These are the things Meghan and Harry aren't allowed to wear on their wedding day
And wait 'til you see the wedding guest rules
And wait 'til you see the wedding guest rules
Royal fashion etiquette is a law unto itself, from dictating which kind of bag Kate Middleton should wear to whether or not Princess Diana was allowed to wear gloves. So it comes as no surprise that the Royal wedding has a very strict dress code.
The wedding invites went out months ago, and the formal dress code was set: day dresses and hats for the women; uniforms, morning coats, or lounge suits for the men. But there are a few other rules wedding guests are expected to follow, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, so here's a breakdown which will especially be handy for non-Royal and non-British guests - well, we wouldn't want a sartorial faux pas from Meghan's Suits castmates now, would we?
Female guests should wear hats and day dresses for the day
Beatrice and Eugenie didn't just wear hats to become the meme of the year (well, pretty sure that wasn't their intention either), they had to. Ladies must wear hats in church as a sign of respect, and the bigger and more jovial the better. However, hats aren't recommended for the evening, as that's when the tiaras come out. For the day, dresses are expected to be on the conservative side (it's a church wedding after all), and colour is encouraged, though of course black and white are discouraged.
For the evening, expect guests to wear fancier and longer dresses.
Male guests should wear uniforms, morning coats or lounge suits
According to Town & Country, military men are encouraged to wear their uniforms, but failing that, a morning coat and all the trimmings is a must. Think tail coat, waistcoat, tie etc, though if that's not their bag, a lounge suit, which despite the name is really just a nice suit, is allowed. However it's deemed 'inappropriate' for men to wear hats, and polished black shoes are a must.
Prince Harry will probably wear a uniform
When Prince William married Kate, he wore his uniform, and as Harry was in the military too, it's likely he will follow suit as it's traditional for Royal men to do so.
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Meghan Markle's bouquet will have myrtle
According to Bustle, it's a Royal tradition to include myrtle in the wedding bouquet, as it symbolises love. It all started when Victoria included a sprig in her bouquet, and it has since been grown in the Royal garden. Princess Diana, Kate Middleton and the Queen all had it in theirs.
Meghan Markle will have a classic manicure
No bold colours for Meghan, as only neutral manis are allowed for Royal events.
The bride's wedding ring must contain Welsh gold
Another tradition, started by the Queen's parents. When they got married, they got given a gold nugget from a mine in North Wales, and a bit has been used for each Royal bride since.
Meghan Markle's wedding dress will be by a British designer
This isn't official, but since Queen Victoria, The Queen, Princess Diana and Kate Middleton all wore British designers, it's safe to assume Meghan will follow suit. Which ties into the whole Erdem designing the wedding dress very nicely indeed.
Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.
Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).
Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.
However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.
Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.
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