All eyes on the bride! With less than two weeks to go to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s impending nuptials, royal enthusiasts and bridal experts alike are guessing what the bride will wear when she walks down the aisle at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The yet-to-be-seen piece, which generated quite the buzz over the weekend when it was rumored that Ralph & Russo was tapped for the piece, has also created much conversation within the wedding industry (even amongst The Knot editors, who recently gave their guesses based on the latest Bridal Fashion Week looks).
Here, bridal designers ranging from Berta Balilti to Alessandra Rinaudo share their sketches with The Knot, giving us their best guesses as to what style the Suits actress will opt for on her historic walk down the aisle.
Ines Di Santo
“Meghan is very dainty and elegant and has a beautiful figure. This gown reveals her curves in a tasteful way,” designer Ines Di Santo previously stated. “It’s an off-the-shoulder design with a low-cut back to showcase her lovely neckline and statuesque physique.”
(Credit: Ines Di Santo)
“There is nothing more delicious than a beautiful love story with a royal setting,” she subsequently told The Knot in an interview.
Berta
If Markle opts to go with a design like that from avant garde designer Berta Balilti’s collection, it will be a showstopper for sure. The two possible dresses that Balilti envisions Markle wearing are both stunning, delicate pieces of art; the first is what Balilti describes as “ethereal meets romance,” with a silhouette-hugging style that includes a light, wispy hand-crafted cape fit for royalty, along with a flowing train accented with flower detailing.
(Credit: Berta)
The second pays homage to the more traditional wedding gown style, with sheer sleeves and a voluminous skirt, paired with more daring fashion-forward features, like a low back and a “jaw-dropping, plunging neckline.”
Justin Alexander
“Meghan Markle’s sense of style can be described as modern elegance,” Alexander tells The Knot. “Since she will be marrying into the Royal family, we predict that on her wedding day she will wear something a bit more conservative while remaining true to her unique and captivating sense of style.”
(Credit: Justin Alexander)
The designer opted for a high-neck, tonal beaded and embroidered lace fit-and-flare gown from his collection that included floral motifs layered over silk tulle and charmeuse. The “subtly sexy” gown, Alexander says, “provides a refined elegance that is appropriate yet untraditional.”
Alessandra Rinaudo
Two gowns, two vibes. Bridal designer Alessandra Rinaudo has two decidedly different gowns in mind when it comes to Markle’s big day. The first is “definitely sensual and feminine modern and trendy,” the designer tells The Knot. Instead of a more traditional white or off-white color, the dress is a delicate powder pink, with lace embroidery throughout and a special crystal lace at the bottom of the skirt, which gives it a 3D effect.
(Credit: Alessandra Rinaudo)
(Credit: Alessandra Rinaudo)
(Credit: Alessandra Rinaudo)
The second gown is “very formal,” Rinaudo says. “It is created in a mermaid handmade embroidered French lace with a detachable over-skirt in silk organza and lace” that gives it the “wow” effect. “The neckline calls upon the English monarch costume of a veiled yet elegant decollete,” she adds, noting that the back, by contrast, is a bit more “modern and sensual.”
Maison Alexandrine
Maison Alexandrine is the go-to designer for classy, classic gowns, which could be a route that Markle opts to take should she want to play things a tad more demure for her wedding day. Alexandra Fructuoso, the founder and creative director of Maison Alexandrine, suggested three different gowns that may just align with Markle’s taste. The first is made of French tulle, with hand embroidered pearls, organza petals and Swarovski crystals creating a “water drop” effect throughout the gown, paired with a veil boasting similar hand-embroidered pearls, Swarovski crystals and organza petals.
(Credit: Maison Alexandrine)
(Credit: Maison Alexandrine)
(Credit: Maison Alexandrine)
The second gown is a more structured design of either silk zibeline or silk taffeta, with hand-embroidered silk thread and Swarovski crystals in three different sizes. And the third is a hybrid between the two with a structured bodice and round skirt made of silk taffeta, with a design of hand-embroidered silk thread, pearls and Swarovski crystals to complete the look.
Winnie Couture
“Since the newly engaged couple, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, have an elegance and a sense of royal grace to them, it seems only fitting to include an opulent, high-collar lace mesh bodice within Meghan’s gown,” Winnie Couture creative director Winnie Chlomin Lee tells The Knot. “The intricate floral pattern fades in as the fabric travels towards the waistline, pairing with an extravagant cathedral veil, to give off a sophisticated yet modish look.”
(Credit: Winnie Couture)
Randi Rahm
New York-based designer Randi Rahm would go full-regal for Meghan Markle’s hypothetical gown. “The base would be either a silk and wool or a special double-faced satin,” she tells The Knot. “The details would be hand-rolled rosebuds and embroidery with touches of beading to enhance the regal pattern. I see her as elegant with clean lines!”
(Credit: Randi Rahm)
Rahm tells us that the gown would be finished with a “very long watteau train” which could pay homage to Princess Diana’s 25-foot train. “I would describe Meghan’s style as classic, clean, and modern. The simplistic lines of my design embody the ease of her style,” she adds. “Strategically placed embroidered details and embellishments would complete the cascading hemline of the gown and train fit for a royal princess.”
White By Vera Wang
A little modern, a little edgy, a little leggy. A proposed look for White by Vera Wang would include a high-low hem and a gown made up of large rosette flange. The effect is “modern, dramatic and a little daring.” The train, a tweak on traditionally long trains, would be “very couture” and help Markle make a sweeping, dramatic entrance at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Palace.
White by Vera Wang for David’s Bridal (Sketch Courtesy David’s Bridal)
Hey Lady Shoes
No bride’s wedding day look would be complete without a little flare. For Markle, designers Emily and Jessica Leung envision heels that are just as memorable as the dress itself. “For Meghan’s wedding, we’re thinking white suede and we’d call it the ‘Princepessa,’ creating a 1920’s/50’s style hybrid,” they tell The Knot. “Old Hollywood-inspired pointed toe suede heels with Gatsby-inspired studded crystals and a mirrored platform. Edgy but sophisticated. Regal yet refined. Luxuriously ladylike.”
Jessica Bedard Shoes
For Markle’s wedding day shoes, Jessica Bedard suggests something “beautiful and elegant”: a handmade heel produced in satin, with either a shiny or matte finish in Cristal Silver or Cristal Gold. “Each is made with high end Italian leather, insole and out-sole and all hand-made in Italy,” the designer tells us of her fanciful sketches.
Follow along with The Knot ahead of the 2018 Royal Wedding happening May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.