How Similar Were Princess Eugenie and Meghan Markle's Weddings?
Comparing the two biggest royal weddings of the year.
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank quite literally had to postpone their wedding date for their cousins Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which is something most brides and grooms don't have to do—unless you require two of the most well-known people in the world to attend your wedding, of course.
But it was important to Princess Eugenie and Jack that the couple be there. Now that Princess Eugenie and Jack have tied the knot, we can finally answer the question of just how similar their weddings ended up being. See how the royals' weddings compared below:
The Date/Time
Harry and Meghan's ceremony on Saturday, May 19 started at noon London time, but Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank had their ceremony on Friday, October 12 at 11 a.m. London time. Normally, a Friday wedding indicates a more casual ceremony, but this definitely was not the case (see dress code section below).
The Venue
Like Harry and Meghan, Eugenie and Jack had their ceremony at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Just two weeks after Eugenie and Jack's wedding, the castle will become the home of Harry and Meghan's special wedding exhibition where her Givenchy gown will be on display, but not the second dress she wore to the evening reception.
The Decorations
St. George's Chapel is practically unrecognizable in the before-and-after pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding. Here's how the chapel transformed for Harry and Meghan's wedding when it was adorned with gorgeous flowers.
Before:
After
Well before her wedding, Eugenie revealed that unlike her cousins' wedding, hers would keep everything plastic-free in an effort to remain more environmentally conscious. “It’s been eye-opening. My whole house is anti-plastic nowand Jack and I want our wedding to be like that as well," Eugenie told British Vogue in August.
Here's a look at St. George's Chapel's transformation for Eugenie's wedding.
Before:
After:
The Dress Code
Eugenie and Jack's wedding dress code was described on their wedding invitations as "morning coat or a day dress with a hat." This is a lot more formal than Harry and Meghan's wedding dress code, which was "morning coat or lounge suit, day dress with hat." Since Eugenie and Jack didn't have as many American friends coming to their wedding as Meghan and Harry did, it makes sense that they decided to stick to the morning coat attire for males.
The Guests
Eugenie and Jack invited lucky members of the public to attend their wedding at Windsor Castle, just like Harry and Meghan did. Though Eugenie and Jack's invited fewer members of the public than Harry and Meghan did (Eugenie and Jack invited 1,200 while Harry and Meghan invited 2,640), Eugenie and Jack's actual guest list actually included a couple hundred more people than the Duke and Duchess' big day. At their ceremony, Harry and Meg had around 650 friends and family present, whereas Eugenie and Jack had close to 850.
The Invitations
Vanity Fair published the first look at Eugenie and Jack's wedding invitations, and they looked completely different from Harry and Meghan's. You can see a visual comparison of them here.
The Wedding Planning
Meghan Markle reportedly enlisted the help of close friend and BFF Jessica Mulroney to plan her wedding, but Princess Eugenie went a more traditional route and reportedly hired wedding planner Peregrine Armstrong-Jones. He's the man who was responsible for David and Victoria Beckham's lavish wedding in 1999.
The Maid of Honor
Princess Eugenie, 28, chose her older sister Princess Beatrice, 30, as her maid of honor. Meanwhile, Meghan chose not to have a maid of honor at all.
The Officiant
The Dean of Windsor, David Conner officiated Eugenie and Jack's wedding. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby officiated Meghan and Harry's ceremony.
The Carriage Procession
Harry and Meghan's carriage ride through Windsor was a complete lovefest (they snuck a second kiss!), and Eugenie and Jack took a similar route (literally). However, they didn't ride along the Long Walk like the Duke and Duchess did.
The royal family's website described Eugenie's carriage ride as "a short ride in a carriage from the Royal Mews, out of Windsor Castle, and on to part of the High Street. Opportunities for members of the public wishing to view the couple are on Castle Hill, the High Street and Park Street, echoing the route taken by The Earl and Countess of Wessex following their wedding. The carriage will not travel along the Long Walk."
The Bouquet
Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie's bouquets reflected their unique personalities, but also incorporated the same royal tradition.
Meghan's bouquet contained sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia in shades of green and white in addition to Forget-Me-Nots, which were Harry's mom, Diana, Princess of Wales’ favorite flower, and sprigs of myrtle, sourced from stems planted at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845. Fun fact: Queen Elizabeth's bouquet also contained sprigs of myrtle from that very same plant.
According to E! Online, Princess Eugenie's bouquet consisted of of Lily of the Valley, Stephanotis pips, hints of baby blue thistles, white spray rose, and trailing ivy—and, of course, sprigs of myrtle from Osbourne House.
The official royal website explains that many royal brides (including Kate Middleton in addition to Meghan and Elizabeth) have included myrtle in their bouquets because the bloom represents love, innocence, and fertility. Eugenie's mother, Sarah Ferguson, also had Myrtle in her bouquet.
The Cake
Eugenie admitted that she spent time "compiling Pinterest boards of cakes" ahead of her wedding in her British Vogue interview, and eventually settled on red velvet and chocolate as her flavor. The autumn-inspired creation was designed by Sophie Cabot and decorated in ivy. “I am incredibly excited to be given this wonderful opportunity to create such a special and unique cake," she says. "It has been lovely working with Princess Eugenie and Jack and I really hope they enjoy the cake on the day."
Meghan and Harry had Claire Ptak, a London-based pastry chef from California, make a spring-inspired, lemon elderflower cake for their wedding.
The wedding cake is to be served at the Reception. It was designed by Claire Ptak and features elderflower syrup made at The Queen’s residence in Sandringham from the estate’s own elderflower trees, as well as a light sponge cake uniquely formulated for the couple. #royalwedding pic.twitter.com/kt5lE4tEn9May 19, 2018
The Reception
Eugenie, Jack, Meghan, and Harry all had a wedding reception luncheon hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle following their ceremonies, but Eugenie and Jack took the celebrations a bit further than Harry and Meghan. Their wedding was a two-day event complete with a "festival and funfair" themed party on the grounds of the Royal Lodge, the York Family home located about three miles south from Windsor Castle.
Like Harry and Meghan, Eugenie and Jack also had an evening reception following their wedding as well.
The Price
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding was estimated to cost around $3 million, which was a whole lot less than Harry and Meghan's reported $43 million. Royals, amirite?
The China
The Royal Collection Trust released the official china set created in honor of Eugenie and Jack's wedding just as they did with Harry and Meghan's, but Eugenie's special glassware left royal fans slightly confused. Unlike the Duke and Duchess' china set, which includes both of their initials, Eugenie and Jack's china mainly features Eugenie's monogram...and hers only. That is, until you get to the bottom of the tea cup.
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