The wedding took place at
St George's Chapel,
Windsor Castle. At the time of their engagement, Edward and Sophie made known their wish that the wedding not be turned into a state occasion, causing there to be no ceremonial state or military involvement. The ceremony was mainly a family occasion. Prime Minister
Tony Blair and other politicians were not invited. It was the town of
Windsor's largest occasion since the 1952 funeral of
King George VI. Edward's two brothers,
Charles, Prince of Wales and
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, both served as his supporters (the royal equivalent of the "
best man"). The three royal brothers chose to leave their limousines behind and walk past the onlookers into the church,
Peter Nott, the
Bishop of Norwich, performed the ceremony. The couple said their respective vows properly, though some onlookers noted Edward had a little difficulty placing the wedding ring on Sophie's finger. In keeping with tradition, the wedding ring was crafted from
Welsh gold from the Prince Edward mine in
Gwynedd. The tradition of using Welsh gold within the wedding rings of the royal family dates back to 1923. Sophie
wore a wedding dress designed by Samantha Shaw. It had a long, fitted coat with long sleeves, along with an ivory train that according to one source was "made from hand-dyed silk organza and hand-dyed silk crepe, with rows of pearls and crystal beading". After the ceremony, Edward and Sophie rode in an open, horse-drawn carriage to the reception in
St George's Hall at Windsor Castle, passing thousands of people en route. The Countess sent her wedding bouquet to
Westminster Abbey to rest on the Grave of
the Unknown Warrior. The tradition of Royal brides sending their bouquet to the Grave was started by Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later the Queen Mother) in 1923. After the marriage ceremony, the guests were gathered at the
Waterloo Chamber and the Grand Reception Room, where they were served
canapés. A buffet-style dinner was later served at the George's Hall. The
National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, the
London Mozart Players and the band of the
Royal Marines were in charge of providing the music for the reception ceremony. The couple spent their honeymoon at
Balmoral Castle. ==Title upon marriage==