I don’t know much about Jamie Oliver, other than he’s another celebrity chef, to know why this is a big deal? But it seems odd that people are making mountains out of molehill about someone not getting to cater the wedding?

[Marlo]

Maybe Harry and Meghan wanted to give others a chance when Jamie is already well-established. He needs to get over it.

[Heavs]

Originally Posted by jacqui24

I have to confess that I don’t know much about Jamie Oliver, other than he’s another celebrity chef, to know why this is a big deal? But it seems odd that people are making mountains out of molehill about someone not getting to cater the wedding?

I don't think it's a big deal in the slightest but I think it's partly because as expected everything has gone quiet on the actual news front for a while. And it doesn't necessarily apply to this thread but the Mirror knew it would get clicks/reaction for JO in a way some other well known chefs wouldn't.

[Ista]

I honestly don't think most people care who Harry and Meghan had cater their wedding reception, so this is a publicity stunt for JO, and a chance to ratchet up the outrage-o-meter for the Mirror. We're in the slow royal news cycle, so I won't be surprised if there's more of this kind of silliness until the royals get back to work after the Christmas holidays.

[Fijiro]

IMHO, I do not think that the Queen and Prince Charles would be asking Harry and Meghan for catering choices.
The Queen was the host of the Wedding Luncheon, so I would think the Queen and her staff chose the caterer for that event. and Prince Charles who was the host of the evening reception, also chose the caterer for that event.
Also, Jamie was not the only person not to be selected; there must've been many caterers, florists, designers, etc. who offered their services and were not selected, not only for this wedding, but also for all the other weddings.
Plus, the Royals are not supposed to accept freebies.

[Osipi]

OK. Here's my take on #foodgate.

Once Harry and Meghan announced their engagement, we had several reports of different designers sending their designs for a wedding dress to Kensington Palace in hopes that Meghan would pick them. What it did was garner publicity for those designers that went public with this little fact. I would imagine that KP received quite a few submissions for everything from the dress to the flowers to the food and drinks.

I actually read the article and also remembered what I had read elsewhere around the time of the wedding. The chef for the Windsor reception was the Queen's head chef Mark Flanagan and Harry and Meghan were very involved with the food choices and even where the food came from. They wanted to use as much "home grown" as they possibly could. There were tastings and discussions and choices were made. The thing is that Mark was "on scene" and available every step of the way. Hiring someone from "outside" or even the whacked notion Jamie Oliver had of a slew of American and British chefs would never have been able to involve the bridal couple as much as using the "home" chef in the first place.

I found the article that tells more about how the food was planned. As much as Meghan is a "foodie" and loves to cook herself, I'm not surprised one bit that she would be involved in every dish that was served to their guest at the reception. Its not being American or being an actress but its being a bride and groom that wanted to plan each bit of their wedding day.

https://www.royal.uk/inside-royal-ki...windsor-castle

[Gawin]

Originally Posted by Rudolph

Whether the story about Jamie Oliver is true or not , I certainly think a ‘celebrity wedding’ would be right up Meghan’s alley. I think there were a lot of corners she had to cut to bring it into BRF standards, but given free reign it would have been a monstrosity.

I doubt anyone would choose a wedding by BRF standards, stage-managed for public consumption as they are. I just finished reading an article about the wedding of Prince George Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece. Marina, of course, was Greek Orthodox, and when it was suggested that the Orthodox church take part in the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, officials within the Church of England objected:

"Douglas's objections to the idea of a joint ceremony in Westminster Abbey is based on the belief that it would tend to make the whole thing look ridiculous in the eyes of the Congregation and the public. At a Greek Orthodox Marriage Service the Bride and Bridegroom have to do things which in the eyes of the ordinary Britisher would appear somewhat ridiculous, e.g. wear a sort of crown, carry a candle, drink a glass of wine, walk around a table and so on. Prince George would, I think, have the strongest objections to doing those these things in the presence of the whole assembled aristocracy of the country. The whole thing would border on the ridiculous."

So even the purple-blooded Princess Marina was forced to adjust to BRF "standards," in order to make her wedding more palatable and less "ridiculous" to the British public.

Source: Edward Owens. "All the World Loves a Lover: Monarchy, Mass Media and the 1934 Royal Wedding of Prince George and Princess Marina," The English Historical Review, June 2018, vol. 133, no. 562, pp. 597-633 at 617.

[Ish]

The debate about whether or not Meghan is genuine or sincere has been deleted as off topic. Please keep this thread on the wedding.

Posters are reminded to keep things on topic and remain respectful of each other.

[MARG]

As Lilyflo so pithily reminded us, there is no such thing as a free lunch and with JO being a bit of a jester, I wouldn't mind betting that if the subject of the wedding catering was raised at all, it would have been a throwaway fun "what if" conversation.

You only have to see the comments about Meghan not being allowed to make the wedding a celebrity horror to know that many people have played the "what if" game with different aspects of the wedding.

Originally Posted by Rudolph

Whether the story about Jamie Oliver is true or not , I certainly think a ‘celebrity wedding’ would be right up Meghan’s alley. I think there were a lot of corners she had to cut to bring it into BRF standards, but given free reign it would have been a monstrosity.

Actually, I don't think she and Harry did. As Osipi reminded us, the reception was hosted by HM and the evening reception, by the Prince of Wales. I would imagine that in both cases they would have offered H&M a selection from the chefs and that would be that.

Weddings are stressful and as a lowly bridesmaid, I can say, with the virtue of over forty years hindsight, the runup was a nightmare! There is more than enough angst to go around without adding more. That is definitely "I'll have a double Café-Mocha-Vodka-Valium Latte Venti to go territory, and, as my dear old nan used to say, don't bother trouble and trouble won't bother you.

In reality, H&M didn't really have to worry about anything but the flowers and the Bridal party. There were zero worries about inedible food, undrinkable wine or cocktails. The royal crew are the experts the best of the UK. The only divergence from "Normal UK" wedding was a quintessential US type of wedding cake, and that caused more than enough clutching of pearls and waving of fans!

[Osipi]

Actually, it was Fijiro that pointed out who the hosts of the receptions were and not me.

As we know that Harry and Meghan spent time in Windsor and grew to love the area, it doesn't surprise me in the least that they would look to the master chef of Windsor Castle to prepare the foods. This is a chef with experience galore doing grand dining from visiting heads of state to all the dining that the Queen hosts during Ascot week. This is a crew that can, as us Americans quip a lot, "get 'er done" and provide flawless dining. Who better to know how to prepare and create dishes from the fresh ingredients selected from different areas of the UK that are known for their produce?

It all fit together exactly how the bride and groom wished it to be. I think I can honestly say I don't believe that there was a hunt to choose who would cater the wedding. It was more of a case of knowing that they had the best for what they wanted to do available to them right under their noses.

[MaiaMia_53]

It's interesting how talk of the royal wedding in May 2018 is still going on. I recently realized that Misha Nonoo was sitting in the quire section with oil heir, Michael Hess (I posted about this in the H&M wedding church service). Nonoo was so low key, I didn't notice her or see any pictures or videos of her walking in. It was only in rechecking the seating chart that I realized Misha was there. Possibly Violet von Westenholz (rumored to have played a role in the matchmaking) was there too, sitting somewhere in the nave on the down-low.

In other news, Bishop Curry was one of the clergy who presided at Bush Sr's funeral, and Curry has also written a book, unsurprisingly titled: The Power of Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFTuyczAMXw

[jacqui24]

Originally Posted by MaiaMia_53

It's interesting how talk of the royal wedding in May 2018 is still going on. I recently realized that Misha Nonoo was sitting in the quire section with oil heir, Michael Hess (I posted about this in the H&M wedding church service). Nonoo was so low key, I didn't notice her or see any pictures or videos of her walking in. It was only in rechecking the seating chart that I realized Misha was there. Possibly Violet von Westenholz (rumored to have played a role in the matchmaking) was there too, sitting somewhere in the nave on the down-low.
]

Misha was in the same general area as Markus Anderson. Violet von Westenholz was definitely there, but she was seated in the Nave. I remember seeing a picture of Violet at the wedding.

[MaiaMia_53]

Originally Posted by jacqui24

Misha was in the same general area as Markus Anderson. Violet von Westenholz was definitely there, but she was seated in the Nave. I remember seeing a picture of Violet at the wedding.

Yes, but I never noticed Violet nor Misha walking in when I watched in real time. Obviously, the majority of U.S. news channels did not know who all the guests were. Some of the British commentators employed by U.S. networks were occasionally able to mention Who was Who at times, when they could get a word in edgewise. However, it was usually the more well known, well-heeled guests who were mentioned and they were readily recognizable. It was the lesser known guests that needed a bit of identification. I'm sure some guests did not want to be noticed though, and may not have walked in by the cameras.

I now realize where Misha was sitting, as I have viewed the seating chart and corresponding photos. Misha was sitting in the first row far end away from the altar, while Markus was in the back row middle section.

Here's a pic of Violet with friends. This is the first photo I have seen of Violet in connection with the royal wedding:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/...iolet-vestety/

[MaiaMia_53]

This is just too cute. For anyone who enjoys this kind of thing:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...519-story.html (video included of doll's unveiling right after the wedding)

Here's the Ashton Drake page:
https://www.ashtondrake.com/products...porcelain.html

Quite clearly the porcelain face on the Meghan doll on the above order page is not the same as on the actual doll, revealed in the video attached to the linked article. I don't know if/when they ever revealed the Prince Harry doll in wedding military outfit, as they had to completely redo his outfit, thinking he would be wearing a different Blues & Royals uniform.

Here's a Franklin Mint vinyl doll repainted to resemble a Meghan bridal doll. The dress looks to be better fitted than on the Ashton Drake version. Details are provided by the seller:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...oll-1938211193

A Danbury Mint porcelain Meghan bridal doll:
https://www.danburymint.com/prod/934...han-Bride-Doll (the face shown is not how it will look on the actual doll)

A Bradford Exchange porcelain figurine Meghan wedding doll:
https://www.bradfordexchange.com/pro...ampaign=Criteo

In addition, there are these keepsake items available, only for those who enjoy such memorabilia:
https://www.royalcollectionshop.co.u...ive-plate.html (likely a small-sized plate)
https://www.bradfordexchange.com/pro...collector.html This is really the nicest one
https://www.zazzle.com/prince_harry_...68823901954049 (various selections)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/5897138...-meghan-markle the picture on this plate is NOT Prince Harry, it's Ed Sheeran!
https://www.ebay.com/i/323591565602?chn=ps This is a small plate (on Amazon it goes for $12.99)

https://www.pinterest.com/marilynfbs...jensen-artist/
Meghan paper doll by Cory Jensen (the legs are a bit too thick )

And by Eileen Rudisill Miller:
https://www.pinterest.com/robertahetz/meghan-markle/ (scroll down)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsnb_LdCo6Y

[Fijiro]

BBC wins TV ratings for the Royal Harry/Meghan Wedding, as the most watched -

Royal Wedding coverage wins TV award – Royal Central