After reports that stores across Britain are running out of bunting, we've pulled together a handy guide on how you can make your own.

The official town crier for Windsor is looking forward to his role of greeting visitors to the town on the royal wedding day - all 150,000 of them.

Chris Brown, 49, has been stopped on the packed footpaths of the town by people eager to have their picture taken with him, decked out in his ceremonial garb.

Ringing his bell, the town crier proclaimed his congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with their wedding now just hours away.

"The Mayor has asked me to be here to welcome the guests, 150,000-odd of them. I'm very excited, we haven't had an event of this size in town before as far as I can see.

"We've had huge events, we had the Queen's birthday celebrations, the Jubilee but this I think is the biggest we've ever had," he said.

Mr Brown wore his heavy outfit in India at an event five years ago so laughed off any suggestion the predicted heat for Saturday would prove a challenge.

He said: "Quite frankly an English summer's day - no problem at all!"

Royal wedding fever has well and truly hit Windsor - including the town's branch of Marks and Spencer, which unveiled a rebrand on Friday morning...

Meanwhile, retailer John Lewis said it had seen a surge in sales of partyware in the run-up to the wedding.

Lisa Rutherford, buyer at John Lewis, said: "Over the past week sales of our royal wedding party decorations, napkins, plates and cups have increased 279 per cent on the previous week.

"In total we expect to sell over 22,000 royal wedding-related products from china mugs to party napkins and tea towels."

The police force in charge of security for the royal wedding has urged well-wishers in Windsor not to throw confetti.

Thames Valley said the tradition posed a "potential security risk" during the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's carriage procession but was also a "bit of a pain to clean up".

Crowds in central London threw confetti during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding day in 2011.

Prince William and Prince Harry also showered their father Prince of Wales and stepmother the Duchess of Cornwall with confetti as the newlyweds left Windsor Castle on the evening of their wedding in 2005.

The brothers had also scrawled "Just married" and "Prince and Duchess" along with hearts and "C+C" in white pen on the windows of the car and had attached red, white and blue balloons on one side, and silver heart balloons on the other.

The confetti - ivory and pink freeze-dried delphinium petals - had been specially ordered by William and Harry.

Video: Royal superfans gather in Windsor

A massive police operation is under way in Windsor with a "ring of steel" surrounding the town centre for the wedding at St George's Chapel on Saturday.

The next big development is expected to be confirmation of some of the more high-profile guests who will be among the 600 people inside St George's Chapel.

Some of Ms Markle's former Suits co-stars have started to make their way to the UK. Patrick J Adams, who played Ms Markle's on-screen husband, Mike Ross, in the US legal drama series, has already arrived and is believed to be attending the ceremony in Windsor.

He and his wife, Pretty Little Liars actress Troian Bellisario, have been pictured at the Royal Standard of England pub in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, in a post on Instagram.

Two more Suits stars, Gabriel Macht, who plays Harvey Specter, and his wife Jacinda Barrett, who plays Zoey Lawford, have also been in the UK this week and are thought to be on the wedding guest list.

On Tuesday, the couple both posted pictures from a visit to London's Hyde Park.

Sarah Rafferty, who plays Donna Paulsen in the series, has been sharing pictures from a trip in Paris in recent days, and has now arrived in London.

And Rick Hoffman, who plays lawyer Louis Litt in the TV show, has also recently flown in. On Thursday, he announced on Instagram that had had touched down at Heathrow Airport.

Other former co-stars and friends of Ms Markle, including Gina Torres, Abigail Spencer and Wendell Pierce, are rumoured to have been invited.

Indian actress and philanthropist Priyanka Chopra, a close friend of the bride-to-be, previously said she would be attending the wedding.

In the early hours of Friday morning, she posted pictures on Twitter from a transatlantic flight. Alongside one picture, from her seat on the plane, the Quantico actress wrote: "C u on the other side."

While Kensington Palace is not releasing an official full guest list, a number of other high-profile stars are expected to be adding some showbiz glamour to the wedding of the year.

Victoria and David Beckham?

Victoria and David Beckham are likely to attend, and the fashion designer recently appeared to confirm during an interview on James Corden's US chat show that they would be there for the nuptials.

The famous couple were among the star guests at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.

Sir Elton John?

Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish, close friends of the royal family, are expected to be attending.

Musician Sir Elton has cancelled two of his Las Vegas shows this week so he can fly to the UK, according to reports.

Serena Williams, Ed Sheeran, Cara Delevingne?

US tennis champion Serena Williams, who is a close friend of Ms Markle, is reported to be another big name on the guest list.

Also rumoured to be attending the wedding in Windsor are the likes of musicians Ed Sheeran and Ellie Goulding, model Cara Delevingne and former Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh.

Ms Markle will walk the first half of the St George's Chapel aisle alone, surrounded by young page boys and bridesmaids but without anyone by her side.

At the Quire, which effectively marks the second half of the aisle, Ms Marke will be met by the Prince of Wales, her future father-in-law, who will take her arm for the final steps.

The ceremony will omit the traditional moment of "giving away", where the presiding Archbishop asks: "Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?"

Buckingham has confirmed that Prince Philip will attend Saturday's wedding to see his grandson Prince Harry marry Meghan Markle.

The Duke of Edinburgh, 96, has recovered well from a hip replacement operation that saw him spend 11 days in hospital.

The Duke was spotted at the Royal Windsor Horse Show last week - the first public sighting of the Queen's consort since he left hospital.

Hannah Furness, our Royal Correspondent, has learnt that the Prince of Wales will accompany Ms Markle down just one half of the aisle (the second half) at St George's Chapel - but no one will "give her away". 

Orders of service have already been printed, stating that the bride "will be accompanied by her father". 

In fact, Thomas Markle is not well enough to travel, citing heart problems after it emerged he had colluded with the paparazzi for staged photographs in his home town in Mexico.

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, will instead stand in for Mr Markle.

The Prince previously escorted Alexandra Knatchbull, the daughter of his close friend, down the aisle at her high society wedding to Thomas Hooper in 2016.

In statement, Kensington Palace said: "Ms Meghan Markle has asked His Royal  Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St  George's Chapel on her Wedding Day. The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to  welcome Ms Markle to The Royal Family in this way." 

The Prince of Wales will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle at St George's Chapel in Windsor, Kensington Palace has confirmed. 

Her mother Doria Ragland had been expected to perform the duty after Ms Markle's father, Thomas Markle, decided not to attend the wedding on medical advice after undergoing heart surgery.

Excitement is building for the royal wedding, but an army of superfans have taken it to a different level.

Dozens of royalists have spent the first of two nights sleeping outside in Windsor in order to secure the best spots outside the castle.

Rugged up in sleeping bags and blankets, they swerved a ban on tents to sleep rough so they could grab prime positions.

Mike Tindall, the former England rugby captain who married into the Royal family, said he was welcomed with open arms by them, and that Meghan Markle should just try and enjoy her wedding day.

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, the former England centre, who married the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips in 2011 said of Ms Markle: "I think she'll be nervous, but coming from her background in TV she's used to public spotlight.

"Not quite as much probably as has gone on this week, but she'll be fine and I think she's experienced enough to know that all she can do is enjoy the day.

"And it's a special day for them both, and as long as they get a quiet moment during the day and actually have enjoyed the day that's what I wish for them, and hopefully they'll live happily ever after."

Mr Tindall said he remembers the drinks reception with the royals the night before his wedding to Ms Phillips.

"We had a drinks event the night before and they are professional meeters and greeters, and I remember my family were in a corner and a little bit out of their comfort zone because it's not where they are used to being," he said.

"But the best thing about the Royal Family is that they are so lovely and they'll spot the people who are looking a little bit nervous and go straight over and take away all of that tension straight out of the room, and that's what they are amazing at.

"Then suddenly you're in the family and they welcome you with welcome arms."

After months of planning, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be relieved that one feature of a perfect wedding day is virtually guaranteed - plenty of sunshine.

Windsor is expected to see "ideal" wedding conditions on Saturday, with balmy temperatures and clear skies accompanied by a light breeze.

The glorious forecast comes with a health warning for the thousands of well-wishers expected to turn out - use plenty of sunscreen and wear a hat.

However, the weather is set to be just right for when the newlyweds emerge from St George's Chapel before a ride around the town in the open-top Landau carriage at around 1pm.

Met Office meteorologist Martin Bowles said: "We are expecting wall-to-wall sunshine all day. The beginning of the day will start off cold - around 6C (43F) or 7C (45F) - but will rapidly warm up.

"Temperatures will peak around 3 o'clock at 21C (70F) and there will be light winds - all ideal for a wedding."

The mercury is expected to have reached a summery 19C (66F) by the time the couple set off in the carriage procession.

After lunch hosted by the Queen at St George's Hall at the castle, the wedding party will then move on to the evening reception at nearby Frogmore House hosted by the Prince of Wales.

"Once again we are expecting clear skies during the evening; it will be pleasant with sunshine, but temperatures will drop relatively quickly," Mr Bowles said.

"At 8pm it will be around 12C (54F), but once you get past midnight it will be 8C (46F) or 9C (48F) and minimum temperatures will again be around 6C."

The sun will set at 8.53pm on Harry and Meghan's wedding day. A chilly night is in store on Friday for any die-hard royal watchers planning to camp out in order to bag the best spots along the route.

The sun rises at 5.05am; however, it will take an hour or two before things will begin hotting up ready for the day's festivities.

"The minimum we are likely to get will be about 6C (43F) at around 6am," Mr Bowles said. "That's quite cold to be camping, but there will be low winds of maybe around 3mph and no rain is expected at all."

The royal couple's "ethereal" tasting wedding cake will be displayed in a special installation, their baker has revealed.

Claire Ptak, who is making the culinary centrepiece for the couple's big day, said the layered lemon and elderflower cake - in three parts of varying sizes - would be presented in a non-traditional way.

The final design will be unveiled on the big day although Meghan and Harry are in on the plans.

"You'll have to wait and see on the day. It's an installation of the way that we're putting it out. It's the last thing that we'll reveal. It's a non-traditional layout," Ms Ptak said. "It's a slight shift from tradition."

The chef, who owns the small, trendy Violet Bakery in east London, has been working with her team of six bakers full time for five days in the large kitchens of Buckingham Palace. She described the flavour of the cake as being a balance of sweet and tart, combined with "ethereal" elderflower.

The cake, which is being decorated on the outside with a white, elderflower swiss meringue buttercream, is made of layered lemon sponge, drizzled with an elderflower syrup to a recipe specially created for the couple. The layers are sandwiched with buttercream and lemon curd.

Some 200 Amalfi lemons are being used in the recipe, as well as 10 bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial made using elderflower from the Queen's Sandringham estate, 20kgs of butter, 20 kgs of flour, 20kgs of sugar and 500 organic eggs from Suffolk.

Ms Ptak said: "It's a lemon sponge - a special sponge that I developed just for the couple, and we drizzle the layers with elderflower cordial from the Sandringham estate so it's really lovely and as local as you can get.

"We have a lemon curd made from Amalfi lemons which to me have the most delicious flavour.

"And then we've got elderflower swiss meringue buttercream."

The bunting is going up and the sun is shining (for now). Good morning and happy royal wedding eve!

Excitement is building in Windsor as crowds gather ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials on Saturday.

As The Telegraph's Royal Correspondent Hannah Furness reports, Ms Markle has been left negotiating the last-minute dilemma of who is going to walk her down the aisle, as her mother settled in to life with the Royal family.

Doria Ragland, who is now the most likely candidate to accompany the bride down the aisle, enjoyed tea with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall on Thursday, after Ms Markle’s father was confirmed as being absent from the wedding.  She will meet the Queen on Friday at Windsor Castle.

Ms Ragland on Thursday spent time with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte as they took part in a full rehearsal of Saturday's service.

The young page boys and bridesmaids were shown the ropes at St George's Chapel, with ten children aged between two and seven due to accompany Ms Markle.

In a heartfelt statement, Ms Markle asked for her father to be given “space” to recover after he contacted her to tell say he would not be able to come to the wedding, after taking medical advice.

The bride-to-be was photographed with Prince Harry being driven down Windsor Castle’s Long Walk to undertake final rehearsals for their wedding at midday on Saturday.

Smiling and fiddling with her engagement ring, Ms Markle appeared to be taking a difficult week in her stride as the Royal family rallied round to help.

Ms Ragland, who only flew in to Heathrow on Wednesday, took tea at Clarence House with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

In what was described by sources as a “jolly” encounter, Prince Harry, Ms Markle and her mother joined the heir to the throne at home to enjoy a quiet moment in the middle of a busy day of meetings.

Ms Ragland is said to have “thoroughly enjoyed” the gathering, feeling welcomed by the Prince and Duchess with whom she has much in common.

The Duchess has recently taken on patronages of charities to support the elderly, Ms Ragland’s area of work, while both are known to be regular practitioners of yoga.

The issue of who will walk Ms Markle down the aisle remains under discussion, with Ms Markle understood to want to delay announcing a replacement for her father too soon out of respect for him.

Orders of service have already been printed, stating that the bride "will be accompanied by her father". 

In fact, Thomas Markle is not well enough to travel, citing heart problems after it emerged he had colluded with the paparazzi for staged photographs in his home town in Mexico.

In a statement issued by Kensington Palace on Thursday , Ms Markle said: “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” she said. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.

“I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support. “Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”  

By Ms Markle’s side on the final days leading up to the wedding, her mother is helping finalise plans for the day.

Already confirmed as travelling with Ms Markle to the castle for the service, she is considered the most likely candidate, reflecting their close relationship and the bride’s belief in gender equality.

Ms Markle could still choose to walk alone, or be accompanied by a male friend of member of the Royal family such as the Prince of Wales or Duke of Cambridge, who already has duties as best man.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who walked Princess Margaret down the aisle in 1960, is expected to attend after recovering well from a hip replacement operation. 

In Windsor, thousands of members of the public turned out to watch preparations outside the castle walls, where the armed forces carried out a dress rehearsal for their roles on the day.

Video: Military in royal wedding rehearsal in Windsor

Some 250 members of the armed forces are expected to take part in Saturday's festivities, lining the streets as the newlywed man and wife head on a 25-minute carriage ride through the town.

There is a heavy police presence, with armed officers stationed around town and other officers on top of buildings looking over the crowds.

The warm and sunny weather experienced by visitors is due to continue until Saturday when, according to forecasters, it will be 21C. Let's hope they are right.