Bees don’t just provide us with deliciously sweet honey for our cup of tea, they are also responsible for pollinating food crops across the entire planet. The humble bee works hard as our agricultural partner, and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are giving out a shout out to the industrious insect with their wedding flowers.
Kensington Palace announced that the royal couple has selected florist Philippa Craddock to head the floral arrangements. She’ll be using flowers from the Royal Gardens to decorate St. George’s Church. The Gardens will even supply wildflowers that are pollinator-friendly, which will attract bees to the beautiful arrangements. Even England’s bees are invited to the royal wedding!
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Craddock herself is a busy bee in the wedding floral world; Vanity Fair describes her as a “trendsetter.” Rather than use flowers from greenhouses, Craddock will use flowers that seasonally bloom outdoors in May. These flowers include white garden roses and bushy peonies, which should make for a very classic wedding look. In a statement, she said that “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.” Sourcing from the Royal Gardens and encouraging a visit from the bees certainly achieves those goals.
Craddock herself said that the process has been “highly collaborative,” so we’re assuming that Markle is having a hand in the decision. The flowers should pair nicely with the royal wedding cake: it’s a lemon elderflower cake with buttercream icing by pastry chef Claire Ptak, meant to complement the springtime aura. For this wedding, the royals are going all-out to enjoy the bounties of spring.
We can’t wait to see Markle’s dream come true in the floral arrangements. The bees will have to mind their manners and drink in moderation at the open bar. You can swoon over Craddock’s work below.