By . Rosie Taylor, Kerry Mcdermott and Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 05:40 EST, 23 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:48 EST, 24 June 2013 . Guests at the wedding of Prince William's friend Thomas van Straubenzee and society bride Lady Melissa Percy were delighted when an RAF helicopter performed a fly-past above the castle reception. An RAF Sea King returning from a rescue in the Lake District flew low over the Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, as crew waved at guests, including the prince who is an RAF search and rescue pilot himself. Earlier the crew had flown a walker to hospital in Carlisle after he broke his collarbone in a 330ft fall near Helvellyn mountain. They paid a visit to the castle as they returned to the nearby RAF Boulmer base. William was joined by his brother Harry, who is also a close friend of Mr van Straubenzee, but his heavily-pregnant wife the Duchess of Cambridge decided to stay at home. Scroll down for video . Fly past: An RAF Search and Rescue Helicopter flies low over Alnwick Castle to 'buzz' the high profile wedding . Big day: Bride Lady Melissa is accompanied . by her father the Duke of Northumberland and two bridesmaids - including . Prince Harry's ex Chelsy Davy (right) - as she makes her way into St . Mary's Church in Alnwick . Bride and breezy: A gust of wind blows Lady . Melissa Percy's veil into the air as Chelsy Davy (seen left) and her . fellow bridesmaid attempt to keep the bride's gown under control . Bridesmaid Chelsy Davy looked delighted as she . walked into the church - despite having to face her ex-boyfriend Prince . Harry and his new girlfriend, Cressida Bonas . Don't upstage the bride! The high society . wedding was eagerly watched by many Alnwick residents, who turned out in . their droves to watch the lavish ceremony . Just get me to the church on time! Lady Melissa . Percy makes her way to the church with her father Ralph Percy, the 12th . Duke of Northumberland . Smiling: The bride looked ecstatic as she arrived at the church gates and gave enthusiastic hugs to those waiting . Crowds . gathered to see Lady Melissa Percy in her billowing white gown that was . embellished with lace, and waved as her beaming bridesmaids - including . Prince Harry's Zimbabwean ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy - walked through . the town. Dressed in pale . espresso floor-length gowns and clutching bouquets, the bridesmaids . helped the excited-looking bride with her full dress, which was whipped . up by the north east winds. Pippa Middleton, resplendent in a . patterned peplum dress with co-ordinating hat and heels, was greeted at . the church gates by cries of 'beautiful' from the crowd. Princesses . Beatrice and Eugenie are also among the Royal contingent at today's . ceremony. The sisters - Beatrice wearing blue and Eugenie in green - . were spotted hugging other guests at the gate before walking into the . picturesque church. Society . girl Cressida chose a blue and white maxi dress, which she teamed with a . blue sequinned jacket and a cream flower in her hair. The sprawling Alnwick estate has doubled as Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter movies. For better or worse: The couple shrugged off the rain to enjoy a kiss after their Northumberland ceremony . Husband and wife: The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland's daughter Lady Melissa Percy is seen with her newly-wed husband . Rain can't dampen their spirits! The bride's . mother said that the miserable weather had not troubled the couple, who . were too excited about their wedding to care about the weather . Prince Harry braves the rain, while his girlfriend Cressida Bonas seemed in a sunny mood, laughing out loud after the service . Who has he spotted? Prince Harry, who was among . ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy and current love Cressida Bonas, was pictured . with raised eyebrows - but who or what had prompted his reaction is . unknown . Royal approval: Prince William and his brother's ex-girlfriend, graduate Chelsy Davy, gathered together to applaud the newly weds . The Duke of Cambridge was without his . heavily pregnant wife Kate, but there were still plenty of glamorous . female guests in attendance - including her sister Pippa Middleton, . Prince Harry's girlfriend Cressida Bonas, Princesses Beatrice and . Eugenie, and Holly Branson. The Duchess of Northumberland, . mother-of-the-bride, told The Journal newspaper ahead of the . ceremony: 'We are really excited. 'The . weather forecast is not great but Melissa and Thomas do not seem to . mind. Whatever the weather it is going to be a wonderful day.' Lady . Melissa is a 26-year-old tennis coach while the groom is a . chartered-surveyor and long-time friend of both William and Harry. What a beautiful day! Lady Melissa Percy, 26, is . greeted by her close friend and bridesmaid Chelsy Davy  before she . walked up the aisle . Given away: The bride, who is the Duke's second daughter, could be seen grinning at her father as she made her way to the church . Hang on! The bride struggled to control her veil as a gust of wind blows her wedding dress over her head before her marriage . What an entrance! Lady Melissa Percy was seen . seen arriving in an ornate horse drawn carriage for her wedding to . Thomas Van Straubenzee . The brothers were at the 30-year-old's London stag do earlier this month. Mr . van Straubenzee travelled to New Zealand with William on a gap year and . was reportedly on the phone to Harry when he was mugged in London last . year. It was said that Harry alerted police and went out to find his . friend after the ordeal. Lady Melissa is the Duke of Northumberland's second daughter. She left Alnwick Castle for the church in a restored horse-drawn carriage . that is almost 200 years old. When her sister Lady Katie, a . motorbike mechanic, married at St Michael's Church two years ago, Pippa . Middleton was a guest. She is friends with Earl George Percy, the Duke's . elder son. Carriage: The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland's daughter Lady Melissa Percy arrives to marry her chartered surveyor boyfriend . Adorable: The couple appeared to have chosen a . woodland theme, with the young members of the bridal party sporting pixie and green woodland fairy outfits . The bride wore a Bruce Oldfield dress with flowers by local florist Caro Dickinson, who has also decorated the church and castle. After the 5pm service, a reception was held in the castle's State Rooms, followed by dinner in a marquee. There were fireworks in the evening, which the public watched from the pastures below the castle. Soon . after the wedding, Lady Melissa's dress will be displayed alongside her . sister Katie's wedding dress in The Coach House at Alnwick Castle. Uniformed police and plain clothes officers kept a close eye on the hundreds gathered to watch the procession. Block heeled shoes, ankle-length dresses and smaller hats were very much in fashion amongst the guests. The . couple appeared to have chosen a woodland theme for their nuptials, as . their pages and young bridesmaids were dressed as Robin Hoods and . fairies in green. Looking dapper: Prince Harry and Prince William . are seen arriving for the wedding of Lady Melissa Percy and Thomas van . Straubenzee . Pippa's heavily pregnant sister the Duchess of . Cambridge was unable to attend - but the younger Middleton still managed . to turn heads with a monochrome outfit and hat . Finery: Prince Harry's girlfriend Cressida . Bonas, left, wearing a blue and white maxi dress and a sequinned blue . jacket, walked into the church with Princess Eugenie, right, who chose a . green dress and co-ordinating jacket . Princess Eugenie of York (centre) and Princess . Beatrice of York (right) arrive alongside Cressida Bonas, the girlfriend . of Prince Harry, for the high society wedding . Princess Eugenie of York, Princess Beatrice of . York along with Dave Clark were a sea of green and blue as they tottered . into the castle in their high heels . Support: The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry . could be seen among the party of dapper gents behind groom Thomas van . Straubenzee (left) as he arrived . Dressed in their finest: Pippa Middleton, . centre, leaves after attending the wedding, accompanied by other . glamorous-looking guests . Father-to-be Prince William seemed in high . spirits as he waved to the crowds and beamed at other guests, while his . pregnant wife stayed at home . Friends: Prince Harry was among the guests supporting the groom (left) as he made his way to the ceremony . Good humoured: Prince Harry seemed to laugh and joke with his friends as they made their way to the ceremony in Alnwick . The bride looked ecstatic as she arrived at the church gates and gave enthusiastic hugs to those waiting. Two white horses, with coachmen in all their finery, pulled the historic carriage with Lady Melissa and her father. Chelsy . Davy, an official attendant to the bride, wore a pale espresso-coloured . dress, and looked delighted to help her friend with the gown and its . long train. Despite the Summer date for the wedding, strong winds whipped the light fabric up, making the full gown billow in the breeze. Designer Bruce Oldfield was on hand to make sure it looked perfect. Celebration: The historic castle was lit up with fireworks during the evening wedding reception . Fireworks: Residents from the town were invited to watch the display from the pastures below the castle . Venue: The couple married at St Mary's Church . in Alnwick ahead of a lavish reception at the bride's sprawling . ancestral home - which has doubled for Hogwarts School in the Harry . Potter movies . Pippa: The Duchess of Cambridge's sister and lifestyle writer showed off her slender figure in an elegant peplum dress in muted shades . Event: Around 500 guests are expected to attend the society wedding of Thomas Van Straubenzee and Lady Melissa Percy . Guests: Holly Branson was spring like in a dove-grey and . coral combination, while a cheery Tara Palmer Tomkinson chose a striped . outfit for the big day .
RAF Sea King flies over site of castle wedding of pilot Prince William's friends in Alnwick, Northumberland .
Old friend of William and Harry, Thomas van Straubenzee, wed Lady Melissa Percy in an extravagant ceremony .
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa also among the congregation .
By . Rosie Taylor, Kerry Mcdermott and Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 05:40 EST, 23 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:48 EST, 24 June 2013 . Guests at the wedding of Prince William's friend Thomas van Straubenzee and society bride Lady Melissa Percy were delighted when an RAF helicopter performed a fly-past above the castle reception. An RAF Sea King returning from a rescue in the Lake District flew low over the Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, as crew waved at guests, including the prince who is an RAF search and rescue pilot himself. Earlier the crew had flown a walker to hospital in Carlisle after he broke his collarbone in a 330ft fall near Helvellyn mountain. They paid a visit to the castle as they returned to the nearby RAF Boulmer base. William was joined by his brother Harry, who is also a close friend of Mr van Straubenzee, but his heavily-pregnant wife the Duchess of Cambridge decided to stay at home. Scroll down for video . Fly past: An RAF Search and Rescue Helicopter flies low over Alnwick Castle to 'buzz' the high profile wedding . Big day: Bride Lady Melissa is accompanied . by her father the Duke of Northumberland and two bridesmaids - including . Prince Harry's ex Chelsy Davy (right) - as she makes her way into St . Mary's Church in Alnwick . Bride and breezy: A gust of wind blows Lady . Melissa Percy's veil into the air as Chelsy Davy (seen left) and her . fellow bridesmaid attempt to keep the bride's gown under control . Bridesmaid Chelsy Davy looked delighted as she . walked into the church - despite having to face her ex-boyfriend Prince . Harry and his new girlfriend, Cressida Bonas . Don't upstage the bride! The high society . wedding was eagerly watched by many Alnwick residents, who turned out in . their droves to watch the lavish ceremony . Just get me to the church on time! Lady Melissa . Percy makes her way to the church with her father Ralph Percy, the 12th . Duke of Northumberland . Smiling: The bride looked ecstatic as she arrived at the church gates and gave enthusiastic hugs to those waiting . Crowds . gathered to see Lady Melissa Percy in her billowing white gown that was . embellished with lace, and waved as her beaming bridesmaids - including . Prince Harry's Zimbabwean ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy - walked through . the town. Dressed in pale . espresso floor-length gowns and clutching bouquets, the bridesmaids . helped the excited-looking bride with her full dress, which was whipped . up by the north east winds. Pippa Middleton, resplendent in a . patterned peplum dress with co-ordinating hat and heels, was greeted at . the church gates by cries of 'beautiful' from the crowd. Princesses . Beatrice and Eugenie are also among the Royal contingent at today's . ceremony. The sisters - Beatrice wearing blue and Eugenie in green - . were spotted hugging other guests at the gate before walking into the . picturesque church. Society . girl Cressida chose a blue and white maxi dress, which she teamed with a . blue sequinned jacket and a cream flower in her hair. The sprawling Alnwick estate has doubled as Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter movies. For better or worse: The couple shrugged off the rain to enjoy a kiss after their Northumberland ceremony . Husband and wife: The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland's daughter Lady Melissa Percy is seen with her newly-wed husband . Rain can't dampen their spirits! The bride's . mother said that the miserable weather had not troubled the couple, who . were too excited about their wedding to care about the weather . Prince Harry braves the rain, while his girlfriend Cressida Bonas seemed in a sunny mood, laughing out loud after the service . Who has he spotted? Prince Harry, who was among . ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy and current love Cressida Bonas, was pictured . with raised eyebrows - but who or what had prompted his reaction is . unknown . Royal approval: Prince William and his brother's ex-girlfriend, graduate Chelsy Davy, gathered together to applaud the newly weds . The Duke of Cambridge was without his . heavily pregnant wife Kate, but there were still plenty of glamorous . female guests in attendance - including her sister Pippa Middleton, . Prince Harry's girlfriend Cressida Bonas, Princesses Beatrice and . Eugenie, and Holly Branson. The Duchess of Northumberland, . mother-of-the-bride, told The Journal newspaper ahead of the . ceremony: 'We are really excited. 'The . weather forecast is not great but Melissa and Thomas do not seem to . mind. Whatever the weather it is going to be a wonderful day.' Lady . Melissa is a 26-year-old tennis coach while the groom is a . chartered-surveyor and long-time friend of both William and Harry. What a beautiful day! Lady Melissa Percy, 26, is . greeted by her close friend and bridesmaid Chelsy Davy  before she . walked up the aisle . Given away: The bride, who is the Duke's second daughter, could be seen grinning at her father as she made her way to the church . Hang on! The bride struggled to control her veil as a gust of wind blows her wedding dress over her head before her marriage . What an entrance! Lady Melissa Percy was seen . seen arriving in an ornate horse drawn carriage for her wedding to . Thomas Van Straubenzee . The brothers were at the 30-year-old's London stag do earlier this month. Mr . van Straubenzee travelled to New Zealand with William on a gap year and . was reportedly on the phone to Harry when he was mugged in London last . year. It was said that Harry alerted police and went out to find his . friend after the ordeal. Lady Melissa is the Duke of Northumberland's second daughter. She left Alnwick Castle for the church in a restored horse-drawn carriage . that is almost 200 years old. When her sister Lady Katie, a . motorbike mechanic, married at St Michael's Church two years ago, Pippa . Middleton was a guest. She is friends with Earl George Percy, the Duke's . elder son. Carriage: The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland's daughter Lady Melissa Percy arrives to marry her chartered surveyor boyfriend . Adorable: The couple appeared to have chosen a . woodland theme, with the young members of the bridal party sporting pixie and green woodland fairy outfits . The bride wore a Bruce Oldfield dress with flowers by local florist Caro Dickinson, who has also decorated the church and castle. After the 5pm service, a reception was held in the castle's State Rooms, followed by dinner in a marquee. There were fireworks in the evening, which the public watched from the pastures below the castle. Soon . after the wedding, Lady Melissa's dress will be displayed alongside her . sister Katie's wedding dress in The Coach House at Alnwick Castle. Uniformed police and plain clothes officers kept a close eye on the hundreds gathered to watch the procession. Block heeled shoes, ankle-length dresses and smaller hats were very much in fashion amongst the guests. The . couple appeared to have chosen a woodland theme for their nuptials, as . their pages and young bridesmaids were dressed as Robin Hoods and . fairies in green. Looking dapper: Prince Harry and Prince William . are seen arriving for the wedding of Lady Melissa Percy and Thomas van . Straubenzee . Pippa's heavily pregnant sister the Duchess of . Cambridge was unable to attend - but the younger Middleton still managed . to turn heads with a monochrome outfit and hat . Finery: Prince Harry's girlfriend Cressida . Bonas, left, wearing a blue and white maxi dress and a sequinned blue . jacket, walked into the church with Princess Eugenie, right, who chose a . green dress and co-ordinating jacket . Princess Eugenie of York (centre) and Princess . Beatrice of York (right) arrive alongside Cressida Bonas, the girlfriend . of Prince Harry, for the high society wedding . Princess Eugenie of York, Princess Beatrice of . York along with Dave Clark were a sea of green and blue as they tottered . into the castle in their high heels . Support: The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry . could be seen among the party of dapper gents behind groom Thomas van . Straubenzee (left) as he arrived . Dressed in their finest: Pippa Middleton, . centre, leaves after attending the wedding, accompanied by other . glamorous-looking guests . Father-to-be Prince William seemed in high . spirits as he waved to the crowds and beamed at other guests, while his . pregnant wife stayed at home . Friends: Prince Harry was among the guests supporting the groom (left) as he made his way to the ceremony . Good humoured: Prince Harry seemed to laugh and joke with his friends as they made their way to the ceremony in Alnwick . The bride looked ecstatic as she arrived at the church gates and gave enthusiastic hugs to those waiting. Two white horses, with coachmen in all their finery, pulled the historic carriage with Lady Melissa and her father. Chelsy . Davy, an official attendant to the bride, wore a pale espresso-coloured . dress, and looked delighted to help her friend with the gown and its . long train. Despite the Summer date for the wedding, strong winds whipped the light fabric up, making the full gown billow in the breeze. Designer Bruce Oldfield was on hand to make sure it looked perfect. Celebration: The historic castle was lit up with fireworks during the evening wedding reception . Fireworks: Residents from the town were invited to watch the display from the pastures below the castle . Venue: The couple married at St Mary's Church . in Alnwick ahead of a lavish reception at the bride's sprawling . ancestral home - which has doubled for Hogwarts School in the Harry . Potter movies . Pippa: The Duchess of Cambridge's sister and lifestyle writer showed off her slender figure in an elegant peplum dress in muted shades . Event: Around 500 guests are expected to attend the society wedding of Thomas Van Straubenzee and Lady Melissa Percy . Guests: Holly Branson was spring like in a dove-grey and . coral combination, while a cheery Tara Palmer Tomkinson chose a striped . outfit for the big day .
at the wedding of Prince William's friend Thomas An RAF Sea King returning from a rescue in the crowd. Princesses . Beatrice and Eugenie are also among the Royal contingent at today's . ceremony. sister Pippa Middleton, . Prince Harry's William and Harry. What a beautiful day! Lady Lady Melissa Percy and Thomas van . Straubenzee . Duchess of Cambridge's sister and lifestyle