When Meghan Markle arrived at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, the entire world had its collective eye trained on her wedding dress.
The chic and stylish 37-year-old American wore a stunning, pure-white Givenchy gown with a whopping 16-ft veil for her nuptials with Prince Harry.
While the plain, un-embellished design drew some criticism, it boasted a gorgeous bateau neckline, three-quarter sleeves, six seamed line, and a nipped waist.
The dress was designed specifically for the Duchess of Sussex by British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller, artistic director of the fashion house Givenchy.
Unsurprisingly, Meghan’s dress cost a staggering 100,000 pounds, or about $135,000, to make.
The dress and veil took five months to manufacture, with Meghan meeting Keller for a fitting only eight times.
The Duchess and Givenchy’s Keller worked closely together to design the dress, which shows a ‘timeless minimal elegance’, according to a Kensington Palace announcement.
It was made mostly of silk and even contained a square of fabric cut from the blue dress Meghan wore on her first date with Prince Harry.
While the dress was etched in simplicity, it was Meghan’s 16ft veil and 80-year-old tiara which truly stole the show.
Designers spent up to 500 hours stitching the veil – and it included embroidered 53 flowers which represented each country of the Commonwealth.
Many royal spectators were quick to slam Meghan’s ‘relaxed’ hairstyle, which saw her brunette locks swept back into a low bun with a few tendrils of hair falling out the front.
‘The whole day had a personal touch, from the sermon by Bishop Michael Curry, right down to Meghan’s signature messy bun,’ commented Erin Cook, Harper’s BAZAAR’s Digital Beauty Editor.
Her makeup was kept to a minimum too, letting Meghan’s natural freckles and glowing skin shine through.
After the wedding, Meghan Markle changed into a similarly stunning gown for the reception.
The Duchess turned heads in a white, high-necked halter gown, designed by Stella McCartney, as she and Prince Harry got into the famous Jaguar convertible.
Meghan accessorised the ensemble with satin Aquazzura heels with baby blue soles.