All the Details on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Wedding Reception and After-Party

By Alexandra Macon

Are you suffering from post-royal wedding blues? Well, cheer up, because we still have a lot of information from the big day to get through. While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, a.k.a. the newly declared Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were kind enough to share their wedding ceremony with the entire world, their much more exclusive reception and after-party were kept tightly under wraps. Thankfully, as the weekend came to a close, details from their two post-ceremony events started trickling out. Below, we roundup the most interesting tidbits from the wedding of the year.

1.  The cake!
We knew Harry and Meghan were bucking tradition after they passed on serving a traditional fruit cake at their wedding—I mean, can you blame them?—but now we finally have a glimpse of their lemon eldelflower cake, courtesy of the pastry chef who created it, Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes London.

 

 

2. The speeches!
According to the Telegraph, Prince Harry gave an “off-the-cuff” speech during the afternoon reception thanking friends for their support, and praising his new wife for “navigating everything with such grace” in the weeks leading up to the wedding, which as we know, included some serious family drama. He later said they made “such a great team” and finished by saying to her, “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Then Prince Charles reportedly jumped in by welcoming Meghan into the family and later talked a bit about Harry’s childhood, which apparently had some people reaching for the Kleenex. Prince William, on the other hand, delivered a funny best man speech at the evening reception with Harry’s best friend, Charlie van Straubenzee, which reportedly included references to Harry’s growing bald spot and their late mother, Princess Diana. Finally, the bride herself is said to have broken long-standing protocol and delivered a speech of her own (which we fully endorse!), where she thanked the royal family for welcoming her in, and her loved ones for their support during these “emotionally difficult few weeks.”

3. The after-party outfit changes!
While Meghan changed into a fabulous halter neck Stella McCartney design, and Harry wore a tux that made him look like 007, the newylweds weren’t the only ones who made a wardrobe change before heading off to Frogmore House for their after-party. Serena Williams changed into a Valentino dress (and sneakers.) Priyanka Chopra chose a sparkly Dior look to dance the night away, and Meghan’s BFF Jessica Mulroney wore a gold beaded gown by Naeem Khan.

 

 

 

 

 

Magical weekend with a handsome fella

A post shared by Jess Mulroney (@jessicamulroney) on

 

4. The entertainment!
According to insiders, royal family friend Elton John performed a medley of songs including “Tiny Dancer,” “Your Song,” and “Circle of Life” at the afternoon reception. Later that night, James Corden became an unofficial MC at the evening bash, where actor Idris Elba even took over DJ duty at one point, too.

5. Their unexpected first song.
While most couples prefer to go with a slow song for their first dance as husband and wife, Harry and Meghan reportedly chose the more upbeat 80s pop song, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston. If only we could’ve seen Harry twirl around to that.

6. The fireworks!
Hello magazine reporter Emily Nash managed to catch the fireworks display over Frogmore House late on Saturday night and shared it on Instagram with a caption that is sure to make anyone emotional: “Just before they got together two years ago, I interviewed Harry in Orlando and he told me how excited he was to see the Disney fireworks every night, and it reminded him of going there as a child with his mum Princess Diana. I bet this was his special request for their wedding party!”