Meghan said designer Clare Waight Keller respected her vision for the dress, from the shape of the neckline to the length of the sleeves – and recognised the importance of tailoring as the outfit had to be “modest”.
The couple realised the day would be what Harry called a “global wedding”, but featuring personal choices would make it more “intimate,” said Meghan.
The bridal gown is the star attraction of a new Windsor Castle exhibition about the royal wedding, which includes audio commentary recorded for visitors by the duke and duchess.
“I had a very clear vision of what I wanted for the day, and what I wanted the dress to look like, and so what was amazing in working with Clare is that sometimes you’ll find designers try to push you in a different direction,” Meghan revealed.
“But she just completely respected what I wanted to see for the day, and she wanted to bring that to life for me.
“So I knew at the onset I wanted a bateau neckline, I wanted a cropped sleeve, I wanted a very timeless, classic feeling and, obviously with respect to the environment we were in and St George’s Chapel, being really modest in what it would look like, I knew that the tailoring was so key, because the dress itself would be so covered up.”
Meghan says in the commentary she had followed Clare Waight Keller’s career for a long time and she ticked “all the boxes” from being British, to reflect the duchess’ new home, and a woman, to working for Givenchy as artistic director, a global fashion house which added an international dimension to the big day.
The gown and the five-metre long silk tulle veil – embroidered with flowers from each of the 53 Commonwealth nations – were created after 3,900 hours of work by a 50-strong team.
The dress’ luminosity is down to the double-bonded silk cady – fabric woven on both sides of the loom – which catches the light.
Speaking in the commentary Meghan adds: “There was a great level of detail that went into the planning of our wedding day.
“I think for us, we knew how large the scale of the event would be, so in making choices that were really personal and meaningful, it could make the whole experience feel intimate, even though it was a very big wedding.”
On her wedding day, Meghan wore Queen Mary’s diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, lent to the duchess by the Queen, which is part of the exhibition.
The duchess described her visit to the head of state to choose a headpiece as “an incredibly surreal day”.
The duke, who joined Meghan for the visit to the Queen, joked in the commentary: “Every girl’s dream to be able to try on a tiara, and, funnily enough, the one that suited the best, the one that looked the best on you without question, I shouldn’t have really even been there, but such an incredible loan by my grandmother, it was very sweet.”
