From the date to the dress and the definitive answer on whether or not the public will get to toast Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding on a bank holiday, here’s your guide to the royal wedding 2018.
When is the royal wedding 2018?
Kensington Palace confirmed via Twitter on December 15 that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry on May 19, 2018. The couple’s decision to wed on a Saturday goes against tradition, as royal weddings usually take place on a weekday. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed on a Friday and the Queen on a Thursday.
The invitations follow many years of royal tradition and have been made by Barnard Westwood. Using American ink on English card, each invite has been printed in gold and black, then burnished to bring out the shine, and gilded around the edge. The three-feathered badge of the Prince of Wales is given pride of place in the centre.
Lottie Small, who recently completed her apprenticeship, printed all of the invitations in a process known as die stamping, on a machine from the 1930s that she affectionately nicknamed Maude. pic.twitter.com/kWs2RFx7nN
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2018
Will everyone get the day off for the royal wedding 2018?
Although the public were given a day off to celebrate the weddings of Prince Charles to Diana Spencer in 1981, Prince William to Catherine Middleton in 2011, and Princess Anne to Mark Phillips in 1973, Prince Harry and his fiancée’s choice to wed on May 19 avoids the issue of whether or not the royal wedding should be a bank holiday.
Where will the royal wedding 2018 take place?
The marriage of Prince Harry and Markle will take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle at 12pm. The Queen has granted permission for the ceremony to be held in the place of worship, which seats approximately 800, and core aspects of the wedding, including the service, music, flowers, decorations and reception, will be paid for by the royal family. The cake – a lemon elder flower bake that will incorporate the bright flavours of spring – will be made by Violet Bakery’s Claire Ptak.
Who will design Meghan Markle’s wedding dress?
Meghan Markle’s wedding dress is arguably the biggest fashion commission of the year, so what will the Suits star wear? The soon-to-be royal has navigated her time in the spotlight so far in a handful of Canadian designers – a country she called home for seven years while filming the US legal drama – London Fashion Week designers Erdem and Antonio Berardi and American labels Marchesa and Misha Nonoo (the eponymous founder of the latter is a close friend).
Who will Meghan’s bridesmaids be?
Prince George and Princess Charlotte are likely to be page boy and flower girl, but Markle is also expected to choose bridesmaids from her close set of friends. Actress Priyanka Chopra, tennis champion Serena Williams, designer Misha Nonoo and stylist Jessica Mulroney are all names that have been suggested, however now that Markle has deleted her Instagram account it is more difficult to track her friendships.
