In true royal fashion, Meghan Markle wore two incredible dresses at her wedding to Prince Harry. For the ceremony she opted for a simple but stunning Givenchy gown, while she swapped into a stylish Stella McCartney number for her wedding reception at Frogmore House.
But it wasn’t just the dresses, every part of Meghan’s gorgeous look had touching tributes and sweet meanings. Her tiara previously belonged to the Queen’s grandmother, Queen Mary, she was spotted wearing a ring belonging to Princess Diana, and her bouquet contained flowers handpicked by Prince Harry himself.
And even her veil had stunning symbolism and meaning behind it. According to Kensington Palace, Meghan wanted ‘all 53 countries of the Commonwealth with her on her journey through the ceremony’. Therefore her veil, created by Ms. Waight Keller, has the distinctive flower of each Commonwealth country sewn into it.
The veil was five metres long, made from silk tulle, and each of the flowers on the trim were hand-embroidered in silk threads and organza. And it wasn’t just flowers from the Commonwealth, Meghan also selected two personal favourites including Wintersweet which grows in the grounds of Kensington Palace, and the California Poppy from her place of birth.
Flowers included the Tropical Orchid from Kenya, the Indian Lotus, Yellow Elder from the Bahamas, and a rose, daffodil, Flax flower and thistle to represent the United Kingdom.
Africa:
Botswana – Ear of Sorghum and Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa)
Cameroon – Red Stinkwood (Prunus africana)
Gambia – White Variety Orchid
Ghana – Caladium (Caladium)
Kenya – The Tropical Orchid
Lesotho – Spiral Aloe (Aloe polyphylla)
Malawi – Lotus (Nymphea lotus)
Mauritius – Trochetia Boutoniana
Mozambique – Maroon Bell Bean (Markhamia zanzibarica)
Namibia – Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis)
Nigeria – Yellow Trumpet (Costus spectabilis)
Rwanda – Torch Lily (Kniphofia uvaria)
Seychelles – Tropicbird orchid (Angraecum eburnum)
Sierra Leone – Scadoxus (Scadoxus cinnabarinus)
South Africa – Protea (Protea cynaroides)
Swaziland – Fire Heath (Erica cerinthoides)
Uganda – Desert rose (Adenium obesum)
United Republic of Tanzania – African violet (Saintpaulia)
Zambia – Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea)
Asia:
Bangladesh – White Water Lily ( Sada shapla)
Brunei Darussalam – Simpor (Dillenia suffruticosa)
India – Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifers gaertn)
Malaysia – Bunga Raya Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa sinensis)
Pakistan – Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)
Singapore – Vanda miss Joaquim Orchid (Miss Joaquim)
Sri Lanka – Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea nouchali)
Caribbean & Americas:
Antigua and Barbuda – Agave (Agave karatto)
Bahamas – Yellow Elder (Tecoma stans)
Barbados – The pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)
Belize – The Black Orchid (Encyclia cochleata)
Canada – Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
Dominica – Carib Wood (Sabinea carinalis)
Grenada – Bougainvillea (Nyctaginaceae)
Guyana – Victoria Regia Water Lily (Victoria amazonica)
Jamaica – Lignum Vitae (Guiacum officinale)
Saint Lucia – The rose and the marguerite
St Kitts and Nevis – Poinciana (Delonix regia )
St Vincent & the Grenadines – Soufriere Tree (Spachea perforatais)
Trinidad & Tobago – Chaconia (Warszewiczia coccinea)
Europe:
Cyprus – Cyclamen Cyprium (Cyclamen cyprium)
Malta – Maltese centaury (Cheirolophus crassifolius
United Kingdom:
England – Rose
Wales – Daffodil (Narcissus)
Northern Ireland – Flax flower
Scotland – Thistle
Pacific:
Australia – Golden wattles (Acacia pycnantha)
Fiji – Tagimaucia (Medinilla waterhousei)
Kiribati – Bidens Kiribatiensis
Nauru – Calophyllum
New Zealand – Kowhai (Sophora microphylla)
Papua – Sepik Blue Orchid (Dendrobium lasianthera)
Samoa – Teuila (Alpinia purpurata)
Solomon Islands – Hibiscus (Hibiscus)
Tonga – Heilala (Garcinia sessilis)
Tuvalu – Plumeria (Plumeria frangipans)
Vanuatu – Anthurium (Anthurium)
Simply beautiful!
From: Good Housekeeping UK
PHOTO: Gallo Images/Getty Images
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