Thaindian News

London, Apr 27 (ANI): Kate Middleton will be walking down a tree-lined aisle inside of Westminster Abbey.

The six English field maples and two hornbeams, which are up to 20ft tall, will be placed along the nave as the centrepiece of a spectacular floral display.

Shane Connolly, 47, a florist, has been chosen to decorate the Abbey, and he said he wanted to achieve a “wow” factor with the design, in which Middleton played a hands-on role.

The aisle will be decked with native flowers filled with symbolism and grown on the royal estates.”Catherine is a dream client…like few other brides I’ve ever met. She has an incredibly good eye,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

“Right from the beginning she wanted it to be English, natural, seasonal, ethical, and they’re all my great keywords as well,” he revealed.

Connolly, who is originally from Belfast, had designed the bouquet and flowers for the Prince of Wales’s wedding to the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005.

He said the bridal bouquet for Middleton would remain a secret until the wedding day, but added that both he and the bride believed that “green is a very important thing”.

The seasonal flowers being used include Solomon’s seal, brought from Sandringham, which symbolises confirmation of love, azaleas, the Chinese symbol of femininity, lilacs, which represent first love, and blossoms, signifying spiritual beauty.

Other blooms being used include rhododendron, euphorbias, beech and wisteria, mostly from Windsor Great Park.

“One of the things that has been very important to Catherine and to me are the meanings of flowers and the language of flowers,” Connolly said.

“We’ve tried, especially in the wedding bouquets, which you’ll see on the day, we’ve tried very much to make beautiful stories.

“The symbolism means a lot to her and also the sourcing has been hugely important,” he stated.

The English field maple symbolises humility and reserve, and was used to make loving cups in medieval times, while the hornbeam signifies resilience.

The trees will also evoke Middleton’s home village of Bucklebury, Berks., where the family home lies on an avenue of oaks planted to commemorate a visit to the village by Queen Anne in the 17th century.

Connolly said he hoped the Abbey would look “understated”.

“I think you can get wow in several ways and certainly it won’t be ‘wow, what an extravagance’. It will be ‘how beautiful’ and hopefully ‘how perfectly suited to the day and the nature of the marriage’,” he added. (ANI)