– The new Duchess of Sussex looked stunning as she walked down the aisle in a simply but elegant pure silk gown, designed by Givenchy’s first female artistic director Clare Waight Keller
– The classic silk gown in pure white boasts a five metre train, accompanied by a 15ft veil embroidered with flowers of the Commonwealth and over 10,000 hand embroiled flowers.
– The new Princess in town Meghan completed the look with perhaps the most talked about accessory- Queen Mary diamond bandeau tiara, loaned to her by the Queen. Her other accessories were a simple stuff earring and bracelet by Cartier.
Meghan Markle looked effortlessly chic after surprising everyone by wearing a wedding dress designed by Givenchy’s Clare Waight Keller, following months of speculation linking her to other designers such as Erdem, Ralph & Russo and Stella McCarthney. So beautiful she looked that the stunning creation moved her groom to tears.
An emotional Harry told his bride ‘you look amazing’ after she wafted down the aisle in the classic silk gown in pure white, with a 15ft veil embroidered with flowers of the Commonwealth.
The veil is made from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza, while the look was completed by a Cartier bracelet and earrings, and a Queen Mary diamond bandeau tiara, loaned to her by the Queen.
Meghan chose acclaimed British designer, Clare Waight Keller, 48, from Birmingham, the first female Artistic Director at the historic French fashion house Givenchy to design her dress after meeting in early 2018.
She was said to be impressed by Ms Waight Keller’s timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour and wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent who has now served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses – Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and now Givenchy.
The pair worked closely together on the design, with Ms. Waight Keller carrying out extensive research at fabric mills throughout Europe, to develop an exclusive double bonded silk cady especially for Meghan.
Together, the pair decided this was perfect for the round sculptural look required while the soft matt lustre, bonding process and pure white colour bring a fresh modernity to the dress.
In a statement, Ms Waight Keller said: ‘It has been an immensely rewarding experience to get to know Meghan on a personal level, one I will forever carry with me. The House of Givenchy joins me in wishing her and Prince Harry every wish of happiness in their future.’
ABOUT MEGHAN’STUNNING TIARA THAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Meghan’s sparkling tiara is Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau, which has been loaned to her by Harry’s grandmother the Queen.
Royal brides are traditionally loaned priceless heirlooms to wear on their wedding day.
Meghan could have chosen the Spencer tiara – famously worn by Harry’s later mother Diana, Princess of Wales when she married the Prince of Wales in 1981.
But Meghan has instead selected this little known piece, which features a magnificent floral-shaped suspended brooch in the centre made of a large round diamond surrounded by nine smaller circular diamonds.
It was specifically made for the Queen’s grandmother Queen Mary in 1932 to accommodate the detachable brooch, which was given to Mary as a wedding present in 1893 by the County of Lincoln.
The bandeau is a flexible band of 11 intricate glittering sections, pierced with interlaced ovals and pave set with large and small brilliant diamonds.
The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed by Queen Mary to her granddaughter the Queen on her death in 1953.
Meghan was eager to incorporate a nod to all 53 countries of the Commonwealth into her special day, and asked for a veil embellished with the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country united in a single spectacular floral composition.
Significant time was spent researching the flora of each Commonwealth country while Ms. Waight Keller spent many hours ensuring that every flower is unique.
Each flower was worked flat, in three dimensions to create a unique and delicate design. The workers spent hundreds of hours meticulously sewing and washing their hands every thirty minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine.
It’s already been established that the Commonwealth family of nations will be a central part of Harry and Meghan’s work after the Queen appointed her grandson as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.
In addition to making Meghan’s dress Clare Waight Keller designed Meghan’s wedding shoes, based on a Givenchy refined pointed couture design made of a silk duchess satin.
She also created the six young Bridesmaids’ dresses in the Givenchy Haute Couture Atelier in Paris to ‘have the same timeless purity as Ms. Markle’s dress’.
In a statement released this afternoon, the designer said that it had been an honour to work on perhaps her most high profile project to date.
‘It is truly an honour to have been given the opportunity to closely collaborate with Meghan Markle on such a remarkable occasion,’ she said.
‘We wanted to create a timeless piece that would emphasise the iconic codes of Givenchy through its history, as well as convey modernity through sleek lines and sharp cuts. In contract, the delicate floral beauty of the veil was a vision Meghan and I shared, a special gesture embracing the Commonwealth flora, ascending the circumference of the silk tulle.
AS a British designer at a Parisian Haute Couture house, and on behalf of all of us at Givenchy who have been able to experience such an extraordinary process of creativity, I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished and grateful to Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Kensington Palace for allowing us to be part of this historical chapter.
It has been an immensely rewarding experience to get to know Meghan on a personal level, one I will forever carry with me. The House of Givenchy joins me in wishing her and Prince Harry every wish of happiness in their future.’
Her small bouquet is made up of flowers from the private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bespoke bridal bouquet designed by florist Philippa Craddock.
With blooms includeing Forget-Me-Nots, Princess Diana’s favourite flower, the flowers are pulled together with a silk ribbon.
Such a happy couple they are! Wish them a very happy married life.
