Unless you’ve been living under the biggest rock on the planet, then surely you’ll have heard the news that former Suits star Meghan Markle is set to wed Prince Harry in May. The couple, who announced their engagement in November 2017 after nearly one year of dating, have been doing quite a lot as a publicly engaged couple. Whether it’s attending special events, like a private Christmas Day church service with the rest of Prince Harry’s family (or as we know them, the rest of the U.K.’s royal family) or participating in public events and meet and greets with well-wishers, Markle has dived headlong into the life she will permanently be leading with great enthusiasm.
That said, she and Harry have also had to plan a wedding like any couple making their way to the altar would be doing. While there are some fairly standard tasks to complete before they get married, like secure the caterer and solidify the guest list, there are also some very specific royal-related tasks Markle needs to complete as part of her wedding prep.
What are those tasks exactly? Well, keep clicking and see for yourself.
She Had to Get Baptized
Markle's baptism into the Church of England, a necessary step for her on the way to the altar, took place on March 6 in a private ceremony at St. James Palace in London. Prince Harry and a small group were also in attendance, and, according to the archbishop of Canterbury (who performed the ceremony), the baptism was "beautiful" and "very moving."
She Officially Moved to the UK
Before she announced her engagement to Prince Harry, Markle made the official move from Toronto (where she was living while she worked on Suits) to London. The big move was part of the necessary process (for legal purposes) to have residency established by the time she married. Since the move happened before the engagement, the news immediately got tongues wagging that things were serious between Markle and Harry.
She (& Prince Harry) Had to Get the Queen’s Consent to Marry
Maybe the most important to-do in Markle's wedding prep was completed by March 15, a little over two months before her nuptials. Her soon-to-be grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, gave her official blessing for her marriage to Prince Harry. It's one of the most important royal traditions wherein the monarch must give consent to royals within six places in line to the throne (Prince Harry is currently fifth in line behind his niece, Princess Charlotte).
She Had to Close Down All Personal Social Media Accounts
As part of her transition from actor to royal and public servant, Markle had to cut off all social media usage. While she never had a public-facing Facebook, she did shut down her lifestyle website, The Tig, in April 2017 (which set off public speculation an engagement was nigh). By January 2018, shortly after announcing her engagement in November, both her Instagram and Twitter were gone as well. From here on out, all her communication with the public will go through palace-approved Twitter accounts, official palace press releases and what various news outlets report at any given time.
She Has to Choose Her Wedding Dress
We're mere weeks (weeks!) away from the royal wedding, and Markle has still yet to confirm her wedding dress (well, as far as we know). While Brides magazine took an educated guess at what the dress could look like (see the gorgeous sketches here), we won't know until the big day what she actually decided to wear. The anticipation is killing us!
She & Prince Harry Set the Wedding Date & Location
Getting engaged is step one in the wedding process, while step two should definitely be setting a date. This is something Markle and Prince Harry did very shortly after making the engagement announcement. Vogue Australia reports that the wedding date, May 19, 2018, was planned so as not to interfere with the arrival of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's third child in April 2018. Additionally, Markle and Prince Harry are set to be wed at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, a venue decidedly more intimate than Westminster Abbey, located in the heart of London.
She Had to Get Her Wedding Party Sorted Out
Markle's wedding preparations are fairly simple in one area: her wedding party. While it's very uncommon (read: it never happens) for royal brides to have bridesmaids, royal expert Marlene Koenig told Town & Country magazine that she "would be less surprised, however, if one of [Meghan's] friends read a lesson during the service," which could very well happen, although it's unconfirmed. There's no doubt that if Markle is already going to be making modern changes to the wedding, she'll find a way to bring her close friends into the mix in some way.
She Totally Transformed Her Wardrobe
Being a dyed-in-the-wool royal family member includes a number of transformations, and chief among those transformations is the one involving your wardrobe. Markle, who reportedly pays out-of-pocket for her clothes, has spent the last few months changing her nail polish color to the preferred favorite of Queen Elizabeth II, investing in smart coats, tailored suits, below-the-knee dresses, turtlenecks and knee-length skirts, all in a selection of muted colors (navy, cream and camel colors seem to be the go-to these days).
She Had to Participate in a Kidnapping Drill
A bride must be prepared for every kind of situation to occur at her wedding, and in the case of this royal-to-be, that includes a kidnapping drill. Markle had to undergo a supervised kidnapping drill as part of her wedding preparations. The drill was part of a security training session that she completed somewhere in the English countryside, the U.K. news outlet The Daily Express reported.
She Had a Low-Key Bachelorette Party
Numerous outlets reported in early March that Markle likely had her bachelorette party (referred to as a "hen do" in the U.K.) already and she kept it very low-key. There were reportedly zero strippers, no crazy alcohol consumption and no surprise trips to Las Vegas on the menu, but rather, as Town & Country magazine reported, a spa weekend with some of Markle's closest friends at an undisclosed location.
She Will Be Adding Her Own Twists on the Ceremony
In February, Vogue Australia reported that Markle will be giving her own speech at the reception, an interesting break with tradition. According to the source, she'll be giving an affectionate speech directed solely at and for her husband.
In another break with tradition, it was announced in January that Markle wanted her mom to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. According to E! News, although it is tradition for the father of the bride to the honors, Markle is closer to her mother than her estranged father and, thus, wants her mom to give her away. It remains to be seen if this is actually happening, but the reasoning makes sense and, honestly, it seems silly that Markle would be denied this wedding day wish.
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