After much anticipation, the World witnessed the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday 19th May. Eager followers watched as streams of A-list stars and royalty filed into St George's Chapel, embraced the arrival of Ms. Markle for the beautiful wedding ceremony, and celebrated as the newlyweds travelled the streets of Windsor by carriage. So much of the day was full of splendid wonder, so let's take a look at some of the best bits and how you can recreate them for your own wedding day.
The Venue
The couple chose to wed at St George's Chapel in Windsor, a wedding venue close to the family's hearts having been the location of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's nuptials back in 2005. Choosing a wedding venue with personal meaning to you and your partner is a wonderful way of bringing so much more to the day, whether that's through family ties, where you first met or for cultural beliefs. The same applies to any
traditional or spiritual elements you choose to include in your wedding ceremony - the day will mean much more to you if you create a service that you are comfortable with and believe in.\n\nNot everyone feels comfortable getting married in a church or chapel, but if you dream of a traditional church wedding they can be some of the most romantic. The exquisite architecture and stain glass windows reflect a wonderful loving atmosphere and are the perfect way to begin your life together.
The Flowers
The beautiful selection of white garden roses, peonies and foxgloves were created by floral designer Philippa Craddock, and gracefully turned St George's Chapel into a picture perfect wedding venue. These natural colours are a spring wedding dream - light and ethereal.\nFollowing the day, the flowers were then distributed to a number of different charities - a wonderful gesture to commemorate the day.\n
Meghan's Look
Dress number one was an elegant A-line gown with bateau neckline and long sleeves, designed by Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy. Ms. Waight Keller and the Duchess of Sussex worked closely together to create the design, opting for a minimal and timeless style. The 5 metre long veil was adorned with flora representing the 53 Commonwealth countries united as one.\nhttps://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/998182893808750592\nhttps://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/998182903090745344\nDesigning your own wedding gown is the perfect way to create a wedding fit for a princess. A bespoke gown allows you to embrace your own style and show the world just who you are, whether that's simple and comfortable or elaborate and astounding.\n\nMeghan's diamond bandeau tiara was lent to her by Queen Elizabeth, which was made in 1932 with the centre brooch dating back to 1893. If you're planning on a simple and elegant look, a tiara could be the perfect finishing touch - it's always good to have a centrepiece per se.\n\nHer hair was swept into a low bun, styled by New York hairdresser Serge Normant. This look complemented and further highlighted the beautiful veil and tiara, creating a classic bridal look which drew every eye as she entered into the wedding ceremony.\nMs. Markle's second wedding dress was a simple lily white halterneck design, created by Stella McCartney from a flowing silk crepe. Again, we see minimal detail and slim styling for a classic look - perhaps simplicity will become a forerunner over lace in the coming years, but we expect the 'Meghan Effect' to take full force over the next few months.\n
The Ceremony
From traditional readings to sermons of love, Harry and Meghan's ceremony embraced both British and American cultures throughout. Highlights included the heartfelt sermon from the Most Rev Bishop Michael Curry, and the reading from Solomon by Princess Diana's sister, Lady Jane Fellows.\n\nMeghan made an emotional entrance to music from Welsh soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, before meeting Prince Charles to complete the final steps of her journey, proving that traditions can indeed be broken. Mid-ceremony, The Kingdom Choir sang a rendition of 'Stand By Me' - an unexpected highlight of the hour long service. Whilst the couple and their witnesses then headed off to sign the register, teenager Sheku Kanneh-Mason amazed the watching guests with a beautiful cello performance. The combination of soprano, choir and cellist throughout the ceremony made a perfect match and really emanated the romance felt that day.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rglMVDb3Go
The Car
Following the ceremony, the couple changed and departed for their evening reception in a 1968 silver-blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero, since converted to electric power. The couple are incredibly environmentally conscious, choosing elements of the day to reflect their beliefs.\n
The Food
At the lunchtime reception hosted by the Queen, a selection of canapes were served, prepared by a team of 25 chefs under the watchful eye of Mark Flanagan. Canapes included Scottish langoustines wrapped in smoked salmon with citrus crème fraiche, grilled English asparagus wrapped in Cumbrian ham, and croquette of confit Windsor lamb, roasted vegetables and shallot jam to name a few, with as many ingredients as possible sourced from local farms, making for a delicious selection.\n
Image: Kensington Palace\nThe couple chose a bespoke light and refreshing lemon and elderflower wedding cake to follow, designed by Claire Ptak of independent business Violet, with elderflower syrup made from the Queen's own elderflower trees at Sandringham and decorated with Swiss meringue buttercream and 150 fresh flowers. Choosing to work with an independent business and as huge supporters of organic farming, it's lovely to see couples standing by their beliefs and vision for the day. There was also an apple and elderflower mocktail designed to complement the cake - a lovely idea to tie your wedding together.\n\nIt was a wonderful day to watch, with the sun shining for their perfect spring wedding. Will you be following any of these ideas for your own wedding day? Share your ideas with us over on
Instagram.\nImages: Pinterest
