What does the wedding look like in society two decades after the 21st century? Well, according to Tatler, “You are now as likely to see a dachshund potter with a tiara in the hallway as you are to find mood-enhancing party goodies in a good bag on your dining room chair. “Older bridesmaids are perfectly acceptable too. But that is not all …
The invitations
As Tatler notes, the so-called “stiff” – by which they mean the piece of white card too thick to fold in half and use as a bookmark – on which the bride’s titled parents request your participation is not necessarily the plus of the wedding of the upper class no more. These days guests shouldn’t be surprised to receive something crazier that demonstrates the couple’s “funny” personalities: it could be 3D; it could even be inflatable. You can’t bookmark it, especially if it’s in the form of a wedding website.
The guest list
“Tactical invitations still prevail, whether for social or business purposes,” advises Tatler. But the bride’s parents can no longer use their daughter’s big day as an excuse to forge alliances with local or less local aristocrats and dignitaries.
“Weddings were historically planned by the mother of the bride and the bride and groom were little gamblers,” says Johnny Roxburgh, who has organized several parties for the queen, as well as Prince William’s 21st birthday celebration. “It was a kind of parent who said, ‘We had this kid and we managed to find someone who wouldn’t scare the horses into marrying them and it’s our turn to show off.’ Now that is not the case. It is much more focused on the bride and groom doing the things themselves. There are [the event] a younger inclination. “
The payment
Before the pandemic, these were often well in the hundreds. “The numbers last year were still astronomical,” says Roxburgh. “Six hundred to seven hundred people.” But this year has necessarily seen the rise of the secret and small society wedding. For example, Prince Harry’s former flame, Cressida Bonas, married real estate developer Harry Wentworth-Stanley last month in an intimate ceremony in the countryside in Cowdray Park, West Sussex. Princess Beatrice also had a downsized wedding when she married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in Windsor last month with the Queen in attendance.
The wedding dress
No longer has to be classic or even white. When Lady Gabriella Windsor married Thomas Kingston last year, she wore a pale pink dress by Luisa Beccaria. Flower embroidery and color are acceptable, no welcome – see Society Brides Poppy Delevingne and Princess Maria Von Thurn und Taxis. Outfit changes during the day (or days) are common, but so is a dress that is versatile and dazzling enough to get the bride from the ceremony to the disco.
The clothes of the guests
The mother of the bride or groom no longer needs to wear a hat if she doesn’t want to. This does not mean a shift in the direction of dressing up, but rather a shift in the direction of your own version of smart. “People still like to dress in their splendor,” says Riddell. “At social weddings there will always be a dress code, but it doesn’t have to be tails, it could be a nice Savile Row suit, a statement [such as] a flower presentation on a guest’s wrist or a beautiful designer dress. It doesn’t have to be a specific length or style. Everything about the high-end weddings is unique and individual. “
