Rhiannon Hendricks
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was simple, with a bateau neckline, three-quarter length bracelet sleeves, and just six seams. Markle chose Waight Keller because she admired the designer's elegant aesthetic and relaxed demeanour. The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers, and Waight Keller and Markle met for eight fittings. The dress was designed to be timeless and minimal, reflecting Markle's personal style and deviating from past royal bridal fashion trends of opulent lace and crystal embellishments.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Wedding dress designer | Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy |
| Wedding dress style | Simple, structural, timeless, minimal, classic, elegant |
| Wedding dress fabric | Double-bonded silk cady |
| Wedding dress neckline | Boat, Bateau, or wide boatneck |
| Wedding dress sleeves | Three-quarter or long |
| Wedding dress seams | Six |
| Wedding dress train | 16-foot silk train |
| Veil | 16-foot silk tulle veil with hand-embroidered flowers |
| Veil length | Five metres |
| Veil flowers | Wintersweet, California poppy, and flowers representing 53 countries of the Commonwealth |
| Veil embroidery time | 3,900 hours |
| Tiara | Queen Mary's 1932 tiara, on loan from Queen Elizabeth II's personal collection |
| Earrings | Dainty stud earrings |
| Bracelet | Diamond bracelet |
| Second wedding dress designer | Stella McCartney |
| Second wedding dress style | Halter-neck, sleeveless, high-neck, modern, controversial |
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What You'll Learn
Meghan Markle's personal style
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was made of double-bonded silk cady and featured a bateau neckline, three-quarter-length "bracelet" sleeves, and just six seams. The dress is said to have embodied "timeless minimal elegance", reflecting the codes of the iconic House of Givenchy.
Markle's choice of dress has been described as an act of "'royal rebellion', deviating from the traditional royal bridal fashion trends of opulent lace and crystal embellishments. Instead, Markle opted for a simple, elegant, and classic style, reflecting her personal taste.
Markle has long been an admirer of the style of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, describing her wedding gown as "everything goals". Markle's choice of designer, Waight Keller, was influenced by her desire to highlight the success of a leading British talent and Waight Keller's elegant aesthetic and relaxed demeanour.
Markle's wedding dress was also designed with meaningful details, such as the inclusion of flowers representing the countries of the Commonwealth and her home state of California on her veil. The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers, with only five months to manufacture it.
Markle's personal style, as reflected in her wedding dress, can be described as simple, elegant, and classic, with a focus on meaningful details and a preference for British designers. She has a fashion-forward nature and is not afraid to break traditions, as evidenced by her choice of a simple wedding dress and her rebellious second wedding dress by Stella McCartney, which brought a modern touch to traditional royal aesthetics.
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The designer, Clare Waight Keller
Meghan Markle's wedding dress designer, Clare Waight Keller, is a British fashion designer and the first female artistic director of the French fashion house Givenchy. She joined the brand in 2017, succeeding renowned designers such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Julien Macdonald, and Riccardo Tisci.
Keller's relationship with the Duchess of Sussex extended beyond the wedding dress. She dressed Markle for Ascot, the trooping of the colour ceremony, and Remembrance Sunday. When Keller won the British Designer of the Year Womenswear Award in 2018, it was presented to her by the Duchess, who made a surprise appearance while heavily pregnant.
Keller described the process of designing the wedding dress as a very secret dress, with the design being kept under wraps until the wedding day. She worked closely with Markle for six months, with the two communicating through discreet texts and phone calls. The dress featured a boat neck, long sleeves, and a 16-foot-long veil. Purity and simplicity were the guiding principles of the design, with a focus on small meaningful details. The dress was devoid of embellishments, featuring precise seam work and sleek lines.
Keller expressed her pride in being chosen by Markle, highlighting the significance of a British designer at a Parisian haute couture house. She also emphasised the emotional aspect of designing a wedding dress, especially for a royal wedding, and the sensitivity and attention to emotion that went into the creation of the dress.
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The dress' simple design
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was made of double-bonded silk cady and featured a bateau or boat neckline, three-quarter-length "bracelet" sleeves, and just six seams. It had a sweeping 16-foot silk train and a built-in triple silk organza underskirt. The dress was described as having a "timeless minimal elegance" and was said to convey "modernity through sleek lines and sharp cuts".
Markle has previously expressed her preference for simple styles, particularly admiring the wedding gown of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. She chose Waight Keller for her "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour", and the designer's ability to create a dress that was both timeless and modern. The dress was also an exercise in simplicity, devoid of embellishment, and a departure from traditional royal bridal fashion trends of opulent lace and crystal embellishments.
The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers, with only five months to manufacture it. Markle and Waight Keller worked closely together, communicating through discreet texts and phone calls before and after nondisclosure agreements were signed. The designer stated that the dress sought to pay homage to the history of the Givenchy house, while also placing Markle front and centre, underscoring her independence, and celebrating her strength.
The choice of a simple design also allowed Markle to choose a more intricate veil. The five-metre-long silk tulle veil featured a trim of hand-embroidered flowers representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, as well as Markle's home state of California and wintersweet, a flower that grows at Kensington Palace.
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The dress' similarities to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's wedding gown
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was made of white silk with an open bateau neckline, three-quarter-length sleeves, and a train with built-in triple silk organza underskirt. The dress was noted for its simplicity and timeless elegance, marking a departure from traditional royal bridal fashion, which often features opulent embellishments.
Markle has long been an admirer of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's style, describing her wedding gown as "everything goals". Markle's choice of a simple, elegant dress with a focus on the bride herself drew comparisons to Bessette-Kennedy's iconic chic and simple Narciso Rodriguez slip dress. Both dresses featured sleek lines, a timeless aesthetic, and an emphasis on showcasing the natural beauty of the bride. Markle's open bateau neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves echoed the simplicity and sophistication of Bessette-Kennedy's gown.
In addition to the aesthetic similarities, Markle's choice to work with Waight Keller, who had served as the creative head of globally influential fashion houses, mirrored Bessette-Kennedy's support for emerging designers. Markle's decision to pay homage to her style icon in her own wedding dress demonstrated the lasting influence of Bessette-Kennedy's timeless style.
While there were speculations that Markle might not wear a traditional white wedding dress due to her previous marriage, her choice of a simple, elegant gown in white silk made a fashion statement and became one of the most celebrated royal fashion moments in history. The dress, with its subtle details and modern touches, reflected Markle's personal style and set trends for brides-to-be with minimalist and classic tastes.
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The veil's intricate design
Meghan Markle's wedding dress and veil were designed by Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director of Givenchy. The veil was made from 16-foot silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza. The flowers represented the distinctive flora of each of the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, with the California poppy representing Markle's home state of California, and wintersweet, a flower that grows at Kensington Palace, where she and Harry lived. A piece of the blue dress Markle wore on her first date with Harry was also stitched into the veil.
The veil was held in place by a glittering diamond art deco tiara, lent to Markle from the personal collection of Queen Elizabeth II. The bandeau, made of diamonds and platinum, was complemented by Cartier earrings and a bracelet by a French jeweller.
The veil was one of the most memorable aspects of Markle's wedding ensemble, with its intricate design and thoughtful details paying homage to the Commonwealth and her personal history. The veil's length and style attracted some criticism, with some comparing it to a CVS receipt. However, overall, the veil was considered a stunning and thoughtful accessory to Markle's simple and elegant wedding dress.
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Frequently asked questions
Meghan Markle chose a simple wedding dress designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy to emphasise her own independence and to celebrate female strength. Markle has long been an admirer of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's wedding gown, which she described as "everything goals". Markle's dress was simple, pure, and sculptural, with a wide boatneck, long sleeves, and a sweeping train.
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was crafted in white silk with precise seam-work that helped create a fluted shape as she walked up the aisle. The gown featured an open boat neckline, a 16-foot silk train, and three-quarter-length "bracelet" sleeves. The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers, with only five months to manufacture it.
Meghan Markle's veil was embroidered with flowers representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, as well as the California poppy, in honour of Markle's home state of California, and wintersweet, a flower that grows at Kensington Palace.
