Star Style At The Royal Wedding

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a star-studded affair, with A-list celebrities from the world of acting, music, and sports in attendance. The guest list included George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Priyanka Chopra, Serena Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Idris Elba, and James Corden, among others. The bride's Suits co-stars Patrick J. Adams, Abigail Spencer, and Gabriel Macht were also present, along with Markle's close friend, tennis champion Serena Williams.

The bride's celebrity friends

The bride, Meghan Markle, was a Hollywood actress with many celebrity friends in attendance at her wedding to Prince Harry. The guest list included many A-list stars from the worlds of acting, music, and sports.

Meghan's close friend, tennis champion Serena Williams, was in attendance with her husband, Alexis Ohanian. Williams and Meghan became close friends after meeting at a celebrity flag football game in 2014. Meghan cheered Williams on during her 2014 U.S. Open win, and she attended Wimbledon in 2016 to watch her play—around the same time Meghan and Harry met for the first time.

Meghan's Suits co-stars were also in attendance, including Patrick J. Adams, who brought his wife, Troian Bellisario, and Abigail Spencer, who came with Priyanka Chopra. Chopra and Meghan became close friends after meeting at the ELLE Women in Television dinner a few years ago. Other Suits cast members in attendance included Gabriel Macht and Sarah Rafferty.

Other celebrity guests included Oprah Winfrey, George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Idris Elba and his fiancée Sabrina Dhowre, James Corden and his wife Julia Carey, Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford, and Tom Hardy with his partner Charlotte Riley.

The groom's celebrity friends

Prince Harry's celebrity friends turned up in droves to celebrate his wedding to Meghan Markle. The guest list included many A-list stars from the worlds of acting, music, and sports.

Actor and close friend of the couple, Idris Elba, attended the wedding with his fiancée, Sabrina Dhowre. Other actors in attendance included George and Amal Clooney, James Corden, Julia Carey, Charlotte Riley, Tom Hardy, Carey Mulligan, and Marcus Mumford.

Musicians at the wedding included Elton John, Joss Stone, and James Blunt.

David Beckham represented the world of sports, along with Serena Williams, and Nacho Figueras, Prince Harry's friend and fellow polo player.

Other notable guests included Priyanka Chopra, Patrick J. Adams, Troian Bellisario, Oprah Winfrey, and Harry's ex-girlfriends, Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy.

The bride's fashion choices

The bride, Meghan Markle, wore a custom wedding dress designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress featured a boat neckline, long sleeves, and a sweeping train. The silk veil was 16 feet 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, and the California Poppy, the state flower of California, Meghan's home state. The veil was secured by a diamond bandeau tiara, on loan from Queen Elizabeth II. The tiara was made in 1932 for Queen Mary and featured a detachable centre brooch with interlaced opals and diamonds, which was a wedding gift to Queen Mary from the County of Lincoln in 1893. Meghan's shoes were also custom-made by Givenchy and featured a pointed couture design.

Meghan's jewellery included white gold and diamond earrings and a bracelet made by Cartier. Her hair was styled by Serge Normant, who rolled it up with face-framing fringe tucked behind her ears. Her makeup, done by Dior makeup artist Daniel Martin, was described as "a soft brown eyeshadow" with a natural and minimal look on the face. Her nails were painted in a neutral pink-y beige.

For the evening reception, Meghan changed into a custom halter-neck, open-back dress by Stella McCartney. She accessorised with an emerald-cut aquamarine ring that once belonged to Princess Diana. Her hairstylist for the evening was George Northwood.

The groom's fashion choices

Prince Harry wore a Blues and Royals frock coat uniform, made by Savile Row tailor Dege & Skinner. The uniform was made of blue doeskin and featured a white buckskin belt with sword slings. The Duke of Sussex, as Harry is officially known, served in the regiment when he was part of the army.

Harry's uniform was single-breasted and included a hat, following the Blues and Royals tradition. The uniform took six weeks to make, with one lady spending a week creating the intricate sleeves. In total, the uniform required 65,000 stitches and more than a football field's length in lace.

Harry's uniform was adorned with several embellishments, including:

• The star of the Royal Victorian Order, of which he is a Knight Commander.
• The ribbons of the Royal Victorian Order, Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
• Army Air Corps wings.

Harry also wore the rank of major, and notably kept his beard, which was only permitted under exceptional circumstances in the British Army. He received the Queen's permission to retain his facial hair for his wedding day.

Harry's best man and brother, Prince William, wore a similar uniform, with some distinct differences. William sported the Garter Star and golden braids on the right side of his uniform, indicating his position as an Aide-de-Camp to the Queen.

The pageboys, including Prince George, wore uniforms that resembled the groom and best man's Blues and Royals attire. These uniforms were also created by Dege & Skinner and were tailored to the miniature measurements of the young boys. Each page boy had his initials on the shoulders instead of rank badges.

For the evening reception, Prince Harry changed out of his military attire and into a black tuxedo, a more dance-friendly outfit.

The ceremony

The wedding was officiated by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, using the standard Anglican church service for Holy Matrimony. The ceremony was also noted for its inclusion of African-American culture.

The bride's bouquet, designed by Philippa Craddock, included forget-me-nots, hand-picked by the groom in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana. The bouquet also featured 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 Dean of Windsor, David Conner, conducted the service, with the Archbishop of Canterbury performing the marriage ceremony. The sermon was delivered by Michael Curry, the presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, who quoted Martin Luther King Jr. in his address.

The wedding vows were those published in Common Worship, and included the promise "to love and to cherish" each other. The couple then exchanged rings, with Markle's ring fashioned from Welsh gold and the Prince's made of platinum. After signing the registers, the newlyweds sang the national anthem, before briefly bowing and curtseying to the Queen. They then shared a kiss on the steps outside the chapel.

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