Life
The royal wedding is practically here, and everyone is preparing for what possible surprises the day may have in store in the best way they know how — by scouring the internet. With Prince William and Kate Middleton, we all knew to expect a classic and, honestly, straight-up British wedding, but now that Markle is partly at the helm, folks may want to look out for some American traditions at the royal wedding.
As many, many others have pointed out, Markle herself is not "the norm" for a future duchess, considering she's not only American, but is an actor, is biracial, and has been married and divorced before. According to Elite Daily, the fact that Markle was raised Catholic is yet another characteristic that traditionally would have prevented her from becoming a royal by marriage. But the fact that Markle breaks tradition just by being who she is doesn't mean there won't be some distinctly American traditions to watch for in the royal wedding on May 19.
Markle's style has already been apparent in the details announced about the wedding, including the wedding flowers — white peonies and roses in honor of Princess Diana, along with foxgloves — and the lemon-and-elderflower cake, which according to The New Yorker is breaking away from centuries of royal wedding cake tradition. And on the day of the royal wedding, chances are we'll see some American influence on the ceremony. Here's a quick look at some potential royal wedding touches that may be close to home for Americans.
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Markle's Toast
The sheer fact that Markle plans to give a toast at the reception is very American, given that traditionally, no women make toasts (which Insider points out frequently are more like "roasts") at British weddings. Insider also noted that at British weddings, there are generally three toasts: One from the groom, one from the father of the bride, and one from the best man. Markle's father will not be attending the wedding due to health concerns, but Markle has planned to make a toast since at least January, Town & Country reports.
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Markle's Wedding Dress
When it comes to royal weddings, it's tradition for the bride's wedding dress to cover her shoulders, arms, and cleavage. But we all know Markle has a fantastic sense of style from her former lifestyle blog The Tig, and so it's possible that even if she doesn't go with a more American-style dress, we may see some more modern or even Hollywoodesque influences in her dress on the big day.
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The Choir
According to USA TODAY, one of the acts performing for the royal wedding will be the Kingdom Choir, and though the choir is British, folks from the American South will definitely feel at home with the group's "raw Gospel spiritual sound." Plus, as royal commentator Victoria Arbiter told USA TODAY, the group is Christian, "which I don't remember ever being at a royal wedding," she said.
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The Walk Down the Aisle
There's been a lot of speculation about Markle's walk down the aisle, primarily because of the attention on her father. According to Insider, in British weddings, it's traditional for the bride to enter before her bridesmaids, who will walk behind her, holding up the train of her gown. But if Markle chooses to go with a more modern wedding dress style, she may not have a long train, and may decide to, as is traditional with American weddings, be the last person to enter the room.
Another tradition to look out for may be Prince Harry facing Markle as she enters the room. Generally British grooms are turned away from their brides, Insider reported, and that's what Prince William and Kate Middleton did at their wedding — but whether Markle and Prince Harry will stick to this tradition or take a turn for the American remains to be seen.
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Bridesmaid Dresses
The list of bridesmaids and page boys for the wedding indicates that Markle will have six bridesmaids, all under seven years of age. Her bridesmaids include Princess Charlotte, Remi and Ryan Litt, both Markle's goddaughters, as well as several other family members. In England, it's normal for bridesmaids to wear white — but in the U.S., that's a huge faux pas. If we see Markle's bridesmaids decked out in a color other than white, that may be in honor of Markle's American heritage.
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Whether the royal wedding incorporates some of these American traditions, one thing's for sure — we'll definitely see hints of Markle's personal style on the big day.
