The chatter of "what will the dress look like" and the sound of wedding bells have never sounded quite as loud as they did for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding day on Saturday! The royal wedding has reignited the public’s fondness of a good old-fashioned wedding, but moreover us jewellery addicts were interested in the jewellery treasures worn by the bride, her guests and of course, the Queen.
If you haven't heard (perhaps you've had your head in the sand?!) Prince Harry and the former actress Meghan Markle tied the knot on Saturday, and their wedding was watched by an unbelievable 29 million people around the world.
The Queen looked stunning in a matching suit of lime green with a frothy purple feather atop her hat; a picture of Royal elegance at its best. And to accessorize? A wedding staple of Pearls, Pearls and more Pearls.. accentuated only by some extremely Royal Diamonds. (What did we expect?!)
It was lovely to see how important family members who could not have been there were there in spirit. As you can see above, the brooch the Queen wore once belonged to the Queen Mother, and it's heart-warming to see how these cherished items continue to be passed down through the generations.
Of course, the stunning Meghan Markle was the absolute vision of a fairytale Princess; all smiles and waves in a breath-taking floor length dress by Givenchy.
Prince Harry and Meghan seem to have given deep thought to every aspect and item of the wedding. The extra-long 16ft train was hand-embroidered with every single flower of the common-wealth. It was also an ode to Prince Harry's late mother; Diana the Princess of wales, reminiscent of Diana's 25ft train when she married Prince Charles in 1981.
It's also been confirmed that the engagement ring itself, although it was custom made, was full of sentiment. Two African Diamonds that belonged in Princess Diana's personal collection were used to flank a new Diamond that Harry chose, and he actually designed the ring for Meghan himself! (All together now... "Awwwww!!")
"The little diamonds on either side are from my mother's jewelry collection to make sure that she's with us on this crazy journey together." - Prince Harry.
And what a stunning ring it is, with a reported 3 carat flawless center stone!
I wonder which one the world prefers when compared to Kate Middleton's very special engagement ring, which of course is steeped in history. Once "Lady Di's" it has a special place in the heart of all women that were old enough to admire Diana's grace and amazing sense of style. Has Meghan become the nation's new sweetheart I wonder?!
In the weeks prior to the wedding all the elements of ceremony, including floral arrangements, cakes, and which celebrities would be attending were on the front pages of every newspaper and on the tips of every wife, mother and sister's tongues!
If you're a jewellery lover then I'm sure you've been wondering what tiara Meghan was going to wear, and she didn't disappoint. A gasp of breath could almost audible as the Prince lifted the bride's veil to reveal one of the most elegant tiara's in existence.
The tiara was borrowed, (as is the wedding custom in the UK) from Elizabeth II and we couldn't have chosen better. It was refined, demure and suited the understated couture dress perfectly, and what's more it was originally made for "jewellery Royalty" (pun intended!) Queen Mary, the Princess of Teck, who you can see knew how to wear a string of pearls, or two!
Anyone who's ever attended a wedding will how much there is to plan on a wedding day, but we could only have imagined the grandeur, pomp and ceremony the world was about to see!
Despite the allure of their glamorous and glitzy big day we all know that there’s so much more to a wedding than what it looks like, and it’s sometimes the smallest things that have us cooing. It’s those small things that we’re so good at finding for you!
For instance Meghan’s ring was a simple, good-old-fashioned wedding band made from a piece of Welsh gold, which the Queen gave the bride-to-be as a gift. Harry and Meghan chose London’s Cleave & Company to create the royal rings; including the stunning three-stone Diamond trilogy engagement ring.
One of the best ways to really understand a couple, (Royal or not!) is to pay attention to the smaller things in the wedding too, not just the dress and the ring! Believe us when we say it, it may be strange but can tell you an awful lot about people from what the smaller details.
For instance, the fact that the happy couple chose to include children in their wedding points to them being extremely inclusive and family-oriented. Dare we say, there might even be the patter of little feet less than a year from now?! (We hope!)
As they've tried as best they could to stay out of the lime-light whilst courting, I'm sure we've all been wondering what kind of couple they would be once married. Will they stick with tradition or will they be breaking rules? Well, if the cake is anything to go by then we'd go with the latter...
Meghan chose an incredible sky-scraper high cake flavoured with elderflower and lemon- a far cry from the traditional fruit-cakes of old. (Did you know the traditional wedding cake in Britain is was fruitcake because it last an extremely long time while frozen?! The top layer of the cake is traditionally kept ad served at the christening of the coupe's first child!)
What's even more unbelievable was that this enchanting wedding cake wasn't enough and Prince Harry insisted on having his very own wedding cake made of... wait-for-it... chocolate! We've always love Prince Harry's individualism, boldness and his cheeky smile, and we couldn't imagine a Royal more likely to order chocolate cake at a wedding!
We've been spell-bound by the scale, magic and pomp of Meghan and Harry's wedding; the Diamonds, the dress, the veil, the train, the cake (no sorry, CAKES!) and the crowds of excited Londoners, along with people from all nationalities from around the world. But despite all this they've managed to show humility, generosity of spirit, and more importantly fun!
Prince Harry and Meghan, now the Duchess of Sussex, looked happy and eager to start their new life together, and we wish them well. We hope you all enjoyed the royal wedding and maybe it will serve as an idea board for your big day?
If you'd like any help or advice finding the perfect vintage or antique engagement ring for your Princess please don't hesitate to get in touch. It really is one our favourite things to do!