Royal Wedding Watch: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will Buck Tradition with a High-Fashion Florist

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have broken with tradition yet again by opting for a fashionable central London-based florist to dress St. George’s Chapel and St. George’s Hall on their wedding day. While Kate and William followed in Prince Charles’ footsteps by choosing Royal Warrant holder Shane Connolly to fill Westminster Abbey with an avenue of trees, Harry and Meghan have opted for Philippa Craddock, the palace said Sunday.

Known in the industry as a trend setter, whom Tatler described as “a floral mastermind,” Craddock claims to be able to create any bride’s dream from “a secret garden in a palace” to “an outdoor botanical romance” promising clients “We will make it happen… and most importantly ensure that you are centre stage on the day.” Royal Watch can reveal that Markle has been taking the lead with regards to her bridal bouquets. Prince Harry’s fiancée met with the Queen at Windsor in February to discuss the wedding arrangements and the monarch offered the services of the palace staff who are used to dressing the chapel and the state rooms. Markle and Harry instead opted for Craddock whose fair-trade designs are favored by some of the world’s leading fashion houses. In a statement issued Sunday, Kensington Palace said that Craddock “will direct a team, including florists from St George’s Chapel and Buckingham Palace, to create the displays at St George’s Chapel and for St George’s Hall.”

Markle is known to adore flowers. When she was a single actress living in Toronto she would treat herself to weekly seasonal blooms which she would arrange in vintage jugs around her apartment and post on Instagram. With a fondness for peonies, the spring time flowers are likely to feature prominently together with other seasonal foliage. Flowers from the royal estate will also be included in the blooms.

“Meghan has been very hands on with all elements of the wedding, but especially the flowers,” says a royal source. “She met with the Queen and some of her staff at Windsor back in February to have some early discussions about what could be done at the church and at the receptions in terms of flowers. She seemed to have a pretty clear idea of what she wanted then. It was lots of spring time whites and pastels and very romantic flowers. I would say her vision was very fashionable and fairy tale if you know what I mean.”

Craddock is also an expert at dressing marquees which will be useful because Harry and Meghan’s evening wedding reception on May 19 will take place in a purpose-built marquee in the grounds of Frogmore House. Speaking about being chosen for the coveted commission of the royal wedding, Craddock said: “I am excited and honored to have been chosen by Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle to design and create their wedding flowers. Working with them has been an absolute pleasure. The process has been highly collaborative, free-flowing, creative and fun. The final designs will represent them as a couple, which I always aim to achieve in my work, with local sourcing, seasonality and sustainability being at the forefront.”