Lyla Dejesus
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had two wedding receptions on 19 May 2018. The first was held at St. George's Hall in Windsor Castle, hosted by the Queen for 600 guests. The second was a private evening event for around 200 guests, hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at Frogmore House, a royal residence in Windsor. Frogmore House was also the venue for the couple's official engagement photos.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of receptions | 2 |
| First reception venue | St. George's Hall, Windsor Castle |
| First reception host | The Queen |
| First reception guests | 600 |
| First reception food | Pol Roger Champagne, canapés, bowl food, lemon and elderflower sponge |
| First reception speeches | Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Best Man William |
| Second reception venue | Frogmore House |
| Second reception host | Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall |
| Second reception guests | 200 |
| Second reception food | Formal dinner with at least three courses, using seasonal ingredients sourced from the Queen's estates |
| Second reception speeches | The bride, Best Man William, Tom "Skippy" Inskip, Tom Van Straubenzee |
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What You'll Learn
The first reception at St. George's Hall
The first wedding reception for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held at St. George's Hall in Windsor Castle, following their wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel on the castle grounds. The lunchtime reception was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II for 600 guests, including the wedding congregation. The guest list was notably smaller than that of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding, which included many political leaders.
St. George's Hall is the largest room in Windsor Castle, spanning 180 feet (55.5 meters) in length and 29.5 feet (9 meters) in width. The hall was damaged in the 1992 Windsor Castle fire, which caused the roof to collapse, but the walls remained intact. It was later renovated in a modern Gothic style by architect Giles Downes. The hall is decorated with brightly coloured shields celebrating the Order of the Garter. The Queen often uses the space to host formal state dinners and banquets with foreign dignitaries.
Guests at the first reception were served Pol Roger Champagne, canapés, and bowl food. There were speeches from Prince Charles, Prince Harry, and a cheeky best man speech from William, who also served as compère. The couple cut their wedding cake, a lemon and elderflower sponge created by pastry chef Claire Ptak, owner of London-based Violet Bakery.
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The second reception at Frogmore House
The second reception, hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, was held at Frogmore House, a royal residence in Windsor, just half a mile from Windsor Castle. The 17th-century English country house has been a royal retreat for more than 300 years and was the perfect setting for the couple's romantic engagement photo shoot. The venue was also used for Harry and Meghan's official engagement photos, taken by Alexi Lubomirski.
Frogmore House was built from 1680-1684 by King Charles II's architect, Hugh May, for his nephew. The estate's name was inspired by the abundance of frogs on the marshy premises. It was purchased by King George III in 1792 as a country retreat for Queen Charlotte. It was remodelled by architect James Wyatt and got its name from the plethora of frogs in the low-lying marsh areas.
The second reception was a private evening event for around 200 guests. Dinner, prepared by royal chef Mark Flanagan, was expected to be a formal three-course meal with seasonal ingredients sourced from the Queen's estates. Few details were released by Kensington Palace about the evening reception, but rumours include a speech from the bride, and a rather naughty Best Man speech from William.
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The lemon and elderflower cake
The recipe for the cake is included in Ptak's cookbook, where she describes her intention to create a delicate balance of sweet, bright lemons from the Amalfi Coast of Italy and the fragrant elderflower that grows in London's streets and lanes during the season. The cake was styled with white peonies and roses, as well as green foliage to give it a garden-inspired look.
To make the cake, Ptak used a combination of flour, baking powder, zest, butter, sugar, eggs, and lemon juice. The batter was then baked and transformed into a four-layered sponge cake with Swiss meringue and lemon curd layered inside and buttercream on the outside. The cake was also covered in buttercream frosting, for which Ptak used elderflower cordial from Queen Elizabeth II's Sandringham estate.
The finished cake was displayed as two single-tiered cakes along with one two-tiered cake, serving a total of 800 guests at the reception. The cake was presented at St. George's Hall in Windsor Castle, where the first of two wedding receptions for Harry and Meghan was held. The second reception was hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at Frogmore House, a royal residence in Windsor, just half a mile from Windsor Castle.
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The Duchess of Sussex's dress
The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, wore a number of dresses in relation to her wedding to Prince Harry.
For their official engagement photos, taken by Alexi Lubomirski and released on 21 December 2017, Meghan wore a black tulle gown with gold embroidery by Ralph & Russo.
On her wedding day, Meghan wore a traditional white dress. The wedding took place at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the dress was in keeping with the traditional ceremony, which included African-American culture.
There were two wedding receptions. The first was a lunchtime gathering hosted by the Queen at St. George's Hall in Windsor Castle. The second was a private evening event hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at Frogmore House, a royal residence in Windsor. Meghan wore a dress to each of these receptions, though no details are given about what they looked like.
In the lead-up to the wedding, Meghan and Kate Middleton reportedly cried over a dispute regarding the fit of Princess Charlotte's white bridesmaid dress.
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The celebrity guests
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding celebrations were a grand affair, with two receptions held on the day. The first, a lunchtime reception hosted by the Queen, was a more public-facing event with 600 guests from the wedding congregation. The second, a private evening event, was hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall and had around 200 guests. The guest list for the wedding and its receptions was a mix of royalty and celebrities from across the world.
Among the non-royal notable guests were Harry's friends George and Amal Clooney, whose countryside home is just a 30-minute drive from Windsor. Other celebrity guests included Idris Elba, Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Tom Hardy, James Corden, Sir Elton John, Joss Stone, David and Victoria Beckham, James Blunt, and Patrick J. Adams. Markle's non-work friends Ben and Jessica Mulroney, Jill Smoller, Janina Gavankar, and Misha Nonoo were also in attendance.
The wedding ceremony and the evening reception at Frogmore House also saw the attendance of many of Meghan's celebrity friends. These included Priyanka Chopra, who famously corrected Wendy Williams for describing Markle as "Prince Harry's girlfriend" before the wedding. Other celebrity guests included Meghan's Suits co-stars Gina Torres, Abigail Spencer, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman, and Gabriel Macht.
The guest list for the wedding and its receptions was a closely guarded secret, with only a few details released by Kensington Palace. The decision not to invite political leaders to the wedding was a notable departure from the usual practice, with only former Prime Minister Sir John Major in attendance due to his previous role as a special guardian to Princes William and Harry.
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Frequently asked questions
The couple had two receptions. The first was held at St. George's Hall in Windsor Castle, and the second was held at Frogmore House, a royal residence in Windsor.
The first reception was a lunchtime gathering hosted by the Queen for 600 guests from the wedding congregation. Guests were served Pol Roger Champagne, canapes, and bowl food. There were also speeches from Prince Charles and Prince Harry, and the couple cut their wedding cake.
The second reception was a private evening event hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall for around 200 guests. Dinner was prepared by royal chef Mark Flanagan and was expected to be a formal, three-course meal with seasonal ingredients sourced from the Queen's estates. There were also speeches from the bride, the best man, and Prince Harry's close friends, Tom "Skippy" Inskip and Tom Van Straubenzee.
Frogmore House has been a royal retreat for over 300 years and was the site of the couple's official engagement portraits. It was also chosen to continue a nearly 300-year tradition of British royals visiting the estate for joyful occasions.
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