Weddings say a lot about people. They're basically physical manifestations of a couple's favorite colors, foods, fashion, and people — depending on who they invite. Considering all that, it's no surprise that the royal weddings have actually revealed a lot about the members of the royal family over the years — especially as the ceremonies started being broadcast around the world for all to see.
Even before televised wedding specials, though, people paid attention to the royals' big days. Then-Princess Elizabeth's wedding in 1947, for example, was broadcast on the radio for people to listen to. That doesn't sound quite the same as it was to watch Princess Diana's dramatic train glide down the aisle on TV, but people made do with what they had back then.
From Queen Victoria to Princess Beatrice (who recently essentially eloped in a small, private ceremony for health and safety reasons), here's everything we've learned about the royals from their nuptials.
Queen Victoria Started the White Wedding Dress Trend
The bride wearing white on her big day was a trend popularized by Queen Victoria in 1840, according to Vanity Fair. Prior to her ceremony, most brides wore brightly colored dresses that they could re-use for other functions. Victoria wanted a white dress to highlight the lace detailing — and a fashion trend was born.
Princess Elizabeth Was Super Thrifty for Her Ceremony
Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip took place when British citizens were still having to ration everything from food to fabric, thanks to World War II. Elizabeth actually bought her dress using ration coupons that she'd saved up. And she's not the only royal who chose to be thrifty for their wedding day.
The Royals Are All About Hand-Me-Downs
One thrifty way royals save money for their ceremonies is by using family jewels and even family gowns. Modern brides wear tiaras from the Queen's collection, and both Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton's engagement rings came from Princess Diana's jewelry collection. And Princess Beatrice took things a step further by wearing one of the Queen's old dresses for her big day.
Diana Was So Nervous, She Got Charles' Name Wrong
During her vows, Diana flipped two of Charles' names around and called him Phillip Charles Arthur George instead of Charles Phillip Arthur George. Expecting anyone to remember four names is kind of a lot, though, so we'll cut her some slack. Charles just had to say "Diana Frances" — no last name or anything!
Prince Charles Pretty Much Foreshadowed His Divorce From Princess Diana
We should have known things would go wrong for Charles and Diana when he forgot to kiss her after they exchanged vows. Major whoops on that one. It's actually part of why they later kissed on the Buckingham Palace balcony — which kicked off a new trend for royal weddings. Eh, win some, lose some.
Kate Middleton Is Basically a Makeup Artist
It didn't matter that millions of people were going to be watching her ceremony, Kate Middleton was perfectly comfortable doing her own makeup for the big day. That takes some serious confidence, since she knew she was going to be on camera and broadcast all over the world. She did a great job, though.
Kate Let Her Sister Shine
Major props also go to Kate for being willing to let her sister Pippa Middleton kind of upstage her during the ceremony. Kate had to have seen her in that slinky white bridesmaid dress, and she must have known it was going to cause a stir. But Kate seemingly didn't mind the attention Pippa was going to get because the soon-to-be duchess was just focused on marrying her prince.
Harry & Will Made Sure They Wouldn't Sweat
Royal men traditionally wear their formal military uniforms to their weddings, but they're not made of breathable material. William made sure he wouldn't have pit stains on his big day by adding sweat pads to absorb any nervous perspiration. It's likely that Harry followed suit when dressing for his own wedding.
William & Kate Make Charity a Priority
The Cambridges are so dedicated to their charitable causes that they made sure to have people donate to those in need in lieu of sending wedding gifts. The charity fund they established helped raise $1.7 million for charity, which is way better than getting another toaster or salad spinner from a registry.
Prince Charles Is Basically a DJ
In 2020, Prince Charles revealed his passion for putting together classical music playlists. "I love trying to organize some interesting, I hope, pieces of music for certain occasions … particularly for weddings if people want," he said, adding that he did that for William's wedding. "I know my eldest son was quite understanding and was perfectly happy for me to suggest a few pieces for their wedding."
It's just so cute to imagine Charles making his son a wedding mixtape.
They Have So Many Celebrity Friends
The younger royals, in particular, have plenty of A-list friends. Even before Meghan Markle brought her Hollywood address book to the table, people like David and Victoria Beckham, Elton John, and Ellie Goulding attended William and Kate's nuptials. Then for Meghan and Harry's wedding, people including Oprah and George Clooney showed up.
They Have Expensive Taste in Wedding Cakes
The royal couples have a lot of guests to feed cake, but their wedding cake prices still do seem pretty high. Meghan and Harry's reportedly cost $4,200, while Princess Eugenie's was around $10,000, and Prince William and Kate Middleton had two cakes that supposedly each cost $80,000. Yep, that's right. Each.
...And the Traditional Wedding Cake Flavor Sounds Gross to Many
Traditionally, wedding cakes in the UK are fruitcakes, which sounds pretty strange to any American who has heard jokes about how gross fruitcake is their whole life. Perhaps that's why Meghan Markle broke with tradition and went with a lemon elderflower sponge cake. That sounds much more sophisticated and delicious.
Meghan & Kate's Bouquets Were Poisonous
Many modern royal brides have had lily of the valley in their bouquets, including Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Princess Eugenie. And as pretty as it looks, it's also poisonous. Hopefully no one in the wedding party spent too long with the flowers — especially all the young bridesmaids.
Several Royal Women Had Feminist Vows
Beginning with Princess Diana in her wedding to Prince Charles, the promise "to obey" section of the bride's vows has been removed in ceremonies. Both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle also omitted the term from their vows. Why? Likely it's because it's modern day and women don't have to obey anyone.
