A lot has been told about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding, since their engagement was announced, in November. The truth is: everyone loves keeping up with royal events and can’t wait to see the wedding. It will be the most important and anticipated day for the British royal family, along with the birth of Louis Arthur Charles, the latest child of Kate Middleton and Prince William.
The royal wedding will take place at the St George’s Chapel, that is located in the grounds of Windsor Castle, where Prince Harry was christened. Find out everything you have to know until May 19, when the wedding will happen.
Royal Wedding: Pre-Ceremony Guide
Before the marriage
Prince Harry’s proposal was very discreet. He and Meghan were cooking a roast chicken dinner at Nottingham Cottage when he got down on his knees to ask her as his bride-to-be. These details were revealed by the couple during a television interview. This action indicated how close to the public they would be in this whole process of getting married. Also, the couple always tries to give full attention to the public during royal events or parades.
The royal wedding guest list
The wedding is expected to have around 600 guests in total. From these super special guests, approximately 200 close friends were invited to an exclusive after party at Frogmore House.
However, we shall not expect political leaders such as presidents at the wedding. The reason? St. George’s Chapel is a small place for a big event and Prince Harry is not in the British royal direct line of succession. What we know is that the public have received an invitation just to see the bride and the guests arrive and leave the chapel from the grounds.It includes some charity members and children. The celebrities that could potentially be on the list are Sarah Rafferty and Wendell Pierce, who have worked with Meghan on Suits.
Invitations: Pure Glamour
Barnard & Westwood is the company that produced the beautiful wedding invitations. It is very well-known for his royal work and also for the “Royal Warrant for Printing & Bookbinding by Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen”. For Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, the invitations were printed in gold and adorned with the Three Feather Badge of The Prince of Wales. We would die to see this beauty in hands!
Guidance and Dress Code
Not only the guest list is highly expected, but the special guidance for the day. The invitations included special tips for the guests. For example, to avoid confusion and bad manners, mobile telephones, cameras and huge bags are banned on the big day. There’s also a list of specific accessories that are allowed and an instruction to avoid using swords. The dress code includes uniform, lounge suit or morning coat and, for the ladies, a day dress with a hat. We must admit that the hats are the star of the royal wedding outfits.
Bridesmaids and Best Man
Harry’s best man will be The Duke of Cambridge. For the page boy and flower girl, we expect Prince George and Princess Charlotte, of course. Both of them have experienced this role at Pippa Middleton’s wedding – adding cuteness to the ceremony.
The biggest news are about the bridesmaids. Meghan has decided not to choose between her friends and won’t have any bridesmaids. Instead, she chose to have eight children (and Prince George and Princess Charlotte) as her page boys and flower girls.
The royal white dress
The wedding dress is probably the biggest secret of the whole ceremony. Ms Mulroney, Meghan Markle’s stylist, has a bridal store in Canada and has helped the bride with the important decision of the gown. For the style, we don’t have any clue and can’t wait to see her wearing the dress on Saturday.
London-based designers, such as Erdem and Antonio Berardi are two of the favorites for the outfit. However, there’s a rumour that Ralph & Russo will be the chosen label. The British company dresses were worn by many celebrities, offering us a possible clue for this mystery. Angelina Jolie, for example, has worn the label at the Buckingham Palace. Meghan Markle chose Ralph & Russo couture gown for the engagement photos taken last year.
The flowers
The ceremony will be decorated by Phillippa Craddock, also known as “Queen of London Florist”. All aisles and halls of the wedding will have many wildflower meadows, like the Kensington Palace confirmed.
The ceremony
The wedding will be very traditional, with the marriage vows and the most expected big entrance of the bride in the St. George’s Chapel. However, it’s believed that Meghan is more likely to choose the Series One (1966) Book of Common Prayer ceremony, cutting off the “obey him” and “serve him” parts from the vow and the ceremony. When the couple leaves the chapel, there will be more than 2,000 people waiting and congratulating them outside.
After that, the just-married couple will undertake a carriage procession. The itinerary will include Windsor town and then Windsor Castle, where the couple will take the official wedding photos.
The presents
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are going against the wedding tradition of asking the guests for presents. Instead, they would like their guests to give a donation to charities, as the Kensington Palace Twitter account confirmed in April.
The cake
The iconic wedding dessert will be perfect for the spring weather. The flavour will be lemon elderflower and the cake will be baked by Claire Ptak, the London-based pastry chef of Violet Bakery’s. Along with the buttercream, the cake will be covered with flowers. Again, the 2018 royal wedding is innovating, because it’s believed that this will be the first time they won’t have a fruit cake.