<P> The wedding invitations specified a dress code for men of "Dress Uniform, Morning Coat or Lounge Suit"; for women, "Day Dress and Hat". </P> <P> The wedding dress was designed by the British designer Clare Waight Keller under the aegis of the fashion house Givenchy . It was made of "double - bonded silk cady cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza" and had a boat neckline, long sleeves and sweeping train . The silk veil was 16 feet (4.9 m) long and was embroidered with 55 flowers, representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, as well as Wintersweet, which grows in front of Nottingham Cottage, where she and Harry live, and the California Poppy, the state flower of California . It was secured by a diamond bandeau tiara, made in 1932 for Queen Mary and lent to Markle by Queen Elizabeth II . The centre brooch had been a wedding gift from the County of Lincoln in 1893 . The tiara is a platinum band, made up of eleven sections, a detachable centre brooch with interlaced opals and diamonds . The shoes were also from Givenchy, and had a pointed couture design . </P> <P> Other ensembles worn by the bride included white gold and diamond earrings and bracelet made by Cartier . Markle's hair was rolled up with "face - framing fringe tucked behind her ears", and was done by Serge Normant . Make - up artist Daniel Martin did Markle's makeup for the occasion . The look was described as "a soft brown eyeshadow" with minimal makeup on the face . Her nails were painted in a "neutral pink - y beige" for the ceremony . The bride's bouquet, designed by Philippa Craddock, contained "forget - me - nots, scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle". The flowers were chosen by the groom who handpicked forget - me - nots in honour of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales . After the wedding the bridal bouquet was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, following royal tradition that began with the Queen Mother . For the customary bridal themes of "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue", Markle had her gown and veil (the "new"), the Queen's tiara (the "borrowed"), sprigs of myrtle taken from "a plant grown from the myrtle used in the Queen's wedding bouquet" and a piece of fabric from Diana, Princess of Wales's wedding gown (the "old"), and Diana's favourite flowers, forget - me - nots, in the bouquet (the "blue"). The young bridesmaids also wore high - waisted silk dresses designed by Clare Waight Keller which had puff sleeves . </P> <P> Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge wore the frock coat uniform of the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) in which both were commissioned, and Prince Harry served for 10 years, including in combat in Afghanistan . The uniforms were made by Dege & Skinner, gentleman's tailors and uniform makers, of Savile Row, London . The groom asked for and received the Queen's permission to keep his beard, as beards are only permitted under exceptional circumstances in the British Army . Prince Harry wore the rank of major with the star of the Royal Victorian Order, of which he is a Knight Commander, along with the ribbons of the Royal Victorian Order, Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and Army Air Corps wings . Prince William, also with the rank of major, had EIIR cyphers on his shoulder straps and gold aiguillettes on his right shoulder (indicating his position as an aide - de-camp to the Queen), and wore the star of the Order of the Garter, the ribbons of the two jubilee medals, and his RAF wings . The pageboys wore uniforms by Dege & Skinner that resembled the uniform of the Blues and Royals worn by the groom and best man . Each page boy had his initials on the shoulders in place of rank badges . </P>

Who picked the minister for the royal wedding