Royal wedding 2018: Meghan Markle's Givenchy dress in detail
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After months of speculation, Meghan Markle's wedding dress has been revealed.
The pure white, boat neck gown is designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director of French fashion house Givenchy.
Crowds saw the full gown - which had been kept a closely guarded secret - as Ms Markle stepped out at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle at midday.
The designer
The designer, Clare Waight Keller, was appointed the first female artistic director at Givenchy in 2017 and presented her debut collection for spring/summer earlier this year.
Ms Markle, who met Waight Keller this year, chose to work closely with her on the design because of her "timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour", Kensington Palace said.
She previously served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses - Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and now Givenchy.
The bodice
The minimalist pure white gown has a boat neck, framing the shoulders and emphasising Ms Markle's waist, and three-quarter length sleeves.
The haute couture dress is made of double-bonded silk cady cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza.
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The neckline differs from the Duchess of Cambridge's high V-necked lace-covered gown in 2011.
The train
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The veil
Ms Markle wore a 5m-long white silk veil covering her face which includes floral detail representing all 53 countries of the Commonwealth. The bride suggested the design because the Commonwealth will be a central part of her and Prince Harry's official work after they are married.
The designer spent significant time researching the flora of each country and much care was taken to ensure that every flower is unique.
Ms Markle also chose her two other favourite flowers - Wintersweet found in Kensington Palace and the California poppy, from where she was born - to be adorned on the veil.
Dressmakers spent hundreds of hours - including regularly washing their hands every 30 minutes - to make the veil, which is hand-embroidered in silk threads and organza.
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The design of Ms Markle's veil is similar to the Duchess of Cambridge's, which was made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with also had a trim of hand-embroidered flowers.
David Emanuel, who designed Diana, Princess of Wales's dress, said it was "very clever" to include the Commonwealth flowers in the veil.
"I think Diana would have approved," he said of the dress.
The tiara
Ms Markle's veil was held in place by Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, lent to her by the Queen. The diamond bandeau is English and was made in 1932.
The centre of the bandeau is set with a detachable brooch of 10 brilliant diamonds dating from 1893. The headpiece also includes diamonds and platinum in 11 sections.
It was made for Queen Mary and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch, which she received as a present when she was princess for her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York.
Ms Markle also wore earrings and bracelet made by Cartier.
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Unlike the Duchess of Cambridge - who was lent a 1936 Cartier "halo" tiara from the Queen - Ms Markle wore her hair up, rather than loose.
The bride's hair was styled by Serge Normant, with make-up by long-time friend and make-up artist Daniel Martin.
The bouquet
Prince Harry handpicked several flowers on Friday from their private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bespoke bridal bouquet designed by florist Philippa Craddock.
It includes forget-me-nots which were Diana, Princess of Wales' favourite flower. They were specifically chosen to honour the memory of the late princess.
The small bouquet also features scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle, all bound with a naturally dyed, raw silk ribbon.
London-based florist Ms Craddock also created the floral displays at the chapel, which was filled with white garden roses, peonies and foxgloves, branches of beech, birch and hornbeam.
Floral designer Ms Craddock, who started her business nine years ago, has worked for the V&A, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior and British Vogue.
Ms Markle previously said on her now-deleted Instagram account that peonies make her "endlessly happy". Soon after the couple started dating, Ms Markle posted a picture of a bouquet of pink and white peonies on the social media site.
The shoes
The wedding shoes are based on a Givenchy refined pointed couture design made of a silk duchess satin.
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