With the Royal Wedding only a few days away, it’s time to wade through all the excitement and finally get down to the fun part… Our final predictions. We thought we’d share today our last predictions for Royal Wedding style before we see the great reveal on Saturday morning at St. George’s Chapel.
The Dress
We’re still torn on the million dollar question – who will design Meghan Markle’s wedding dress? While all the betting money is on Ralph & Russo, and they would make a stunning gown, they’re not a done deal. Even though Harry was seen spotted at their Headquarters… Even though they tweeted a photo at the Royal College of Needlework… They still aren’t a lock. So if it’s not them, who might it be? At this point, we think the top contenders left would be Stella McCartney (Meghan has worn their pieces before, they have a strong corporate ethos in sustainability which would appeal to Meghan and Stella makes gorgeous designs), Erdem (Meghan has a close relationship with the Montreal-born British designer, it would be a nice nod to the Commonwealth and the early days of the royal romance but his designs are not always traditional), Roland Mouret (a good friend of Meghan’s who has appeared on her social media accounts who might possibly be considered British since he moved back to London in 2016), Alexander McQueen (Yes, likely a no because of their design of Kate’s dress, but Kate’s dress was very romantic and their line also has an edgier, modern side that Meghan likes) or possibly Emilia Wickstead (who would need to really step out of their comfort zone for Meghan, but she has worn them recently)
L-R (Emilia Wickstead, Roland Mouret, Erdem, Stella McCartney)
Our dark horse pick is Antonio Berardi, the designer of the polo dress that Meghan wore when watching Harry last summer. He has a bridal line and the styles are very Meghan, but it’s a smaller shop and we are not entirely convinced.
There will also be two dresses that Meghan will wear on her wedding day. The dress that will forever be associated with the Royal Wedding, the ceremony dress, is the most talked about one. It will be the more traditional dress, with elements like a train and detailing which Meghan might not have otherwise selected (remember, her ideal wedding dress that she shared awhile back was Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s which could not be more simple). We see the evening reception dress as being the dress that will best capture Meghan’s style as it’s for a less traditional affair with a lot of the couple’s personality infused into it – and we see this for that dress as well.
What we are sure of is what we think the dress itself will encapsulate. As we shared with Vanity Fair, we’re quite sure about the aesthetic of the dress.
“We’re envisioning seeing a combination of Meghan Markle and HRH Meghan—a mix of Meghan’s love of minimalist lines and aesthetic coupled with the traditional requirements that go into the dress of a royal bride. We’re expecting to see a train, a creamy off-white color and some extremely intricate needlework that go into the bespoke gown, regardless of who the designer might be.”
The Shoes
Here’s an area where our Editors are divided. Christine is envisioning a pair of bespoke Manolo Blahnik shoes for Meghan to walk down the aisle in, custom designed to work perfectly with her dress. She even has a pair that she think would be a great starting point for Meghan, the LaLa Bride.
Amanda has slightly different thoughts – thinking that the shoe might be one area where Meghan can retain a little more Meghan Markle in her step at such a traditionally styled day and that she might choose a pair of shoes from a designer she knows and loves, like Aquazzura. If you don’t believe that Meghan loves their shoes, check out some of the pairs she’s worn in our archives – including the pair she wore at the engagement photocall. While still thinking a bespoke pair would be in the works if it’s the case, a pair based off of this design (definitely not thinking white!) could work…
Or, perhaps a pair based on the Linda 105, a strappy number. These would provide a little less stability for those precarious steps up to St. George’s Chapel, but if anyone has the experience of walking in heels with ease and grace, it’s Meghan Markle!
The Tiara
An area both Amanda & Christine agree on – that Meghan will in fact wear a tiara. We speculated on all the picks for tiaras several weeks ago on the blog, but our top pick remains of a tiara that we’d love to see Meghan wear on Saturday… and for years to come… The Strathmore Rose tiara.
Why do we love this as a tiara choice for Meghan? The first and most prominent reason is that the tiara hasn’t been in use since the 1930s. This is important since the Queen (the “owner” of the tiara) has not worn the tiara, and she typically does not lend out tiaras that she’s worn, in fact tennis to lend a tiara long-term to a female member of the family – meaning that this tiara could be “Meghan’s” tiara going forward if it’s selected. Additionally, because the tiara belonged to the Queen Mother, a beloved member of the Royal Family, it’s one that will likely come back around within the royal family. Lastly, we think that this tiara also very much ties into Meghan’s aesthetic and love of flowers.
The Hair & Make-Up
The one thing we know for sure about Meghan’s hair and make-up is that it will be classic, minimal and emphasizing the bride’s natural beauty. Let’s talk about the hair first. While the Editors disagree about the hair’s final style (Christine votes up, Amanda down – for the record), we all agree that the style will be perfectly tailored to match with the choice of tiara, choice of dress and overall look that Meghan is striving for. Plus, with hair that styles this gorgeously, can you go wrong? We might actually be both right in combination with a half up/half down combination like we saw from Meghan’s future sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Make-up is one area that we’re confident will reflect her natural beauty (she often spoke of her desire to show her natural freckles, for example) and emphasize her best features. There are rumours back and forth about if the make-up will be done professionally or not. Charlotte Tilbury has been been hush-hush whispered as doing the bride’s makeup for her big day (Meghan loves several of the British artists’ products) but there are also rumours that Meghan’s friends will step in and help her. She’s a natural beauty, knows what she likes and knows how to shine on the red carpet. We’re confident her look will be resplendent no matter what route she takes.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the big day – what are your predictions? Make them below, in the comments, and don’t forget to add them into our Royal Wedding Pool!
Thanks for this great article! I saw Christine on Royal Wedding Watch. Great job! We are leaving from Florida for the wedding today. So excited to see the DRESS! Hoping to find a good spot along the Long Walk. Where will you be watching from?
Omg, you’re going to Windsor?! How exciting! I’m jealous! You know we’ll be expecting a full report from you, all about the day! Safe travels and I hope you get a spot right up front 🙂
I would love the Strathmore Rose tiara. I also think it will be Stella McCartney.
As for the hair, I personally wish she has it in natural curls, down with the tiara as I think it would look stunning.
I was thinking that if tiaras were involved Meghan would most likely have her hair away from her face, possibly half-updo as Duchess Kate did. I have to confess to a weakness for a full updo with bling of that quality.
I like the updo Meghan wore when posing for the photos of her “other wedding dress”, her hair was up in a chignon with curled tendrils floating down around her face, it was stunning.
I’m kind of annoyed because I have a seminar from work the whole of Saturday. I was really looking forward to watching the wedding live but now it looks like I’ll have to make do with some sneaky phone/bathroom breaks. 😉
I’d love to see her in Stella McCartney – her designs are gorgeous and the ethical aspect is something I always hope gets promoted more!
As for hair, I think it totally depends on the dress, but I like a glamorous updo!
Whatever she wears, she’s going to look amazing and I hope she gets to fully enjoy the day!
I know it’s not happening but I’d love it to be a Vivienne Westwood dress.
Oh that would be so much fun!!
I know right? 🙁
I’m hoping that Eugenie goes with Vivienne Westwood for her wedding dress. Ms Westwood’s creations really work so well with Eugenie’s figure and she always looks stunning in them.
I don’t follow Eugenie’s style so I don’t know but I will settle for a l Vivienne Westwood roya wedding dress even if it’s not for Meghan haha
Thanks so much for being such a haven of calm amid all the goings-on, I feel it’s possible to enjoy a normal wedding here! I’m happy to see McCartney still has your backing, I’d love it to be her as well. I also love your Berardi suggestion for a wild card.
I’ not sure Meghan would want to repeat a whole shoe style for her wedding, but then who knows, maybe something familiar and reliable would be especially welcome right now. The Strathmore Rose tiara is growing on me, though I’d been thinking that Meghan would go for the more sleek Cartier bandeau. But then she might turn up in a completely new one, which would be a delight. I agree that diamonds are the priority here, and plenty of them!
But most of all I wish Meghan to be able to wear what she likes best herself, even if my inner fashionista quails at the thought of a whole lot of Ralph & Russo frou-frou. I so want her to have a happy day and put a torrid week behind her, and above all, I’m looking forward to spending the occasion in the company of you guys!!
Lol, I’m hoping for the whole lot of Ralph & Russo frou-frou!! lol
I’m so excited I can barely think straight! I’m hoping for a Ralph & Russo dress, something whimsical and romantic with the sleek Cartier Bracelet Bandeau Tiara. Of course, Stella McCartney would also be a lovely choice, especially considering her environmental sensibilities.
And then we get to see the second dress too!! I wonder if she’ll use the same designer for both? Since she won’t have to adhere to any restrictions for this dress I bet it will be a show stopper! I hope she keeps her hair up for the second round, as she has such lovely bone structure and imho, really looks best with her hair up. I hope we get to see photos of Doria’s reception dress as well.
I like the idea of the Cartier Bracelet Bandeau Tiara especially if she chooses Stella McCartney because the style of this tiara would complement the clean, modern lines of McCartney’s designs. I do think we are going to see some kind of train or long trailing veil; one of the most important features of a bridal gown is the view from the back. A dramatic statement is essential as the bride is photographed making her way down the aisle towards the altar and her future husband. Of course she might surprise us with Ralph and Russo; I think the Strathmore Rose Tiara would be a smashing choice for a R&R gown.
Royal Fans around the world following with high attention the royal love story of prince Harry& Meghan are aware about what is going behind the scene since their engagement has been made public last year: A very dangerous plot against Prince Harry and Meghan has been revealed! A very few number of (fascists) people close to prince Harry who are against his union with Meghan have put a devil plan under way to destroy Meghan and prince Harry’s life by using the racist Media (Daily Mail) and Meghan’s devil sister Samantha and brother Thomas Jr.
To well understand and discover the truth about this plot, you just need to re-examine very carefully all the posts published by The Daily Mail UK against Meghan since the royal romance has become public, on the one hand, and the verbal aggression of Meghan’s devil sister as well as the strange damned letter wrote by Thomas Jr. insulting Meghan hatefully and asking for the royal wedding to be cancelled, on the other hand. These 2 Meghan’s relatives are being manipulated and misused by these few racists people within the royal family to destroy Meghan and Prince Harry. Samantha and her brother Thomas are being paid to do this devil job. The so called “paparazzi photos scandal” is part of this plot because it has been planned, well prepared to overshadow the royal wedding and Samantha Markle has been used to push her Father in to this trap to create a fake “scandal”, so he would be unable to travel to London for the royal wedding to walk his daughter down the aisle. Now these people are speaking about “hart operation” on Meghan’ Father just two days before the wedding! you know why? Because they want to kill him while the wedding is about to take place, so they want to disturb and destabilize the royal wedding. But this plot is out and revealed worldwide. Princes Harry& William, Meghan and Queen Elizabeth are aware about this plot. The royal wedding will take place even if they kill Thomas Markle sr.
Royal fans worldwide are looking forward to celebrating the big day with this lovely couple together. Be blessed Meghan and Prince Harry. God is protecting you all the time against your very close enemies. Be aware, be very careful.
I am truly hoping that Meghan wears the Spencer Tiara. There is nothing like it in my eye.