Meghan Markle returned to the airwaves this week for the third instalment of her hit Spotify podcast, Archetypes. In this episode, Meghan and her guest, TV writer and actress Mindy Kaling, discussed ‘The Stigma of the Singleton’ and the societal expectation for women to get married.
Meghan opened this week’s podcast by saying: “When I was 14, I planned my wedding,” and the Duchess recounted exactly what she wanted her nuptials to look like when she was a teenager.
She said: “Not my actual wedding. That would have been a bit harder to imagine.
“This wedding was an assignment for my religion two class in Catholic school.
“I remember every little thing about it. I wanted it to be at the Bel-Air Hotel and there was a Swan Lake and I wanted the cake to be from Hansen’s Bakery and the dress.
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“Oh my goodness, the dress was strapless and poofy, and I’d seen it in a bridal magazine.”
Meghan’s dream of a “strapless and poofy” wedding dress could not have been more different to what she wore on her big day in May 2018.
Meghan wore an elegant, tailored gown by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy for the service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
The classic dress was made of silk and was held together with six careful seams, and it featured three-quarter-length sleeves for a touch of modernity.
Notably, the dress forwent any extra bridal details like lace or embellishments which had been focal points in previous royal wedding dresses like Kate Middleton and Lady Diana Spencer’s.
The Royal Family said in a statement: “After meeting Ms Waight Keller in early 2018, Ms Markle chose to work with her for her timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour.
“Ms Markle also wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent who has now served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses – Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and now Givenchy.
“Ms Markle and Ms Waight Keller worked closely together on the design.
Meghan’s second dress was a sleek halter-neck gown by Stella McCartney which Meghan accessorised with an aquamarine ring from her late mother-in-law Princess Diana’s collection.
The newly-created Duchess also wore a pair of bespoke Aquazurra heels to dance the night away in.
Meghan had previously worn another wedding dress when she married her ex-husband Trevor Engelson in Jamaica in 2011.
Based on pictures of this happy occasion, it seems Meghan’s first dress was strapless but it wasn’t “poofy”, and instead boasted a sleek skirt cinched at the waist with a bejewelled belt.
