39 Royal Wedding Bouquets Throughout History (2024)

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria started the tradition of carrying myrtle in the royal bride's bouquet at her wedding in 1840. Using a cutting from her own bouquet, she planted a garden of myrtle bushes on the east facade of Fulham Palace. Since then, every bride in the family line has incorporated myrtle in some aspect of their bouquet.

Mary of Teck

Mary of Teck married the future King George V (Queen Victoria's grandson and Queen Elizabeth's grandfather) in 1893. The bride was said to have walked down the aisle carrying a bouquet of Provence roses, orchids, and orange blossoms. Her bridesmaids carried similar bouquets and wore roses in their hair.

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married the Duke of York in 1923. Her wedding bouquet included lily of the valley and roses—but as you may notice, it's missing from her wedding photos. Before the ceremony, Lady Elizabeth had her bouquet placed on The Grave of the Unknown Warrior as she entered Westminster Abbey, which Westminster Abbey believes was done to commemorate her brother Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who died during the Battle of Loos in 1915. As a result, this began an unofficial tradition for subsequent brides to have their bouquets sent back to the Abbey after their wedding ceremonies to be placed on the grave. Queen Elizabeth II followed this tradition after tying the knot in 1947. The duch*ess of York, Sarah Ferguson, did the same after marrying Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in 1986. Kate Middleton even followed this tradition after her 2011 nuptials.

Wallis Simpson

Prior to their divorce, Wallis Simpson's wedding to the Duke of Windsor at the Château de Candé in France in 1937 was filled with florals. Though the bride is not seen carrying a bouquet in her wedding photos, the ceremony featured stunning floral arrangements, which were designed and created by Constance Fry as a gift to Wallis.

Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth's 1947 nuptials to Prince Philip were lavish, but like any other wedding, not everything went according to plan. According to The Telegraph, the Queen's orchid-filled bouquet was misplaced right before the wedding. Despite being personally delivered to Buckingham Palace, the bouquet went missing sometime between the newlyweds' return to the palace and the wedding breakfast. Thus, the Queen was left empty-handed for her wedding photos.

The florist created a replica and the royal couple recreated some shots from their wedding later on. However since then, royal florists have learned from the mistake, always creating a replica bouquet just in case.

Rita Hayworth

American actress Rita Hayworth tied the knot with Prince Aly Khan on May 27, 1949 at Khan's Riviera Chateau de L'Horizon. The bride carried a simple bouquet of white flowers that matched her equally modest wedding outfit.

Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly's 1956 nuptials to Prince Rainier III of Monaco featured a bouquet as stunning as her iconic wedding dress. The Princess of Monaco carried a small bouquet made of lily of the valley and a small Bible for her walk down the aisle. The Bible was given to the bride as a gift. It was covered in silk faille from the MGM wardrobe department and featured a lace appliqué overlay, embellished with seed pearls.

Princess Margaret

Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, tied the knot with Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon in 1960. She carried a similar but smaller version of her sister's orchid bouquet from 1947.

Queen Fabiola

Queen Fabiola of Belgium married into royalty when she wed King Baudouin of Belgium in 1960. The bride walked down the aisle holding a small, simple bouquet of white blooms—surprisingly, not Queen Fabiola flowers.

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands

The Princess of the Netherlands sported a bouquet of white eucharis and lily of the valley, which was in season for her spring nuptials in 1966. The floral arrangements were created and designed by Dutch designer Abel Verheijen, who later became famous throughout Europe for his art.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark

A princess at the time of her wedding, Queen Margrethe of Denmark carried a bouquet of daisies down the aisle in 1967 and had the flower placed in her bridesmaids' hair as well. The bloom had particular significance to the bride, as "Daisy" was a nickname for the Princess. She also wore a daisy-shaped diamond brooch on her wedding dress.

Queen Silvia of Sweden

Queen Silvia of Sweden carried a teardrop-shaped arrangement of lilies and other seasonal blooms when she married Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in 1976.

Princess Caroline of Monaco

Grace Kelly's daughter, Princess Caroline of Monaco, held a small, waterfall bouquet of white flowers, which she had blessed by the parish priest prior to her 1978 wedding.

Queen Noor

American Lisa Halaby, who would later be dubbed Queen Noor, married Jordan's King Hussein in 1978. Her wedding bouquet was filled with cascading white roses and flowing leafy vines.

Princess Diana

Maybe the most iconic royal bride of the century, Princess Diana and her 1981 wedding look has been the inspiration for countless bridal trends over the past few decades. Princess Diana's cascading bouquet was as grand as every other aspect of her nuptials. The floral arrangement was made up of gardenias, stephanotis, odontolglossum orchids, lily of the valley, earl mountbatten roses, freesia, veronica, ivy, trasdescantia, and—you guessed it—myrtle. The late Princess set the trend for an overflowing bouquet look for brides-to-be for years to come.

Queen Rania of Jordan

When Queen Rania of Jordan married King Abdullah II in 1993, she opted for a bouquet made up of more fresh greenery than florals featuring notes of white and yellow to match her white and gold gown.

Lady Sarah Chatto

Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones, now Lady Sarah Chatto, married British artist Daniel Chatto in 1994 and carried a round bouquet of white roses and other seasonal blooms. The bouquet accented her tiara, which was designed with diamond flowers and hints of greenery for accent.

Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece

Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece married Prince Pavlos in 1995. She carried an elegant nosegay bouquet of white blooms, followed by her flower girls who each carried a single white rose during the procession.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex

Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, Prince Edward, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. The bride's cascading bouquet paid homage to Princess Diana's and consisted of ivory garden roses, stephanotis, lily of the valley, and freesia.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

Princess Mette-Marit of Norway's 2001 wedding bouquet was anything but traditional. Not only did she forego the typical white blooms, but even the vine-like shape of her bouquet was out of the ordinary. The arrangement consisted of purple and pale blooms (called brudeloperen) and was designed by the bride herself, along with the help of floral director Aina Nyberget Kleppe of Oslo.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands carried a gorgeous teardrop cascade bouquet filled with white roses, gardenia, and lily of the valley during her wedding to King Willem-Alexander in 2002.

Queen Letizia of Spain

When journalist Letizia Ortiz married King Felipe of Spain, she carried a stunning cascade bouquet that consisted of white roses and other spring blooms at their 2004 wedding ceremony.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Crown Princess Mary married Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004. The bride, a native of Tasmania, chose to carry an elegant cascade bouquet of antique roses, stephanotis, azaleas, and spirea. The bouquet also featured hints of eucalyptus, which was flown in from Australia to pay homage to her homeland.

Camilla, duch*ess of Cornwall

For Prince Charles' second wedding in 2005, bride Camilla Parker Bowles carried a small posy consisting of lily of the valley and yellow, purple, and white primroses with a sprig of myrtle. According to The Telegraph, the bouquet was sent to her as a gift by a well-wisher from Cornwall.

Autumn Phillips

When Autumn Kelly tied the knot in 2008 with Peter Phillips, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, she opted to carry a stunning cascading bouquet similar to Princess Diana's, filled with roses, lily of the valley, stephanotis, and ivy.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden opted for a cascading bouquet for her 2010 wedding, which included lily of the valley, orchids, clematis, peonies, roses, and gardenias.

Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark

Tatiana Blatnik, later Princess Tatiana of Greece, walked down the aisle with her father carrying a posy of jasmine and lily of the valley when she married Prince Nikolaos of Greece on the island of Spetses in 2010.

Kate Middleton, duch*ess of Cambridge

Though Kate Middleton's bouquet was small, it fit perfectly with her elegant wedding day look. When the duch*ess of Cambridge walked down the aisle in 2011, she carried a small, wired posy—designed by Shane Connolly—made of lily of the valley, sweet william, hyacinth, and myrtle. Following the ceremony, the bride left her bouquet in Westminster Abbey at The Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Zara Phillips

Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, tied the knot with rugby player Mike Tindall in Edinburgh in 2011. Phillips carried a Biedermeier bouquet made up of calla lilies, hydrangeas, Senecio foliage, and thistles, which are Scotland's national flower.

Princess Charlene of Monaco

At her 2011 wedding to Prince Albert II of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock carried a chic teardrop bouquet designed by Giorgio Armani and assembled by the groom's gardeners. The arrangement featured hints of cream and white flowers, which looked flawless against her Armani wedding dress.

Stéphanie, Grand duch*ess of Luxembourg

When Stéphanie de Lannoy married Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume in 2012, she walked down the aisle carrying a cascading bouquet of white orchids, created by Maison Lachaume. The bouquet perfectly complemented the ceremony's decor, consisting of nearly 3,000 blooms that filled Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden

Princess Madeleine of Sweden opted for a classic, round bouquet of white garden roses for her 2013 wedding to Christopher Paul O'Neill. The arrangement consisted of a variety of flowers, including Austin roses, schneewittchen, Winchester Cathedral, alabaster, lily of the valley, and sprigs of myrtle.

Princess Sofia of Sweden

Princess Sofia of Sweden chose a unique bouquet for her wedding to Prince Carl Philip in 2015—a round cluster of colorful coral and cream garden roses. The Princess didn't forget tradition, though. Sprigs of myrtle were included in the arrangement, brought by Princess Margaret of Connaught. Swedish brides have also upheld the tradition of myrtle accents in their bouquets since 1935.

Alessandra De Osma

On March 18, 2018, Alessandra de Osma married Prince Christian of Hanover in Lima, Peru. The bride carried a traditional bouquet of white, seasonal flowers, which paid homage to Princess Grace of Monaco's bridal look.

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle's simple posy of white flowers was extra special. According to the palace, Prince Harry himself picked a handful of flowers from the couple’s private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bride's bouquet, which also contained scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine, astrantia, that traditional sprig of myrtle, and forget-me-nots—Princess Diana's favorite flowers. After meeting Prince Harry at the altar, she handed her bouquet off to a bridesmaid and it was later placed on The Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie's bouquet was a mixture of traditional elements with a pop of color to celebrate the season. Handcrafted by Rob Van Helden, it featured lily of the valley, trailing iris and ivy, blue thistles, and white spray roses, incorporating elements to match the emeralds in Princess Eugenie's tiara and playing on the seasonal colors of her fall wedding.

Princess Beatrice

When Princess Beatrice of York got married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on July 17, 2020, the bride carried a beautiful pink, white, and purple bouquet that paired with her intimate wedding's florals. After the celebration, the public could see her preserved arrangement on view at Windsor Castle.

Princess Iman of Jordan

In her March 2023 royal wedding to businessman Jameel Thermiotis, Princess Iman of Jordan carried a simple posy of white florals to take on her trip down the aisle.

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg carried a sweet green and white lily of the valley bouquet for her religious wedding ceremony to Nicolas Bagory on April 29, 2023. The bride carried an identical bouquet the day before at her civil ceremony, where she donned a chic white suit.