Junior Rasmussen
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was made of white silk with an open boat neckline, three-quarter-length sleeves, and a train with a built-in triple silk organza underskirt. The gown was simple and elegant, with precise seam work that created a fluted shape. It is estimated to have cost around $265,000, and the design process took 3,900 hours. The dress was revealed when Markle arrived at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018, for her wedding to Prince Harry.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Wedding | 19 May 2018 |
| Designer | Clare Waight Keller |
| Fashion House | Givenchy |
| Colour | White |
| Fabric | Silk |
| Sleeves | Three-quarter length |
| Neckline | Boatneck/bateau |
| Train | 5-metre/16-foot |
| Veil | 5-metre/16-foot, embroidered with flowers and wheat |
| Veil Fabric | Silk tulle |
| Tiara | Art deco, loaned by Queen Elizabeth II |
| Veil Cost | $265,000 |
| Veil Design Hours | 3,900 |
| Veil Embroidery Hours | 500 |
| Veil "Something Blue" | Piece of blue fabric from Markle's first date with Prince Harry |
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What You'll Learn
Meghan Markle's wedding dress designer
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director and first female artistic director of the fashion house Givenchy. Markle's gown was made of double-bonded silk with a bateau neckline, structured three-quarter-length sleeves, and a sculpted waistline that fell into a train made of triple silk organza. The dress was devoid of embellishment and crafted in white silk with precise seam work that helped create a fluted shape as she walked up the aisle.
The designer described the dress as seeking to "'convey modernity through sleek lines and sharp cuts', while paying homage to the history of the Givenchy house. The dress was inspired by Markle's affinity for Audrey Hepburn, particularly Hepburn's iconic off-the-shoulder dress in the 1957 film Funny Face. Markle also cited Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy as an inspiration, admiring how Bessette-Kennedy surprised everyone with the simplicity of her wedding gown.
Markle chose Waight Keller because she admired the designer's "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour", and because she wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent. The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers, with only five months to manufacture the dress and veil and eight fittings with the bride.
The veil was also designed by Waight Keller and was hand-embroidered with a variety of flowers on its hem, symbolic sprays of wheat, and a piece of the blue dress from Markle's first date with Prince Harry. The veil took longer to create than the dress itself, with the embroiderers spending 500 hours on its completion.
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The dress's colour and fabric
The wedding dress worn by Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, when she married Prince Harry, was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was made of pure white double-bonded silk with three-quarter-length sleeves, an open bateau or boat neckline, and a train with a built-in triple silk organza underskirt. The dress was devoid of embellishment, with precise seam work that helped create a fluted shape as Markle walked up the aisle. The gown's back was just as simple as the front, with a sculpted waistline that fell into the train.
The dress was crafted in Paris by a small team of ateliers, with only five months to manufacture the dress and veil. Markle and Waight Keller worked closely together on the design, which shows a "timeless minimal elegance". The designer was chosen by Markle because of her "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour". The dress was also inspired by Markle's affinity for Audrey Hepburn, as well as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, whom Markle admired for the simplicity of her wedding gown.
The silk and organza veil was hand-embroidered with a variety of flowers, symbolic sprays of wheat, and a piece of blue fabric from the dress Markle wore on her first date with Prince Harry. The veil took longer to create than the dress itself, with embroiderers spending 500 hours completing it and washing their hands every 30 minutes to ensure it remained pristine. The veil paid tribute to the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, with flowers representing each country, as well as Markle's home state of California and the wintersweet that grows outside her home at Kensington Palace.
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The veil's design and hidden meaning
The veil was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller, who was the first female Artistic Director of the historic French fashion house Givenchy. The veil was 5 metres (16 feet) long and 3 metres wide, and it took 3,900 hours to design and hundreds of hours to sew. The veil was embroidered with a variety of flowers and symbolic sprays of wheat. The flowers represented the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, reflecting the couple's interest in the work of the Commonwealth. In addition, Markle chose two flowers with personal meaning: wintersweet, which grows outside her home with Prince Harry, and the California poppy, the state flower from her place of birth.
The veil also included a subtle "something blue" for her big day: a piece of blue fabric stitched inside the veil that came from the blue dress that Markle wore on her first date with Prince Harry. This hidden detail paid tribute to an old wedding tradition of wearing "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue."
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The dress's style and shape
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was made of double-bonded silk with a pure white colour and a bateau, or boat neckline. The gown featured an open boat neckline, three-quarter-length "bracelet" or "slim" sleeves, and a sculpted waistline. The dress had a train made of triple silk organza and a built-in underskirt. The back of the dress was just as simple as the front, with a veil that was 5 metres (16 feet) long and 3 metres wide.
The dress was designed to convey "modernity through sleek lines and sharp cuts" while paying homage to the history of the Givenchy house. It was described as "timeless minimal elegance", with precise seam work that helped create a fluted shape. The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers, with only five months to manufacture it and eight fittings.
The dress was inspired by Markle's affinity for Audrey Hepburn, as well as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's wedding gown. Markle chose Waight Keller because of her "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour". The designer's first female artistic director role at the historic French fashion house also played a part in her selection.
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Public reaction and comparisons
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was made of white silk with an open boat neckline, three-quarter-length sleeves, and a train with a built-in triple silk organza underskirt. The gown was simple and elegant, without any lace, embellishments, or embroidered details.
Public reaction to the dress was mixed. Some people found the dress stunning and elegant, while others described it as boring, baggy, and ill-fitting. The dress was also criticised for being too simple and not royal enough. There were comparisons made to other royal wedding dresses, particularly that of Catherine, Princess of Wales, with some proclaiming Catherine's dress as the "victor". The dress was also compared to those worn by Angela Brown at her wedding to Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein in 2000 and Mary Donaldson at her wedding to Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark in 2004. It was also noted to be similar to a Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 film Funny Face.
Markle's choice of designer was also met with some criticism, as some had expected her to choose an American designer as a nod to her Californian roots. There was also speculation that she would wear a dress by the same designer as Kate Middleton's wedding dress, Sarah Burton. However, Markle chose Waight Keller because she wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent and because of the designer's elegant aesthetic and relaxed demeanour.
The veil, which was 5 metres long and 3 metres wide, was also a subject of discussion. It was hand-embroidered with a variety of flowers and symbolic sprays of wheat, and it took longer to create than the dress itself. The veil included a piece of the blue dress that Markle wore on her first date with Prince Harry.
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Frequently asked questions
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was white. The dress was made of double-bonded silk cady with a soft matte lustre.
The dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. Markle chose Keller for her "timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour."
The dress was simple and structural, with a bateau neckline, three-quarter-length sleeves, and just six seams. It featured an open boat neckline, considered on the risqué side for the conservative royal family.
