Dating services

The recent royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton was a magnificent occasion. The guest list ranged from the Queen, the royal family and other royal families, to well known couples such as Elton John and David Furnish and the Beckhams through to locals from Kate’s home village. Thanks to the extensive media coverage it was also a day that the public could also share in. This was also aided by the fact that an extra public holiday was granted in honour of the occasion. Organising a wedding favours those with the ability to plan well and in detail and the royal wedding was a prime example of excellent and precise military planning.

The bride looked absolutely beautiful and radiant in what has subsequently become known as “that dress”, designed by Sarah Burton, head designer at Alexander McQueen. The dress design incorporated the flowers of the four nations – the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock, as did the cake design. There were many pictures of the cake which was part of the champagne reception hosted by the Queen. However details for the evening reception were less publicised, but were sure to have been given the same attention to detail as earlier parts of the day.

One custom that the bride may well have chosen to incorporate for the evening reception is wedding favours. A tradition imported from Italy, wedding favours are given by the bride and groom to thank family and friends for sharing their day. With the general focus on tradition, it is probable that William and Kate would have chosen the traditional wedding favours of sugared almonds. However nowadays many couples may choose something more contemporary as wedding favours such as a handmade box which can then be filled with a piece of the wedding cake.

Wedding favours are a way for the bride and groom to give something special to each guest. In return guests can help capture memories by creating a wedding guest book. These are often organised by close family members rather than the bride and groom themselves. A wedding guest book allows everyone to write down a special message, whether it is a memory of a time they have shared in the past or simply congratulations and best wishes for the future. An extra touch can be to get the wedding guest book personalised with the names of the couple or even a picture of them on their wedding day. Alternatively a recent custom has been to get a couple of large plates and get guests to write a message on the plates which are then fired and given to the couple as a unique keepsake of their big day.

Personalised wedding gifts are also a great way of giving the bride and groom something that will simultaneously remind them of their big day but also of their relationship with you. Personalised wedding gifts can range from practical items such as jugs, platters and mugs to more decorative items such as photo frames. William and Kate asked for most of their wedding gifts to take the form of donations to charity but there were a number of commemorative items produced to mark the occasion. Such personalised wedding gifts included mugs and tea towels and will probably be treasured by their recipients for the rest of their lives.

The royal wedding was a very clever mix of a state occasion and a personal day. The bride and groom were clearly very much in love and it was their big day, as it is for any couple getting married. However as one member of the couple was royalty, it was also a day shared by the nation. The bride was closely involved in all aspects of the day from the decoration of the abbey to the music of the first dance. It is therefore sure that she incorporated many features of more normal weddings into her big day from wedding favours to well thought out seating plans.

The extra public holiday granted in honour of the wedding meant that the British public were able to help celebrate as well. From street parties to wedding guest books organised by internet sites, people were able to celebrate and send their own messages to the royal couple.

It was a massive state occasion, yet still a private celebration, which is what made it so special and helped make it such a success. The royal wedding epitomised much that is great about Britain – a wonderful pageant organised with military precision.

Learn more about wedding favours.