Meghan Markle wedding dress revealed: Duchess of Sussex wears Givenchy to marry Prince Harry

The future Duchess of Sussex's dress was revealed as she made her way into St George's Chapel

Sabrina Barr
Saturday 19 May 2018 14:32 BST
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Royal Wedding: Meghan Markle walks down the aisle in Givenchy dress to marry Prince Harry

Meghan Markle is wearing a dress designed by Givenchy for her wedding to Prince Harry.

The dress was revealed as she made her way into St George's Chapel.

Clare Waight Keller, who designed the dress, became the first female artistic director of Givenchy last year.

The bride first met Ms Waight Keller at the beginning of last year.

She chose for Ms Waight Keller to create her wedding dress due the designer's "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour."

Caroline Arthur, luxury wedding dress designer, found Markle's choice of dress slightly surprising considering its looser fit.

"It is a very warm day, and this is a pretty warm dress," Mrs Arthur told The Independent.

(PA (PA)

"The neckline is beautifully cut and then there are two things happening with the seams. At the front, the shaping of the dress begins just at the bust point and continues all the way down into seams on the skirt.

"I'd describe the skirt shape as a tulip, so it's not exactly fitted on the hips, but it's slightly closer on the hips down to midway between your hip and your knee and at that point it then flares out.

"If you look at the back of the dress the seamlines are absolutely beautiful, you always need darting or a vertical seam at the back of the dress in order to get it to fit really nicely."

Luxury wedding dress designer Caroline Arthur goes into detail analysing Meghan Markle's Givenchy wedding dress (Caroline Arthur)

Mrs Arthur explained that the design actually features two seams at the back, which is why the silhouette of the dress starts at the neckline.

However, one aspect of the design that she found unusual was the inclusion of a hidden zip, as opposed to silk buttons.

Markle is also wearing a veil, which some may find quite unusual considering her strong feminist views.

(Getty Images (Getty Images)

However, the veil has a special, symbolic meaning behind it that relates to Prince Harry's appointment as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

The veil features a unique flora from every Commonwealth country, is five metres long and has been made from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers.

However, these aren't the only flowers that feature on the veil.

(PA)

Markle also decided to include two of her own personal favourite flowers in the design.

The two additional flowers included are the wintersweet, also known as the Chimonanthus praecox, and the California poppy, otherwise known as the Eschscholzia californica.

The wintersweet flower grows in front of Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace.

(PA)

The California poppy is the state flower of California, where Markle was born.

The Queen provided Markle with Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara for the wedding.

The diamond bandeau of the tiara was made in 1932, while the brooch at its centre was created in 1893.

(AP)

The diamond bandeau and brooch was given to the Queen in 1953 by Queen Mary.

While the wedding dress is notable for its simplistic design, Ms Waight Keller also made sure to add a touch of modernity with the three-quarter length sleeves.

The bridal bouquet was arranged by florist Philippa Craddock and includes Forget-Me-Nots, which were inspired by the late Princess Diana, jasmine, sprigs of myrtles and flowers picked out by Prince Harry yesterday from their private garden at Kensington Palace.

(REUTERS (REUTERS)

Prince Harry is wearing the Blues and Royals military uniform, which he was given permission to wear by the Queen.

His best man, the Duke of Cambridge, is also wearing the Blues and Royals military uniform.

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