On May 19. 2018, the world centered around their TV screens to watch wedding procession of Prince Harry and his bride, Meghan Markle. It was a Déjà vu moment of Prince William and Princess Kate’s wedding back in April 2011. Many of my friends were up at 1 am or 3 am with their eyes glued to their computer screens. With every royal event comes the expectations of who’s invited, who’s not invited, who wore what designer, the funny-looking hats, and how cute the Queen looks. Let’s be honest, she’s so adorable, especially at age 92! Although both royal weddings were absolutely beautiful, let’s look at them both side by side.
1. The Location
William and Kate’s wedding followed the traditional conventions of the royal crown. Held at the beautiful, iconic Westminister Abbey, the couple and their guests took in the immaculate architecture to celebrate a day of absolute love.
Harry and Meghan, however, wanted more of an intimate wedding, so they held their ceremony at St. George’s Chapel. On the screen, you honestly couldn’t tell the church was that tiny. Both churches have gorgeous mosaics and beautiful seating, but no matter the size, it’s the people you are with that matters the most.
2. The Dress
Kate’s iconic wedding dress had the beautiful laced sleeves, the gorgeous v-neck down leading into her ivory wedding dress. And yes, her whole dress had embellishments of lace too. The bottom of her dress is satin and flows smoothly into a long terrain. The back of her dress held by white buttons, similar to the dress Bella Swan wore in the “Twilight” series.
Meghan’s dress, however, took more of a simple, traditional style. I believe this was mainly to honor Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, but her dress was a simple floor length gown with slight off of the shoulder style. It’s beautiful in its simplicity, but I’m a huge fan of vintage lace!
3. The Veil
Kate’s veil is bordered by small, white, flowers at the bottom. Her veil is made of a simple sheer texture, not like the kinds that can be wicked thick and bulky — similar to a tutu.
Meghan’s veil won my heart: her ivory-colored veil also had flowers at the bottom, but it trailed and seemed never-ending.
4. The Tiara
Kate’s tiara reminds me a lot of the traditional tiaras worn in Britain and even in France. There are eleven stones that surround her tiara, each one with a big jewel placed inside. Right in between her first two stones is a mini stone at the top of her tiara, which sort of looks like a star. I mean she was the “star” of the show, get it? Dad joke intended.
Meghan’s tiara had a solid base, with a variety of jewels encrusted, similar to a fancy-looking headband. I also believe both tiaras were tailored to their personalities and were unique to honor Princess Diana.
5. The Ceremony
As I said before, Kate and William’s ceremony followed the standard tradition of a royal wedding. It was beautiful in its authenticity. I will say, though, Meghan and Harry’s wedding stood out to me the most regarding its originality.
She incorporated some aspects of American wedding style such as having an American Reverand for part of the ceremony. Also, the choir sang “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. It was intimate, personal, and beautiful. Both weddings were astounding in their own right.
6. The Engagement Ring
Kate’s ring is a navy blue, oval ring with jewels bordered around it. Not your traditional engagement ring, but unique, beautiful, and vintage. Meghan’s ring has a big diamond in the center and two smaller jewels on each side. Both ring styles can reflect the boys’ sense of style as well.
7. The Cake
William and Kate’s wedding cake was the Traditional Fruit Cake, which follows British Royalty protocol. As cake designer Fiona Cairns says: “The whole cake was Kate’s idea. It was all her idea.”
Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake, once again, totally unconventional. Shocker, right? Instead of having one cake, the couple had two! A chocolate, biscuit cake and also an eight-tier fruitcake. What doesn’t scream a wedding than extra cake? And lots of leftovers, of course.
8. Down the Aisle
Kate’s father walked his daughter down the aisle, but did the same happen to Meghan? Although her father was invited to the wedding, he declined due to health problems.
Instead, Harry’s father, Prince Charles, lovingly walked Meghan down the aisle. Definitely a tear jerker.
9. William and Harry’s British “Tux”
William went with the traditional, red uniform which similarly looks like one of those British royal bears you want to buy as memorabilia.
Harry went with a black uniform, which fits with the couple’s original and modern royal wedding. I guess the most important question is, who wore it better?
10. The Queen’s Outfit
Cute as a button at 92 years old, the Queen always looks stylish— the kind of style most of us wish our grandmothers would dress.
In 2011, the Queen wore a spring yellow tea dress with a matching hat and white gloves.
In 2018, she wore a pale green dress with a flower-designed button and matching hat with a lovely purple feather. Get it, Queen!
You might like William and Kate’s traditional wedding better than Meghan and Harry’s modern, royal wedding or the other way around, but all in all, both were spectacular and memorable. Every marriage is unique, so don’t judge based on what you felt should have or should not have been in the wedding.
