All the Details on Meghan Markle's Wedding Dress
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry just got married, and the center of attention has, predictably, been on the gorgeous Givenchy gown Meghan chose.
But what's even more incredible than her dress is perhaps all the tiny details that were included her look (just wait until you read about how many flowers were included on her veil!). Read on for all the fascinating facts of this important royal wedding fashion moment, and a recap of all the rumors and speculation leading up to the big reveal.
1. The dress was created by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, and Meghan only met the designer in January.
Before landing the Artistic Director role at Givenchy, Waight Keller previously served as the creative head of Pringle of Scotland and Chloé. Markle met her in early 2018 and, in a statement from Kensington Palace, she was drawn to Waight Keller's "timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanor." The two worked closely on the concept to finish it before the big day.
2. The silk tulle veil had 53 flowers embroidered on it to represent all the countries in the Commonwealth.
It also included a California poppy, the flower of Markle's home state, and wintersweet, a British flowering plant, that represented her new home at Kensington Palace.
3. The veil was more than 16 feet long.
In a statement, Keller said the veil was a vision they both shared. And it certainly made Markle's entrance all the more dramatic, adding romanticism to her otherwise simple yet elegant wedding look.
4. Givenchy wasn't even rumored to be involved with Meghan's wedding dress.
Ralph & Russo, Stella McCartney, Burberry, and more were thrown into the royal dress mix of designers supposedly creating Meghan's dress, so Givenchy was a surprise to many. But Meghan and the palace definitely did an amazing job keeping the dress under wraps.
5. These are some of the designers experts thought she'd wear:
Ralph & Russo: She wore a Ralph & Russo design in her engagement photos.
Roland Mouret: The designer is a longtime friend of Meghan's and refused to comment on whether or not he was making The Dress.
Burberry: A leading English fashion house that British designer Henry Holland believes is a top contender. According to the Daily Mail, company executives attended "several meetings" recently to "coordinate what has been described as a 'major PR strategy' around a 'high-profile' dress.'"
6. Because it was such a heavily-guarded secret, even Harry didn't know what she would be wearing.
According to inside sources, the groom-to-be wanted to be kept in the dark about the bridal gown until the last minute. "He’s being very traditional," insiders said via the Daily Mail, "and wants it to be a complete surprise on the day." And apparently, he thought she looked "amazing," according to a lip reader.
7. Meghan will wear two dresses today.
"The wedding will be split into two, much like William and Kate['s]," an insider told Us Weekly, "so both Meghan and Harry will have second outfits."
According to royal correspondent Katie Nicholl via Vanity Fair, both dresses will be custom-made. Sources revealed that there will be "a traditional bridal gown for the ceremony and reception, and a glamorous, more sophisticated dress for the evening."
So now that we know what Meghan's custom Givenchy wedding dress looks like, it seems that her evening dress might be less traditional.
8. The Queen apparently had final say on the gown.
Per Harper's Bazaar, royal tradition dictates that the Queen has final approval "on the gown's suitability for a royal wedding" and likely gave it the go-ahead in the early design stages.
A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Dec 21, 2017 at 3:59am PST
8. Some suspected Erdem would be the front-runner.
After People reported that the British-Canadian designer was said to be "staffing up" and employing an in-house PR manager, speculation that Erdem could in fact be creating The Dress went wild. Meghan has often worn Erdem in the past, and the romantic designs are a favorite of Kate's too.
9. But the Daily Mail's palace sources thought Ralph & Russo would win the day.
Multiple "royal and fashion industry sources" told the Daily Mail that Meghan chose a "heavily beaded" Ralph & Russo gown that took "hundreds of hours of manpower" to create.
10. Victoria Beckham was ruled out early on as the designer.
Fans speculated whether Meghan would wear Victoria Beckham, given the fact she recently wore the designer's sweater. But all hopes on that front quickly were dashed. "She looked absolutely beautiful in my jumper," Victoria told the Guardian. "I'm sure it will be a really fun wedding. But no, she hasn't asked me to do the dress."
She did, however, score an invite to the wedding.
11. It looks nothing like her first wedding dress.
Meghan wore a strapless column gown to marry Trevor Engleson in 2011. (The two divorced two years later.) But her second wedding dress was the complete opposite of her first in every possible way.
12. Despite rumors, chances are it didn't cost more than Kate's gown.
Though there have been rumors that Meghan's dress would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and be even pricier than Kate's McQueen design, that's probably unlikely. "Kate Middleton's dress cost 150,000 pounds," Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. "It was [Kate's] parents, Carol and Michael Middleton, who paid for that bill. I think it's very unlikely that Meghan would spend more than that and, in doing so, try and upstage a future queen."
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