By Joey Cahue
Alas! The moment we’ve all been anticipating for weeks, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding. Royal weddings are packed with an endless list of things to watch out for: dresses, guests, reactions, the ring, and most importantly, Meghan’s dress.
Weeks ago, we discussed what Meghan would possibly wear and compared royal wedding gowns from the past. Finally, the suspense was lifted with the Princess wearing a Givenchy wedding gown. Days earlier, there had been rumors that the bride would opt for Burberry. (Also, read our post of the best dressed guests at the royal wedding)
The dress is a custom design by Givenchy, specifically designed by Clare Waight Keller. She is the female artist director at Givenchy and dress embodies a 15-foot-long train. This Givenchy piece was designed in 2017. As of now, details on the dress’s cost weren’t released. What we do know is that when Kim Kardashian had a custom designed wedding dress by Givenchy, it rang up to $500,000. If Meghan’s dress is anywhere near that price, she beat Kate in terms of the cost. It’s not a competition of course, but one could only imagine how many things you could buy with $500,000!
What I love is that the dress is much more simple than royal wedding dresses of the past. It’s understandable that some love the lacey and frilly look, but I love the clean-cut design. This dresses differs from past royal wedding dresses in many ways. The first way is the neckline. The scoop neckline horizontally elongates across Meghan’s chest. Many dresses in the past, such as the ones we mentioned in our previous article, are laced scoop necks or V-necks.
For a better ¾ shot of the dress, as you can see Meghan is one for modernism. Many were expecting the dress to be Alexander McQueen (just like Kate’s) or even Stella McCartney. The double-bonded silk cady differs from numerous amounts of lace used in the past, but I think it’s beautiful and is fitting to Meghan’s style. The veil is around 16-feet-long and is hand-embroidered in silk threads. It’s crucial that dressmakers are careful while creating a dress, but these dressmakers had to wash their hands every 30 minutes to make sure that even the most miniscule amount of dust, dirt, or natural oil doesn’t land on the carefully crafted veil.
Something old, and borrowed? Meghan keeps the royal tradition alive by borrowing Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara. Tiaras like this aren’t ones you could find at any jeweler or bridal boutique, considering this special one was made in 1932. The headband is made up of 10 diamonds and pieces of platinum. I don’t even want to think about how much it costs. I love how her hair is up rather than down because it brings out the tiara, her Cartier earrings, and of course, her beautiful smile.
Just when we thought Givenchy was the star of the day, the bride changed into a reception dress. Sporting a sexier cut, Meghan Markle wore a white Stella McCartney gown that we prefer to her ceremony dress. I love the high neck and cut on the shoulders, which is elegant but still conservative. She completed the look with a pair of Aquazurra shoes.
Related Reading: More Royal Fashion Coverage:
Best Dressed Guests at Harry and Meghan’s Wedding
Kate Middleton’s Red Dress Sells Out
Meghan Markle Loves Canadian Brand Aritiza
Kate Middleton’s $70 Gap Pants
Great article Joey, I really enjoyed the read!