Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Wedding Will Probably Have These Bizarre Traditions

The invitations have been sent and many are wondering just what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding will entail. Markle has already made her mark as quite the royal rule-breaker — whether intentionally or not — and it seems her nontraditional choices could make their way into the royal wedding as well. In fact, Kensington Palace already confirmed one way in which the couple will be breaking tradition at their upcoming nuptials. Instead of serving fruitcake as is standard for a royal wedding, Harry and Markle have chosen a lemon elderflower cake iced with buttercream — um, yum! — and topped with fresh flowers to share with their wedding party and guests. 

Although the bride- and groom-to-be may be able to buck tradition when it comes to dessert, there are certain aspects of the royal wedding that are unlikely to have as much wiggle room. Here are some wild royal wedding traditions that will probably be incorporated to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day.

Wearing a tuxedo is fairly standard groom attire for commoner folk here in the United States. Naturally, Harry — being both a UK resident and a prince and all — won't be able to do that. You may recall Prince William's military wedding outfit. Like his brother, Harry spent many years in military service, including deployments to Afghanistan. Most experts predict, as reported by Elle UK, that Harry is likely to wear the uniform of Captain General Royal Marines. That particular role in service was given to Harry by the queen back in December of 2017. However, not all experts are in agreement.

"My hunch is Harry will wear morning dress because it is going to be relatively low-key, compared with his brother's wedding, and he is no longer a serving officer," Penny Junor, royal correspondent, told Elle UK. If Harry were to choose morning dress over his military uniform that means he'd be opting for striped pants, vest, and long cutaway coat, similar to what he wore when attending Pippa Middleton's wedding. Either way, Harry won't be donning a "regular" suit or tux at his and Meghan Markle's wedding.

Meghan Markle might just wear one of the queen's tiaras on her special day. Now how's that for "something borrowed"? Elite Daily spoke with a Yeoman Warder, one of just 37 royal guards of the Tower of London, who explained the situation. 

As it turns out, only Queen Elizabeth and the queen's "consort" (spouse or companion) are privy to the Crown Jewels. So, technically Prince Harry doesn't even have access. The same was, of course, true for William and Kate Middleton. Since Markle is marrying British royalty, Queen Elizabeth does have the ability to grant her permission to wear a tiara the day of her wedding. And, if the queen does indeed give the okay, Markle will wear it — just as Middleton did.

The one worn by Middleton contained about a thousand diamonds and originally belonged to the queen's mother. But, would it be a royal faux pas to wear the same tiara as her to-be sister-in-law? Hmm.

Meghan Markle is not the only one bound to tradition at the upcoming royal wedding. Prince Harry has some rules he needs to follow as well, including not having a best man. Marlene Koenig, a British and European royalty expert, explained the reasoning to Town & Country, saying, "The best man or best men are officially called supporters. William will probably be Harry's supporter."

According to The Guardian, William broke royal protocol for his wedding when he asked Harry to be his best man as opposed to supporter. Will his brother do the same for him? It seems not. As of January 2018, William told Sky News that Harry hadn't actually asked him yet. Whether William is a supporter or best man, one can only hope he plans Harry's bachelor party (or stag party as they are called in the UK). It would only be fair since Harry planned William's, after all.

Unlike her husband-to-be, Meghan Markle will not have supporters. She will have bridesmaids, as is standard for both UK and US weddings. However, there is something a bit bizarre with the bridesmaid requirements. 

Koenig elaborated to Town & Country, saying,"Most royal brides do not have adult bridesmaids." It would also be unusual, Koenig said, for a royal bride to have an adult maid of honor. Kate Middleton did have her sister, Pippa, serve as maid of honor in her wedding to William but that is far from the norm. Prior to William and Middleton's wedding, Princess Margaret's wedding in the '60s was the last royal wedding featuring an adult maid of honor. 

Since Markle has but one sibling, a half-sister with whom she is estranged, Koenig doubts that she will have any "adult attendants." So, what children can we expect to see at the royal wedding? Experts feel it's quite likely that Prince George will be the couple's page boy (ring bearer) and Princess Charlotte will be a bridesmaid to Markle.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot, even their flowers will stick to tradition. The most popular flowers for weddings include everything from roses to hydrangeas to sweet peas, according to The Knot. Myrtle, on the other hand, is flower that doesn't routinely make the "best of" lists for floral arrangements. Nevertheless, it has become tradition in the royal family. In the past, myrtle symbolized good luck and love in marriage, Smithsonian Gardens explained.

Back in mid-1800s, Queen Victoria's daughter, named Victoria as well, began the tradition. As the story goes, the queen's mother-in-law had given her a cutting of myrtle, which Queen Elizabeth then planted and grew. For her wedding, Victoria cut a sprig from that plant and carried it at her wedding in 1858. 

Not only do the brides of the royal family continue the tradition of using myrtle in their bouquets but they can (and do) take it directly from Victoria's original myrtle plant. It is likely that Markle will continue this lovely family tradition.

Did you happen to notice that only one ring was exchanged during Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding vows? British men, specifically those of upperclass, generally do not wear wedding bands. Those scoundrels! Right? Well, not exactly. 

"This is not because of any intentions that they may wish to play away from home once married," William Hanson, etiquette expert, explained to Harper's Bazaar, but because men did not traditionally wear jewelry. Once upon a time, this even applied to wearing wristwatches. However, "even hardened snobs have relaxed on that front," said Hanson. Additionally, the lack of a wedding ring actually serves to signify wealth.

The one exception when it comes to male jewelry is the signet ring because it shows the family's lineage. Even still, there are some stipulations. According to Hanson, signet rings should not be engraved with initials and should only feature the family crest. Family first, it seems. How will Meghan Markle feel about Prince Harry not wearing a wedding band? We may never know, but it's part of the royal wedding package, regardless.

Prince William, when placing a wedding band onto Kate Middleton's finger, was continuing an 88-year-old tradition started by his great-grandparents. According to BBC News, the royal wedding ring was made from Welsh gold, just as was the case in 1923 when Elizabeth Bowes Lyon and George VI married. 

The difference between now and then is that Welsh gold is very rare as the mines have been just about depleted. However, it seems the royal family has their own stockpile of Welsh gold, as they issued a statement (via BBC News), saying, "It [Welsh gold] has been in the family's possession for some years and has been in the care of the royal jewellers." That's good news for Meghan Markle, who is expected to carry on the tradition.

Markle's Welsh gold ring will likely be yellow in color to match her stunning engagement ring, Ben Roberts, managing director of Clogau (the mine that provided gold to the royal family), explained to Reuters. No rose gold at this 2018 wedding!

Beginning with Queen Victoria in 1861, the royal family has been accepting of photography, Harper's Bazaar reported. As you most likely know from posing in a family portrait or two, it can be a pretty awkward experience. Still, it seems the royal family likes this tradition.

In 1937, the royal family posed together for an official portrait to celebrate King George VI's coronation. More recently, Charles and Diana posed with a large group of family members after their wedding in 1981. When Charles remarried Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, members of the royal family were also photographed together. Once again repeated, Prince William and Kate Middleton, along with royal relatives, posed for a photo after their wedding. 

Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have already posed for official engagement portraits, might they also consider official wedding portraits? A spokesperson for Kensington Palace explained to The Telegraph, "We have not provided any further details on who will be photographing the wedding." 

No doubt, someone great will take the job. And, we might just get another awkward family photo out of it.

The "balcony kiss" is a fairly new tradition in the royal family. After past royal weddings, hundreds of well-wishers would line up outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and excitedly wait for the newlyweds to step out onto the balcony and watch a flyover salute. 

In 1981, William and Harry's father, Charles (aka the Prince of Wales) and Princess Diana added their own flair to this trend by not just greeting fans but by locking lips, according to The Telegraph. The Duke and Duchess of York followed suit in 1986 and then Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. During William and Middleton's wedding, the crowd actually numbered into the thousands. Upon seeing the hoards of people, Middleton remarked, "Oh, my!" Nevertheless, the couple did not disappoint — the kissing tradition continued. 

Dreams of another "balcony kiss" were dashed when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed that their wedding would be held at Saint George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. "The only thing about St. George's is it doesn't have a balcony," Katie Nicholl, a royal expert, explained to Entertainment Tonight, "So we won't get to see that big balcony wave." 

And kiss! What about the kiss? All hope is not lost. Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, told Express the couple will still have their balcony kiss — albeit without the balcony. Their first "public" kiss will take place on the steps of the chapel instead.