Call us cliché, but we can’t help it: We’re starting to get so excited for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, which is fast approaching. They’re set to be married on May 19, 2018 at Windsor Castle in St. George’s Chapel.We can’t wait to see all the royal details—Meghan’s gown, how the chapel is decorated, all the beautiful flowers…
Lucky for us, one of the details of the wedding was recently unveiled, and everyone is talking about it. It’s their wedding invitation—which are, unsurprisingly, flat out gorgeous.
The invitations were created by Barnard & Westwood, a popular British printing and bookbinding company, and are perfectly royal. The entire look is simple and elegant, while still following many years of royal tradition, for one, by featuring the three-feathered badge of the Prince of Wales printed in an ornate gold ink. Here they are. We swoon.
In terms of how lovely the invitations are, both Harry and Meghan as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton (who wed in 2011)’s invitations are pretty similar. But there are actually quite a few differences between the two, and of course the internet is talking about it. Here’s a photo of the latter’s invitations:
Here are just a few of how the couple’s invitations differ from each other:
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Request vs. command
On William and Kate’s wedding invitation, guests were “commanded” by Queen Elizabeth to attend their wedding. Harry and Meghan’s invite uses the word “request”—and not from the Queen, but from Prince Charles (Harry’s father). This is because the Queen isn’t hosting the entire wedding—she’s just in charge of a wedding luncheon for 600 people.
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Miss vs. Ms.
When it came to William and Kate’s invitations, Kate was addressed as “Miss Catherine Middleton.” However, on Meghan and Harry’s invites, “Ms.” precedes Meghan’s name. At first we didn’t think much of this variance, but this small wording is actually an indication that Meghan has been married before (her ex-husband is Trevor Engelson, who she was married to between 2011 and 2013).
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Mail vs. e-mail RSVPs
Whether it’s because Harry and Meghan and just cooler, hipper royals, or because times have changed since William and Kate were wed, Meghan and Harry’s invites ask guests to RSVP via sending an email to ceremonial@royal.gsx.gov.uk, whereas William and Kate went the more traditional route asking guests to mail their RSVP to Lord Chamberlain. (Side note: Would it be wrong to send that email address a confirmation of our attendance? Don’t answer that.).
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Women’s attire not mentioned vs. mentioned
While both couples addressed a men’s dress code (uniform, morning coat, or lounge suit), Harry and Meghan’s invites also include what they’d like women to wear, while William and Kate’s didn’t. The former ask that their female guests dress in a day dress with a hat (which is essentially what female guests wore to Wiliam and Kate’s wedding anyway).
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Casual vs. elaborate cursive
The font of the invites differ in that Meghan and Harry chose a more ornate script than William and Kate’s more scaled-back cursive. Both are equally gorgeous, though!
We can’t wait to see how Harry and Meghan’s wedding will differ from William and Kate’s as well. What do you think their wedding will be like based on these invitations?