Hop the wedding trail in London’s West End with our guide on how to shop like a royal in time for the Royal Wedding…
Wedding Fever is fast taking over the capital and while most of us weren’t lucky enough to get an invite, that doesn’t mean you can’t get inspired by the big day. We explored the West End to put together some of the top ways to shop like a royal inspired by the royal wedding…
Smell like a royal – Wedding day scent at Floris
As fragrance supplier to the Royals – and the only appointed perfumer to The Queen – Floris has created a bespoke perfume for Meghan to wear at the royal wedding. However, while the bespoke perfume has been submitted to Kensington Palace, it is not yet confirmed what scent Prince Harry’s fiancée, will wear down the aisle next month
Floris Bespoke offers the chance to create a true signature perfume. Six months in the making, including an initial profiling session followed by regular consultations with Floris’s perfumery team, the precious essential oils and floral essences gathered from around the world are blended together to create an exclusive and individual fragrance. This is packaged into a 100ml Eau de Parfum bottle with Certificate of Provenance in a Floris signature bespoke experience box. And, to add to the memory, the fragrance created is added to Floris’s private perfume ledgers dating back nearly 300 years and started by founder Juan Famenias Floris – meaning it is protected for future generations to re-order. Prices from £450 for a customised fragrance to £4500 for a bespoke perfume design. For more information, visit: www.florislondon.com 89 Jermyn Street.
Dress like a royal – Tailored to perfection at Turnbull & Asser
There’s nothing finer than a bespoke tailored shirt, and with a Royal Warrant and a 133-year heritage, it’s little wonder that Jermyn Street’s Turnbull & Asser is renown as one of the world’s best shirt makers. A favourite of Prince Charles, this thoroughly British brand ensures each shirt is made from 33 individual pieces of fine cloth and 13 iridescent mother-of-pearl buttons. Rigorous quality checks are carried out at all stages of the manufacturing process to ensure the finished product is of the highest possible quality befitting a prince. Prices from £195. For more information, visit: www.turnbullandasser.co.uk, 71-72 Jermyn Street.
A special Royal Wedding day tea plus wedding favours at Fortnum & Mason
Enjoy a special afternoon tea from 11am to 2pm at Fortnum & Mason on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding day, Saturday 19th May. Called a “A Right Royal Celebration”, the event costs £85 and includes: Champagne on arrival, a full Afternoon Tea, with an assortment of teas, delicate finger sandwiches and home baked scones served with generous amounts of cream, curd and jams, plus cakes and patisseries.
Fortnum’s has been brewing and importing tea since 1707 and offers a wide array of blends on its tea menu including an exclusive Wedding Breakfast tea, which each guest dining on the Royal Wedding day will be given as a gift. Customers will be able to enjoy coverage of the wedding in the elegant surroundings of the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon during the special tea. For more information visit https://www.fortnumandmason.com/events/a-right-royal-celebration
sparkle like a royal with tiaras at Bentley & Skinner
Avid Downton fans will remember the beautiful diamond-encrusted tiara that Lady Mary wore on her wedding day. Crafted in the shape of a garland of leaves with little floral buds, this antique Georgian tiara chosen from the extensive selection of fine jewels available at royal jewellers Bentley & Skinner. While Meghan is likely to be offered some dazzling headgear from the Queen’s own collection, the antique jewellery selection at Bentley and Skinner features some superb unique and delicate pieces including: tiaras, necklace and earrings – all perfect gifts for the lucky brides and bridesmaids. It’s also the ideal place to purchase both engagement and wedding rings. For more information, visit: www.bentley-skinner.co.uk 55 Piccadilly.
Honeymoon reading at Hatchards
With the wedding over, Harry and Meghan will be desperate to relax with a good book. There’s no better place to choose one than in London’s oldest bookshop: Hatchards. This five storey Piccadilly stalwart was established by John Hatchard in 1797 and is bookseller to all the royal households boasting an impressive three royal warrants – there are even portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother on the store’s walls. For more information, visit: www.hatchards.co.uk, 187 Piccadilly.
Let them eat…cheese from Paxton & Whitfield
Could the banana wedding cake that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are rumoured to have requested be ousted by a cheese wedding cake? If so, the Royals favourite cheesemonger Paxton & Whitfield, which creates a mouth-watering selection of cheese wedding cakes made from the finest English and Continental cheeses, would be their go to shop. Established in 1797, it stocks over 150 different types of cheese, but perhaps the most appropriate for the big day would be The Boadicea. Named after the Warrior Queen of the Celts, it’s made from four fantastic artisan cheeses from England, Ireland and Wales. The Boadicea costs from £300. For more information, visit: www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk, 93 Jermyn Street.
For more information on what’s happening in the Heart of London https://heartoflondonbid.london/area-events/
