Why Green? The Meaning Behind the Color Coordination in the Official Royal Wedding Portraits
The royal family’s official portrait from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s wedding on Saturday was color coordinated to perfection.
In the photograph, which features Meghan and Prince Harry posing together in the center surrounded by their family members, the color green was a main theme scattered throughout the shot to pull the whole portrait together.
The family stood together in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle after the couple’s fairy tale carriage procession, for the historic shot by fashion photographer, Alexi Lubomirski. Meghan and her bridal party’s bouquets of flowers complemented the regal green wall paper behind them.
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The wedding bouquet was done in the “gentle, ethereal, relaxed” style, according to a statement from the palace. A variety of flowers were included: scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle all bound with a naturally dyed, raw silk ribbon.
The sprigs of myrtle are a royal tradition. They come from stems in the gardens at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, first planted by Queen Victoria in 1845. The sprigs in Meghan’s bouquet come from a plant grown from the same myrtle used in Queen Elizabeth’s wedding bouquet in 1947.
Prince Harry picked several flowers from the couple’s private garden at their home at Kensington Palace. He gave them to florist Philippa Craddock to be added to her bespoke bridal bouquet.
The arrangement also featured a tribute to Princess Diana, Harry’s mother: the inclusion of Forget-Me-Nots, Diana’s favorite flowers. According to the palace, the use of the Forget-Me-Nots was intentional to honor Diana’s memory on the couple’s wedding day.
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The color green was incorporated into Queen Elizabeth and mother-of-the-bride Doria Ragland‘s wedding ensembles, too.
The Queen was one of the last to arrive at the castle before Meghan made her way down the aisle and dressed in a “delicately flared dress in lime, lemon. purple and gray printed silk,” as described by British bridal designer Stewart Parvin. The coat, also created by Stewart Parvin, is an edge-to-edge design with a fastening in lime silk tweed.
Meanwhile, the mother-of-the-bride matched her, wearing a custom pale green dress and day coat designed by the creative directors of Oscar de la Renta, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim. She completed the look with nude heels by Aquazzura and a custom Stephen Jones hat.
Even Pippa Middleton sported the hue (not pictured in the family portrait), hilariously drawing comparisons to a can of Arizona green tea in her long-sleeve mint dress with a drop waist, pleated blush skirt and floral designs.
