Harry-Markle Wedding: Where To Watch

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on May 19, 2018, at St. George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The ceremony was a blend of British tradition and contemporary American style, with the couple exchanging vows in front of 600 guests, including the Queen, more than 30 royals, and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, and George and Amal Clooney. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, presided over the ceremony, which included a rousing address by American preacher Michael Curry, who quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and spoke about the power of love. Following the ceremony, the newlyweds, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, rode through Windsor in an open-top Ascot Landau, cheered on by an estimated 100,000 people. The celebrations culminated in a black-tie wedding dinner at Frogmore House, hosted by Prince Charles for 200 of the couple's closest friends and family.

The wedding ceremony

The wedding was a blend of British pageantry and modernity, with the couple opting for a simple and contemporary ceremony. Meghan Markle arrived at the chapel in a vintage limousine, accompanied by her mother, Doria Ragland. She walked through the Nave of the chapel alone, followed by a procession of bridesmaids and pageboys, including Princess Charlotte and Prince George. She wore a simple boat-neck gown designed by Givenchy's Clare Waight Keller.

Prince Harry arrived earlier, on foot, with his best man and brother, the Duke of Cambridge. He wore the frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals, with the permission of the Queen.

The ceremony began with declarations from the Archbishop of Canterbury, followed by the arrival of Meghan Markle at the altar, accompanied by Prince Charles. The couple exchanged vows, with Prince Harry promising to love, honour and protect Meghan, and Meghan pledging to love, comfort and honour Prince Harry. They exchanged rings, with Prince Harry giving Meghan a wedding ring made of Welsh gold, and Meghan giving Prince Harry a platinum wedding ring. The Archbishop of Canterbury then pronounced them husband and wife.

The ceremony also included a reading from the Song of Solomon by Princess Diana's sister, Lady Jane Fellowes, and an address by the Presiding Bishop of the American Episcopalian Church, Michael Curry, who quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and spoke about the power of love. The ceremony also featured music from Ben E. King and Etta James, performed by Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir.

The wedding procession

The bridegroom and his best man were met by the Dean of Windsor. They stopped for a few moments and had a brief conversation before walking inside. Harry, looking dapper in his frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals, walked up the aisle with his best man and was seen acknowledging a guest in the congregation with a nod.

The Prince of Wales arrived at the Galilee Porch at 11:45 am. He would later walk Meghan down the aisle.

At 11:52 am, the Queen arrived at the Galilee Porch with the Duke of Edinburgh. Following protocol, the Queen was the last member of the Royal family to arrive for the wedding service.

At 11:59 am, Meghan arrived at the Chapel's West Steps by car from her overnight accommodation at the Cliveden House Hotel in Taplow, Berkshire. She was accompanied by her mother, Doria Ragland. Meghan walked through the Nave of the chapel on her own, followed by a procession of bridesmaids and pageboys, before being accompanied by Charles up the aisle of the Quire.

The ceremony began at 12:00 pm.

The wedding reception

The wedding cake was a lemon and elderflower cake decorated with peonies in shades of white and cream. It was designed by London-based cake designer Claire Ptak.

The first dance was held at Frogmore House in Windsor, hosted by Prince Charles. The couple arrived at the reception in a silver-blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero, which was originally manufactured in 1968 and has since been converted to electric power. The bride wore a lily white, high-neck gown made of silk crepe and designed by Stella McCartney. The groom wore a black-tie suit. The couple's first dance was followed by a fireworks display.

The wedding dress

Markle wore a simple, elegant, pure white gown designed by Clare Waight Keller under the Givenchy label. The dress was made of double-bonded silk with a bateau (or boat) neckline, structured three-quarter sleeves, and a sculpted waistline that fell into a train made of triple silk organza. The dress was estimated to cost about $265,000, and the design process required 3,900 hours of work for the veil, eight fittings, and five months of collaboration between the bride and the design team. Notably, Markle chose Waight Keller because she wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent and because she appreciated the designer's elegant aesthetic and relaxed demeanour.

Markle's veil was just as stunning as her dress. The 16.5-foot (or 5-metre) silk tulle veil featured a trim of hand-embroidered flowers along with sprays of wheat and symbolic flowers. The flowers included the California poppy, in honour of Markle's home state, and wintersweet, which grows at Kensington Palace. The veil also featured flowers representing each of the 53 countries of the Commonwealth. The veil took longer to create than the dress itself, and the embroiderers spent 500 hours completing it, washing their hands every 30 minutes to ensure the veil would remain pristine.

Markle's "something blue" was a piece of fabric from the dress she wore on her first date with Prince Harry, which was stitched into her bridal veil.

For the evening reception, Markle changed into a lily white, high-neck gown made of silk crepe by Stella McCartney. The dress featured a halter neckline and a slinky silhouette. Markle wore her hair in a relaxed updo and accessorised with a large blue cocktail ring on her right hand, which appeared to be the same ring that once belonged to Princess Diana.

The wedding guests

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a star-studded affair, with 600 guests in attendance at St. George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The guest list included a mix of royalty, celebrities, and close friends and family of the couple.

The Queen, of course, was in attendance, wearing a light green outfit with splashes of yellow and purple. She was joined by other members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, who walked Meghan Markle down the aisle, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and best man, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Jane Fellowes, the sister of Harry's late mother, Princess Diana.

The celebrity guest list included Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Idris Elba, Sir Elton John, James Blunt, and Meghan's former Suits co-stars, including Patrick J. Adams, Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman, Abigail Spencer, Gina Torres, and Amanda Schull.

Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was also in attendance and was the first front-row guest to arrive at St. George's Chapel.

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