2,000 guests were invited for the wedding ceremony. There was "a stir and hurrying whisper" when Prime Minister David Lloyd George moved himself across the aisle to a prominent seat.[4]Queen Alexandra arrived first, followed by Queen Mary and her sons, and ultimately the King and his daughter Mary.[4] The service began at 11:30 a.m. and was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of London, and the Dean of Westminster.[5] The Gold used for making the wedding ring came from a mine in Wales.[6]
Vandyk took the formal photographs and Frank O. Salisbury was commissioned by the King to paint a picture of the ceremony at the abbey which took years to complete.[7][8]
This was the first royal occasion in which Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, a friend of Princess Mary, participated, as one of the bridesmaids. She later married Mary's brother, Prince Albert, and became Queen Consort of the United Kingdom upon his accession in 1936.[9]
Attire
Mary and Lascelles, along with Mary's parents, posing for a photograph
Mary's wedding dress was designed by Messrs. Reville, Ltd.[10] The dress was constructed of cloth of silver, with an ivory silk train. It combined "youthful simplicity with royal splendour". It was designed to reflect "Britain's position as ruler of a vast empire; emblematic lotus-flower motifs embroidered in India featured alongside a domestic, yet equally symbolic, trellis work of roses in pearls and crystal beads."[10] The silk was brought by Queen Mary from India when she visited the country in 1911.[4] Embroidered on the overdress was the Tudor rose.[4] The train was four yards in length and of brocade embroidered with lotus flower for India, maple leaf for Canada, wattle for Australia, and fern for New Zealand.[4] At the shoulders, the train was trimmed with Honiton lace gifted by Queen Mary.[4] Instead of wearing a tiara, Mary wore three strands of orange blossom that secured a veil outlined with pearls.[4][11] In terms of jewellery, Mary wore a diamond and pearl brooch, a gift from the bridegroom; on her bodice she wore the brooch given to her by the Royal Scots.[12] The bridesmaids all wore cloth of silver over ivory satin and identical brooches with the initials M and H given to them by Lascelles.[13] Their veils were secured by silver bands.[4] The groom wore the uniform of the Grenadier Guards and the blue sash of the Order of the Garter.[citation needed]
The ceremony was the first royal wedding to be covered in fashion magazines, including Vogue.[10] The "newly-conserved train of Princess Mary's wedding dress, embroidered with emblematic flowers of the British Empire, alongside her bridal slippers and a floral headdress" were on exhibition at Harewood House, the seat of the Earls of Harewood, in September 2019.[11]
A gift fund was set up by the public ahead of the wedding.[14] Guests had a private viewing of the gifts received by the couple at Buckingham Palace before they were exhibited at St James's Palace.[4][13]
Coverage
The abbey authorities set up a camera to capture pictures of the couple as they left, with proceeds from selling them going to the abbey's Restoration Fund.[13] Pictures of the wedding were also shown at cinema halls. Westminster Hospital also put up a small stand to show pictures of the wedding and added £2,000 to its fund.[13]
Aftermath
After the wedding, the couple proceeded back to Buckingham Palace. The carriage carrying the bride and the groom stopped at The Cenotaph, where Mary handed a bouquet of flowers to a Grenadier guard who placed it at the memorial's foot as crowds stood silent.[1] At the palace, they appeared on the balcony together with the King, the Queen, and Queen Alexandra.[1] The King also hosted 100 people for breakfast.[4][13] The wedding cake had three tiers and featured floral decorations.[15] In the afternoon the couple left for Paddington station and boarded a train to Weston Park, the ancestral seat of the groom's maternal family.[13] They then travelled to Italy and France, where they stayed at the home of the 8th Earl of Granard in Paris.[citation needed] Mary was later quoted to have said: "It is a great happiness to me that I am to remain in my native land."[1]
