The mere fact that it was held in the era of COVID-19 in front of only 30 people means that Princess Beatrice’s royal wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi was one of a kind.
A far cry from Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and her sister Princess Eugenie’s lavish nuptials in 2011 and 2018, Beatrice’s wedding was understated and brimming with sentimental touches.
But given the lack of flashing cameras, live news coverage and throngs of royal-obsessed fans swarming outside, the public hasn’t had the unfettered access its grown used to when it comes to royal weddings. In fact, you could say there’s even an element of mystery.
But, because we love to know all the intimate and unknown details of weddings, we’ve dug into all the details you may have missed from the day.
From her recycled shoes to the sweet poem read during the ceremony, here, everything to know about Beatrice and Edoardo’s big day.
And the bride wore vintage
In what may very well be a royal first, Princess Beatrice chose not to wear a custom gown and instead wore a dress that originally belonged to her grandmother, The Queen. The Norman Hartnell dress—made of peau de soie taffeta and organza, and trimmed with Duchess satin—was first worn by The Queen in 1962 to the premiere of Lawrence of Arabia.
Princess Beatrice reportedly worked with The Queen’s personal dresser Angela Kelly to make adjustments for the day, which included adding delicate puff sleeves and refitting it.
Actually, the bride wore vintage head to toe
Not only was Princess Beatrice’s dress vintage, but her shoes were also recycled. Although hard to spot under her dress, the princess wore a pair of sparkling Valentino pumps we originally wore to Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding in 2011. Check them out below.
Princess Beatrice’s Valentino shoes.
She also wore her grandmother’s tiara
While she definitely had plenty to choose from, Princess Beatrice’s choice of wedding tiara was especially sentimental. She opted for Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, which The Queen wore on her own wedding day in 1947. The tiara, composed of 47 diamond spires on a kokoshnik-style arced band, was also worn by Princess Anne for her wedding in 1973.
Her wedding band broke royal tradition
It cannot be said that the British royal family doesn’t love a tradition as they have one for almost everything—including wedding bands. For more than a century, all royal wedding bands have been made from the same lump of Welsh gold, and are usually thin, plain bands. Beatrice’s family members—including Princess Eugenie, her mother, her grandmother, and cousins-in-law, Kate and Meghan—all have this same ring.
However, Beatrice opted for a slightly glitzier route. British jeweller Shaun Leane, who designed her engagement ring (pictured), confirmed he designed her wedding band as well. A “stunning platinum and diamond design,” Leane said the band “fuses Victorian and Art Deco aesthetics”. Certainly a departure from the norm.
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s son ‘stole the show’
Princess Beatrice’s new step-son, Christopher Woolf or ‘Wolfie,’ played a big part in the day. The palace confirmed he served as both pageboy and best man for his dad and no doubt stole the show.
The theme of the reception was ‘secret garden’
Although it’s likely we won’t see photos from the reception, sources told Town and Country that the theme of the evening was ‘secret garden.’ We can only imagine that it played well with the gorgeous florals seen adorning the chapel in their photographs.
But it wasn’t too serious
Despite the whimsical theme, The Mirror reported there were also lots of fun touches, including a sofa, jukeboxes, draft beer, a dartboard, a bouncy castle and ‘glamping pods’ for guests to camp in overnight.
She left her bouquet at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior
There is one tradition Beatrice did follow: like all other royal brides since the Queen Mother—who laid her bouquet there to honour her brother who had died in the Battle of Loos—she sent her wedding bouquet to be laid at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. Her bouquet included “jasmine, pale pink and cream sweet peas, royal porcelain ivory spray roses, pink o’hara garden roses, pink waxflower, and baby pink astilbe.”
Her mother read a poem during the ceremony
Sarah, Duchess of York, reportedly read two poems during the ceremony—”Sonnet 116″ by William Shakespeare and “I carry you in my heart” by E.E. Cummings. The second poem was used as an Instagram caption by Edoardo for some portraits. You can read it in the next slide.
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s Instagram caption.
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