Witnessing The Royal Wedding: A Guide

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom. The ceremony was attended by around 600 guests, including senior members of the British royal family, and a host of celebrity friends of the couple. The bride wore a dress by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, and the groom wore a Blues and Royals frock coat uniform. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, officiated the wedding, which was followed by a carriage procession through Windsor. The couple then hosted a lunchtime reception at St George's Hall, where Elton John performed, and an intimate evening reception at Frogmore House, where Idris Elba served as DJ.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding attire

The wedding attire of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was highly anticipated, and their outfits were later exhibited at Windsor Castle.

Meghan Markle's Wedding Attire

The wedding dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller, under the aegis of the fashion house Givenchy. It was made of "double-bonded silk cady cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza" and had a boat neckline, long sleeves, and a sweeping train. The dress also incorporated "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue". "Something old" was a piece of fabric from Princess Diana's wedding dress, sewn into Meghan's dress. "Something new" was the diamond and platinum bracelet and earrings she wore, also by Cartier. "Something borrowed" was the Queen's tiara, a diamond bandeau made in 1932 with an interchangeable centre brooch created in 1893. "Something blue" was a piece of fabric from the dress Meghan wore on her first date with Harry, stitched into the veil.

The silk veil was 16 feet (4.9 m) long and was embroidered with 55 flowers, representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, as well as Wintersweet, which grows in front of Nottingham Cottage, where the couple lived, and the California Poppy, the state flower of California, Meghan's home state. The veil was secured by the tiara, loaned to Meghan by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Duchess of Sussex's hair was styled by Serge Normant, who rolled it up with "face-framing fringe tucked behind her ears". Her makeup was done by Dior make-up artist Daniel Martin, who described the look as "a soft brown eyeshadow" with minimal makeup on the face. Her nails were painted in a "neutral pink-y beige" for the ceremony.

The bride's bouquet, designed by Philippa Craddock, contained "forget-me-nots, scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle from a plant grown from the myrtle used in the Queen's wedding bouquet". The flowers were chosen by Prince Harry, who handpicked forget-me-nots in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana.

For the evening reception, Meghan wore a halter-neck, open-back dress by Stella McCartney and an emerald-cut aquamarine ring that formerly belonged to Princess Diana. Her hairstylist for the private party was George Northwood.

Prince Harry's Wedding Attire

Prince Harry wore the frock coat uniform of the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons), in which he served for 10 years, including in combat in Afghanistan. The uniform was made by Dege & Skinner, gentleman's tailors and uniform makers of Savile Row, London. Harry asked for and received the Queen's permission to keep his beard, as beards were then only permitted under exceptional circumstances in the British Army. He wore the rank of major with the star of the Royal Victorian Order, of which he is a Knight Commander, along with several ribbons and Army Air Corps wings.

The groom's outfit for the exhibition was a replica, as the original uniform was required for use by the Duke of Sussex.

The wedding ceremony

The wedding service was conducted according to the Christian liturgy for Holy Matrimony as set out in Common Worship of the Church of England.

The bride, Meghan Markle, arrived at the Chapel's west steps by car, accompanied by her mother, Doria Ragland. She wore a simple, long-sleeved white dress, with a veil covering her face. She was wearing a white veil and white dress with a boat neck, and waved to onlookers as the car departed at 11.19 am.

Meghan Markle was then joined by her bridesmaids and page boys, who included Princess Charlotte and Prince George, before being accompanied by Prince Charles down the aisle of the Quire to meet her groom at the altar.

Prince Harry, the groom, arrived with his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, who was the best man. They arrived on foot, walking past the thousands of spectators invited into the grounds of the castle. The groom wore the frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, began the declarations at the High Altar. He asked the bridegroom: "Harry, will you take Meghan to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and protect her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?" to which Harry replied: "I will." The Archbishop then asked Meghan the same, and she responded: "I will."

As Meghan approached the altar, Prince Harry mouthed the words: "You look amazing."

The couple exchanged vows, with Meghan omitting the word "obey" from hers. They then exchanged rings, with Meghan's being made of Welsh gold and Harry's being a platinum band.

The ceremony included a reading from the Song of Solomon, read by The Lady Jane Fellowes, Princess Diana's sister, and an address by The Most Rev Bishop Michael Curry, the first African-American presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church.

The ceremony also included several hymns and songs, including "Lord of All Hopefulness", "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer", "Stand By Me" by Ben E King, and "This Little Light of Mine" by Etta James.

The wedding reception

The second reception was a more intimate affair, with only 200 close friends and family in attendance. This was hosted by Prince Charles at Frogmore House on the Windsor estate. Guests changed into more comfortable attire, with Meghan wearing a Stella McCartney dress and Prince Harry donning a tuxedo. They drove off to the reception in a silver-blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero convertible. The reception featured a DJ, Sam Totolee, who also played at Pippa Middleton's wedding. The couple's first dance was to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". There was also an organic sit-down dinner and a specialty cocktail called "When Harry Met Meghan", made with ginger and rum. The event ended with a fireworks display at 11 pm.

The wedding cake

The cake was created by Claire Ptak, owner of East London bakery Violet Cakes. Ptak is a California native who bakes her cakes with low intervention and organic ingredients. She uses fresh fruits, homemade caramel, and premium Valrhona chocolate to create moist sponge cakes with incredible fillings.

Inspired by their spring wedding date, the couple opted for a light and refreshing lemon and elderflower-flavoured cake. The recipe included 200 Amalfi lemons, 500 organic eggs, 44 pounds of butter, 44 pounds of flour, 44 pounds of sugar, and 10 bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial—a nod to the Queen, as the liqueur is made from flowers harvested at one of her private homes. The cordial was used to soak the cake layers and was also incorporated into the frosting, adding a floral flavour to the sweet buttercream.

The cake consisted of two single-tier cakes and one two-tier cake, a modest display compared to other royal wedding cakes. The cakes were adorned with 150 fresh flowers, including British peonies and roses, and displayed on gold ornate stands from the royal family's collection. The entire process of making the cake took five days and was done in the kitchen at Buckingham Palace.

The cake was estimated to cost around $70,000, a small fortune for a cake, but well worth it for the royal couple's special day.

The wedding guests

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a star-studded affair, with a mix of celebrities, royalty, and members of the public in attendance. The guest list included:

Family and Friends of the Royal Family

• Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
• Prince William and Kate Middleton
• Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
• Lady Jane Fellowes, Princess Diana's sister
• Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Princess Diana's sister
• Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother
• Kitty Spencer, daughter of Earl Spencer
• Prince George, Prince Harry's nephew
• Princess Charlotte, Prince Harry's niece
• Thomas Inskip and Guy Pelly, Prince Harry's ushers
• Army comrades who served alongside Prince Harry in Afghanistan
• Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and Princess Mabereng, who co-founded the charity Sentebale with Prince Harry

Meghan Markle's Family and Friends

• Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian
• Priyanka Chopra
• Abigail Spencer
• Patrick J. Adams and his wife, Troian Bellisario
• Rick Hoffman
• Vanessa Ray
• Gina Torres
• Gabriel Macht
• Sarah Rafferty
• Jessica Mulroney and her husband, Ben Mulroney
• Benita Litt and Darren Litt
• Cressida Bonas, one of Prince Harry's former girlfriends
• Chelsy Davy, one of Prince Harry's former girlfriends

Celebrities

• George and Amal Clooney
• Idris Elba and his fiancée, Sabrina Dhowre
• James Corden and his wife, Julia Carey
• Tom Hardy and his wife, Charlotte Riley
• Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford
• Oprah Winfrey
• David and Victoria Beckham
• James Blunt and his wife, Sofia Wellesley
• Pippa Middleton and James Matthews
• Joss Stone
• Sir Clive Woodward and his wife, Jayne Williams
• Elton John and his husband, David Furnish

Members of the Public

The couple also invited 1,200 members of the public, including:

• Amelia Thompson, a schoolgirl caught up in the Manchester terror attack
• Zoe Ardunell, a volunteer at the Valley Kids charity
• Reuben Litherland, a deaf pupil teaching his classmates sign language
• Rosie Gindway, an entrepreneur who owns a baking business in Birmingham
• Pamela Anomneze, who uses art to help people with mental health issues
• Amy Wright, a volunteer social enterprise worker
• Jorja Furze, a schoolgirl born with one leg who became a charity ambassador and mental health champion
• Catherine Cooke, a coordinator at the Foyle Women's Information Network
• Julie-Ann Coll, who runs a support group for parents dealing with child bereavement
• Tessa Hince and Hayley Ash, who run a Christmas community lunch in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire
• Philip Gillespie, who lost a leg in a bomb in Afghanistan and now raises funds for an Army charity

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