From Welsh gold rings to elaborate cakes: The fascinating royal wedding traditions – including two customs started by the Queen Mother more  than a century ago

While public participation and celebrations surrounding royal weddings have evolved over time, many traditional aspects have remained unchanged.

For instance, more than a century ago, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon – the future Queen Mother – established a longstanding royal tradition by placing her bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

Additionally, she became the first royal bride to receive a wedding ring crafted from pure Welsh gold, a practice subsequently adopted by every bride since.

Below, we explore some of the fascinating customs that have defined royal weddings throughout history.

Welsh gold wedding rings

The tradition of using Welsh gold in the wedding rings of the Royal Family dates back to 1923

The tradition of using Welsh gold in the wedding rings of the Royal Family dates back to 1923.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, wore a ring made from a gold nugget mined from the Clogau mine in Bontddu, Wales, when she tied the knot with the Duke of York, later King George VI.

Subsequently, wedding rings for Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and Diana, Princess of Wales were crafted from the same nugget.

One gramme of this original piece remains in the custody of the Privy Purse Office.

In November 1981, the Royal British Legion presented Queen Elizabeth II with a 36-gramme piece of 21 carat Welsh gold. 

It is now held by the Crown Jewellers and was used for the wedding rings of today’s royals, including Camilla Parker Bowles, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.

A sprig of myrtle

The royal tradition of carrying a sprig of myrtle in royal wedding bouquets started with Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. Above: Victoria, the Princess Royal, seen holding a sprig of myrtle on her wedding day in January 1858 with her parents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Several royal brides, such as Queen Elizabeth, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, have chosen to carry a sprig of myrtle in their bouquets. 

This tradition began with Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1858.

Myrtle, symbolising love, fertility and innocence, has been cultivated at Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s holiday home on the Isle of Wight, for around 170 years.

It was first presented to Queen Victoria in a posey by Prince Albert’s grandmother in 1845, and descendants of this plant still thrive in the house’s grounds today.

Queen Elizabeth II included myrtle in her wedding bouquet in 1947

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton and have chosen to carry a sprig of myrtle in their bouquets

Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

In 1923, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon established another wedding day tradition when she placed her bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.

The gesture honoured her brother, Fergus, who died at the Battle of Loos in 1915, and also paid tribute to the millions of others killed and injured in the First World War. 

As she entered Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth stopped to lay her flowers at the tomb before walking down the aisle.

Since then, many royal brides have adapted the tradition by instead placing their bouquets on the tomb as they depart the Abbey. 

Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie were among them.  

Princess Elizabeth’s wedding bouquet of orchids lying on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, 1947 

The tradition was established by her mother, Queen Elizabeth, formerly Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Above: Visitors examine Elizabeth’s bouquet, 1923. She was then the Duchess of York

Many royal brides have adapted the tradition, placing their bouquets on the tomb as they depart the Abbey

Orange blossom

For her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, Queen Victoria eschewed a tiara in favour of a wreath of orange blossom, an emblem of chastity.

Between 1839 and 1846, Albert gifted Victoria several pieces from an orange blossom parure, including earrings and a brooch, to mark significant occasions in their relationship. 

Additionally, on their first anniversary, the Prince presented his wife with an orange blossom wreath. 

Queen Victoria’s choice of floral emblem and white silk wedding dress set the standard for generations of Victorian brides. 

For her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, Queen Victoria eschewed a tiara in favour of a wreath of orange blossom, an emblem of chastity 

Princess Victoria, Princess Alice, Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess Beatrice and Princess Alexandra all incorporated orange blossom into their wedding attire.

This custom extended into the 20th century; Princess Mary of Teck, later Queen Mary, also adorned her dress with orange blossom. 

When Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the Duke of York, future King George VI, she wore an orange blossom wreath, featuring white roses of York.

Similarly, when Queen Elizabeth II wed the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947, orange blossom played a prominent role in her bridal look. 

The Queen’s dress featured a border of appliqued orange blossom along the hem, accented with transparent tulle edged in seed pearls and crystals. 

Queen Victoria’s choice of floral emblem and white silk wedding dress became the standard wedding attire for generations of Victorian brides, including Queen Alexandra (left) and Princess Beatrice (right)

Elaborate wedding cake 

Royal wedding cakes, often towering up to ten feet tall and adorned with decorations, are a notable highlight of the occasion.

Traditionally, an elaborate tiered fruitcake is the preferred choice for royal weddings.

However, rather than serving it during the wedding breakfast, it’s customary for guests to receive a slice by post after the event.

Standing up to ten feet tall, and garlanded with decorations, a royal wedding cake is often a highlight of the occasion. Above: The cake for the 1947 marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip; Sergeant Major David Dodd of the Army Catering Corps applies the finishing touches to the wedding cake for Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, 1973

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 1863. Their cake was elaborately iced and decorated with flowers

When Queen Victoria and Prince Albert married in 1840, they commissioned several cakes, including one nearly ten feet in diameter and weighing over 20 stones.

Decorated with ornate icing featuring orange blossom and myrtle sprigs, the cake was topped with figurines of the bride and groom, dressed in ancient Greek attire.

A century later, the cake for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s 1947 marriage stood nine feet tall and weighed an impressive 35 stones.

In 1999, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones opted for a ten-foot chocolate cake for their wedding breakfast, a masterpiece that reportedly took 515 hours to create. 

One of the cakes produced for the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as shown in a  hand-coloured lithograph

The wedding cake made by Linda Fripp for the marriage at Windsor Castle June 19, of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, 1999

Military regalia 

While Queen Victoria popularised the white wedding dress, Prince Albert also contributed to establishing a tradition. 

He opted to wear his military uniform and medals on their wedding day, setting a precedent for royal grooms to follow.

This choice reflected the military service that senior royal men undergo to hold military ranks throughout their public careers. 

Prince Philip wore his naval uniform when he married Queen Elizabeth. He served during the Second World War, with his active naval career ending in 1951. 

Prince William wore the Irish Guards Mounted Officers uniform, while Prince Harry chose the Blues and Royals.  

Prince Philip wore his naval uniform when he married Princess Elizabeth in 1947. He served during the Second World War, with his active naval career ending in 1951

Prince William wore the Irish Guards Mounted Officers uniform for his wedding in 2011, while Prince Harry chose the Blues and Royals

Official photographs

Royal weddings have long been commemorated through official photographs, typically captured between the ceremony and wedding reception.

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra’s wedding in 1863 marked the first use of photography as a reliable medium for recording such occasions. 

Many monochrome photographs were taken and later hand-coloured to resemble paintings.

In the early 20th century, postcards were a popular collectable, providing a means for the Royal Family to share events, such as royal weddings, with the public.

In more recent years, official group photographs of the bride and groom with the rest of the Royal Family have been taken to mark every wedding.  

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra’s wedding marked the first use of photography as a reliable medium for recording such occasions. Above: The future King and Queen on their wedding day in 1863

The wedding of the Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923

An official photo of the Royal Family taken to mark the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, July 1981

One of the official photographs taken to mark the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1947