By: Ali Mikles
If you are a royal wedding fanatic and woke up to watch the beautiful ceremony live at 4 a.m., 6 a.m., or 7 a.m., my hat goes off to you. I, on the other hand, got my eight hours of sleep and watched many reruns of the affair throughout the day. Every channel covering the event, time and time again, had the same big questions leading up to the ceremony: What designer will Meghan wear? What will the dress look like? Will she have a veil? Will she upstage Kate?
Meghan Markle, the American actress turned Duchess, stepped out of the queen’s 1950’s Rolls-Royce to walk down the aisle of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, in a timeless white gown by the British and first female Artistic Director of Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller. Many speculated the gown would be designed by Stella McCartney, Erdem, or Burberry, so Waight Keller was a surprise choice. But if you know Markle, you know that she prides herself on being a feminist and the celebration of women. Waight Keller’s historical move to the top of the Parisian fashion house was most certainty not lost on Markle. The understated dress featured a bateau neckline, a triple silk organza under skirt, and classic lines that added to its sophistication and simplicity.
Markle paired the timeless gown with a five-meter-long veil detailed with 53 flowers representing the 53 Commonwealth countries. Kensington Palace reported that “workers spent hundreds of hours meticulously sewing and washing their hands every 30 minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine.” Perhaps the most spectacular part of the ensemble, however, was the tiara that held the dramatic veil in place. Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara, made in 1932, was lent to Markle by the Queen from her crown jewels collection. The band is detailed with diamonds and platinum with a diamond center brooch dating back to 1893.
Now comes the great debate… was the look too simple and therefore, boring? Many stormed Twitter and other social media platforms, such as Instagram, to give their followers their two cents on the wedding dress. We even held a poll on our Instagram story asking our readers what they thought of the controversial royal wedding dress. The results were neck-in-neck. 59% of our followers “adored it” while 41% were “not feeling it.”
Regardless of other opinions of the dress, her now husband Prince Harry, was seemingly a big fan of her royal wedding look and said, “You look amazing. I’m so lucky” as she greeted him at the altar. And they lived happily ever after….
