Harry And Meghan's Wedding: Date And Details

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding took place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The ceremony began at 12 pm BST, followed by a carriage procession through Windsor at 1 pm BST. The wedding was televised and live-streamed around the world.

The wedding date and venue

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom. The ceremony began at 12 pm BST, followed by a carriage procession through Windsor at 1 pm BST.

The wedding date broke with royal tradition in two ways. Firstly, it was held on a Saturday, whereas royal weddings typically take place on weekdays. Secondly, the wedding was held on the same day as the Emirates FA Cup Final, which Prince William—who is usually in attendance as President of the Football Association—missed to be at his brother's wedding.

The choice of venue was also significant. While royal weddings often take place at Westminster Abbey, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle opted for St George's Chapel, which is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle, just outside of London. The chapel has served as the site of numerous royal weddings, including those of Queen Victoria's children, and is the final resting place of several monarchs, including King George VI, the Queen Mother Elizabeth, and King Edward VII.

The wedding ceremony was officiated by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and included a rousing sermon by the Most Rev Bishop Michael Curry, the first black presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church. The couple exchanged vows and rings, with Prince Harry choosing to wear a wedding ring—unlike his brother, Prince William. Meghan Markle's ring was made of Welsh gold, while Harry's was platinum.

Following the ceremony, the newlyweds shared their first kiss as a married couple on the steps of St George's Chapel, before embarking on a carriage procession through Windsor.

Meghan's wedding dress

Meghan Markle's wedding dress for her marriage to Prince Harry on 19 May 2018 was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress epitomised "a timeless minimal elegance", with "pure lines" achieved using just six seams. It featured an open bateau neckline, three-quarter-length sleeves, and a train with a built-in triple silk organza underskirt. The dress was made of double-bonded silk cady, with no lace or other embellishments. The fabric was developed by Waight Keller specifically for the dress.

The dress was revealed for the first time when Markle stepped out of the car at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on her way to the ceremony. The designer was not publicly known until that moment, despite much speculation in the press.

Waight Keller was chosen by Markle because of her "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour". Markle wanted her dress to reflect her personal style, which is "pared down and relaxed". She also wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent. Waight Keller was the first female Artistic Director at Givenchy, a historic French fashion house.

The veil was 5 metres (16 ft) long and 3 metres wide, and featured hand-embroidered flowers along its hem. The flowers represented the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, as well as the California poppy, in honour of Markle's home state, and wintersweet, which grows outside Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace, where the couple lived. The veil took 500 hours to complete, with embroiderers washing their hands every 30 minutes to ensure it remained immaculate. A piece of blue fabric from the dress Markle wore on her first date with Prince Harry was stitched into the veil, in keeping with the "something blue" tradition.

Markle also wore white gold and diamond earrings and a bracelet made by Cartier, and her hair was styled in an up-do with face-framing fringe. Her makeup was done by Dior make-up artist Daniel Martin, and was described as "a soft brown eyeshadow" with minimal makeup on the face. Her nails were painted in a "neutral pink-y beige".

The wedding rings

Prince Harry's decision to wear a wedding band was a break from tradition, as men in the royal family do not always wear wedding rings. His father, Prince Charles, wears a signet ring, while his brother, William, and grandfather, Prince Philip, do not wear wedding bands. William also opted out of wearing a wedding band when he married Kate Middleton in 2011.

Meghan's wedding band complemented her three-stone diamond engagement ring, which was also designed by Cleave and Company. The engagement ring features a large central diamond from Botswana, with two smaller diamonds from Princess Diana's collection.

The guest list

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a star-studded affair, with a guest list of around 600 people, including members of the royal family, celebrities, and friends of the couple. The event took place at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, which has a capacity of 800 guests, making it a relatively intimate celebration compared to other royal weddings. Here is a breakdown of the guest list:

Relatives of the Groom:

The groom's family, including his paternal grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, his father and stepmother, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and his brother and sister-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were in attendance. Prince Harry's nephew, Prince George of Cambridge, and niece, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, were also part of the wedding party as page boys and bridesmaids. Other relatives included the groom's paternal aunt and uncle, first cousins, and extended family members.

Relatives of the Bride:

The bride's mother, Doria Ragland, was in attendance and accompanied Meghan to the castle on the wedding day.

Members of Reigning and Non-Reigning Royal Families:

Prince Seeiso and Princess Mabereng Seeiso of Lesotho, who co-founded a charity with Prince Harry, were in attendance. Other members of non-reigning royal families were also present.

Notable Guests:

Friends of the Couple:

The couple invited many of their close friends, including Markus Anderson, Alessandra Balazs, Carolyn Bartholomew (godmother of the groom), Cressida Bonas (ex-girlfriend of the groom), Emilie van Cutsem, Chelsy Davy (another ex-girlfriend of the groom), Heather Dorak (college friend of the bride), Tom Inskip (friend of the groom), Lindsay Jordan and Celine Khavarani (long-time friends of the bride), Guy Pelly (friend of the groom), Tiggy Pettifer (the groom's former nanny), and Julia Samuel (friend of the late Princess Diana).

Celebrities:

The wedding had a star-studded guest list, including Victoria and David Beckham, James Blunt and his wife Sofia Wellesley, Priyanka Chopra, George and Amal Clooney, James Corden and his wife Julia Carey, Idris Elba and his fiancée Sabrina Dhowre, Elton John and his husband David Furnish, Patrick J. Adams (co-star of the bride), Troian Bellisario (wife of Patrick J. Adams), Abigail Spencer (friend of the bride), Joss Stone, Gina Torres (co-star of the bride), Carey Mulligan and her husband Marcus Mumford, Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian, and Oprah Winfrey.

Flower Girls and Page Boys:

In addition to Prince George and Princess Charlotte, other young members of the wedding party included Rylan Litt, Remi Litt, Ivy Mulroney, Florence van Cutsem, Zalie Warren, and Jasper Dyer.

Charities and Members of the Public:

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also invited approximately 2,000 members of the public to the grounds of Windsor Castle to celebrate their wedding. This included members of charity organisations they supported, local school children, and inspiring citizens chosen by Lord Lieutenants across the country.

The ceremony

The bride, Meghan Markle, wore a dress designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller under the aegis of the fashion house Givenchy. The groom, Prince Harry, wore the frock coat uniform of the Blues and Royals, in which he served for 10 years, including in combat in Afghanistan.

The wedding service was officiated by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and included a sermon from Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church (the American member church of the Anglican Communion). Curry's 14-minute address quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and emphasised the redemptive power of love.

The couple exchanged vows and rings created by Cleave and Company. Markle's ring was made from Welsh gold, while Harry's was a platinum band. The marriage vows were those published in Common Worship and included the promise to "love and to cherish" each other.

Hymns sung during the ceremony included "Lord of All Hopefulness" and "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer", the latter of which was also sung at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. The music was performed by two choirs, an orchestra, the chapel organ, and fanfare trumpeters, under the overall direction of James Vivian, the chapel's Organist and Director of Music. The orchestra was conducted by Christopher Warren-Green.

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