The Royal Wedding Invitations Are Here!

With the royal wedding less than a month away, more and more details are being revealed by the day. We've had the date (May 19) marked on our calendar for a while now, but a wedding never feels completely *official* until you receive the formal invitation. Well, get ready to book your flight to England, because the invitations have been unveiled through the Kensington Palace social media accounts. Drumroll, please... 

 

Invitations to the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle, which will take place at Windsor Castle on May 19, have been issued in the name of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Guests have been invited to the service at St George's Chapel and to the lunchtime reception at St George's Hall, which is being given by Her Majesty The Queen. The invitations follow many years of Royal tradition and have been made by @barnard_and_westwood. They feature the Three-Feathered Badge of the Prince of Wales printed in gold ink. 

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 22, 2018 at 10:46am PDT

Crafted by Barnard and Westwood, the timeless invitations were printed on a machine from the 1930's using American ink on an English card, and feature the three-feathered badge of the Prince of Wales in gold ink at the top. Kensington Palace has also revealed that 600 guests have been invited to the ceremony and luncheon which will be hosted by the Queen at St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. The fairy tale nuptials don't end there, later that night, Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles, will host the happy couple and 200 of their nearest and dearest for a more intimate soirée at Frogmore House (where the couple took their stunning engagement photos). Fingers crossed that Meghan will give us more fashion to ogle over and step out in a bold second wedding gown.

While we still speculate over who and what Meghan will be wearing (see our top gown predictions), we do know what the royal wedding cake will look like. The couple chose pastry chef, Claire Ptak, of Violet Bakery Cafe in East London to make them a lemon elderflower cake. The confection will be covered in buttercream and fresh flowers to "incorporate the bright flavors of spring." 

Here are some of the drool-worthy designs from Claire's Instagram account: 

 

Need an escape at the last minute. Anyone have a recommendation that is close-ish by train? Or a place you have that I could rent directly through you? For Friday and Saturday this weekend? Or one of those days? #itchyfeet

A post shared by Violet By Claire Ptak (@violetcakeslondon) on Feb 22, 2018 at 1:20am PST

 

Chocolate Devil’s food cake with vanilla bean buttercream. I wish you could smell this rose xx

A post shared by Violet By Claire Ptak (@violetcakeslondon) on Mar 21, 2018 at 10:33pm PDT

 

A joint effort by my whole team to organise, bake, fill, ice, deliver, assemble and decorate. This one was for the sister of my wonderful @violetsessions podcast partner. Congratulations #violetweddingcakes

A post shared by Violet By Claire Ptak (@violetcakeslondon) on Feb 12, 2017 at 5:09am PST

We can't wait to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's dream wedding come to life on May 19! Stay tuned for further details as we find out more in the coming weeks. 

—Mary Gillen