Meghan Markle’s Wedding Bouquet Will Likely Follow Tradition With A Twist

Meghan Markle’s love of flowers isn’t a secret. The former “Suits” star’s Instagram page is filled with photos of her favorites, from sunflowers to orchids and roses. But fans shouldn’t expect her wedding bouquet to go completely outside the bounds of the royal norm come her wedding to Britain’s Prince Harry next year.

From sharing pictures of her bridesmaid bouquet at a friend’s wedding to quick snaps of the blooms she was gifted, flowers were always present on Markle’s Instagram account before her last post in April. In a 2014 update, Markle even revealed that “flower” was the nickname gifted to her as a young girl by her mother, Doria Ragland.

While the posts always differed, one theme remained constant: it was clear Markle was a true fan of flowers, especially peonies. However, that doesn’t mean her beloved blooms will take center stage in her wedding bouquet.

Markle appears to be taking royal traditions seriously since announcing her engagement to Prince Harry, and a big tradition among royal brides is putting a sprig of myrtle from the garden of Queen Victoria in their bouquet.

Brides, including Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry’s sister-in-law, have all carried on the tradition since it began in 1840 with the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, so it is likely Markle will do the same.

While royal brides are allowed to include other flowers in their arrangement, Town and County magazine has suggested Prince Harry’s future wife could follow Middleton’s path by paying tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, and including Lily of the Valley. Princess Diana’s bouquet featured the flower during her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles.

If Markle decides to follow suit, she won’t have to completely ditch her beloved peonies. She will, however, have to make sure her flowers are all-white.

Society florist Jane Packer, who designed for Sarah Ferguson’s 1986 wedding to the Duke of York, told The Telegraph in 2011 that royal brides are “guided” to pick flowers that “accentuate rather than distract” from their gowns, stating, “Protocol dictates that for an occasion such as this, the bouquet will be all-white.”