Happy Anniversary Harry and Meghan! A Look Back at Our Favorite Moments from their Royal Wedding

By Patricia Garcia

Has it really been a year? On Sunday, May 19, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will celebrate their very first wedding anniversary, alongside their newborn son, baby Archie Harrison. (You know what they say, time flies when you’re having fun. . . and a baby!) And what better way to commemorate the wedding of 2018—which we’re still not over, btw—than by reliving it all over again? Below, our favorite moments from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal wedding.

The celebrity guest list

 

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The Clooneys are in the house! 💛 #bestdressedguest #amalclooney #royalwedding

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George and Amal Clooney! The Beckhams! Serena Williams! Oprah! Has there ever been a more star-studded wedding guest list? Plus, everyone was dressed to the nines, including friends Priyanka Chopra, Janina Gavankar, and Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, who really knew how to make an entrance on their way to St. George’s Chapel.

The adorable page boys and flower girls

Harry and Meghan’s wedding party.

Instead of having a maid of honor, Meghan chose to let her the children of her best friends, stylist Jessica Mulroney and entrepreneur Benita Litt, have their moment in the spotlight. Also included in the bridal party were Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as Prince Harry’s goddaughters, Florence van Custom and Zalie Warren, and his godson Jasper Dyer. Just look at the smiles on their little faces.

When Prince Harry first saw his bride

Who can forget the instantly iconic moment when Harry first saw his bride, told her she looked amazing, and then couldn’t help but bite his bottom lip? Because we’re still having some serious fantasies about it!

Doria Ragland looking from the sidelines

In the week leading up to the wedding, Meghan had to deal with her own fair share of family drama. Her uninvited half-siblings were threatening to crash the wedding, while her father had been tied up in a paparazzi scandal and later suffered a heart incident, which prevented him from attending his daughter’s wedding. But throughout it all was Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, an unwavering pillar of support and grace. Not only did she look radiant in a pale green Oscar de la Renta dress on the day of the royal wedding, her loving gaze from the audience, as she watched her only daughter marry the Prince of England, was enough to make anyone tear up at home.

Meghan’s solo walk down the aisle

Speaking of which, Meghan’s family troubles meant that she couldn’t count on her father to walk her down the aisle. And so, true to her feminist ideals, Meghan instead chose to walk the first half of the aisle by herself, creating a powerful statement for the whole world to see. She later was escorted to her groom by her new father-in-law, Prince Charles, which was another touching moment.

Reverend Curry’s speech

As a nod to Meghan’s American and biracial background, the couple chose Reverend Michael Curry, the first black bishop of the Episcopal Church, to deliver a sermon during their wedding ceremony. His animated and passionate speech might have raised a few eyebrows amongst the stuffy British aristocracy in the pews, but for the rest of the world, his sermon was a breath of fresh air. As Michelle Ruiz wrote in a piece for OTM last year, “It’s not every royal wedding that an African-American bishop quotes Martin Luther King Jr., calls on the African-American spiritual. “There is a Balm in Gilead,” and references slavery in the antebellum South. . . It was an especially American moment when Rev. Curry passionately, emotionally, in plain, unstuffy English, extolled the power of love.”

The choir singing “Stand By Me”

Another highlight of the beautiful ceremony was the lovely, uplifting performance of the song, “Stand By Me” by the London gospel Kingdom Choir. Their performance was so universally well-received, the choir has since released a debut album and this year they kicked off a world tour with stops in the U.K., Australia, and the U.S.

The 007 moment

After their ceremony and breakfast reception at Windsor Castle, the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a quick outfit change and were photographed on their way to their after-party at Frogmore House, looking like something straight out of a James Bond movie. For the second part of their wedding, Meghan changed into a custom Stella McCartney dress and wore an aquamarine ring, a gift from her husband that once belonged to his mother, Princess Diana. Harry, meanwhile, looked dashing in his tuxedo and even more attractive after he and his bride jumped into a silver blue 1968 Jaguar E-Type, that was once called “the most beautiful car in the world.” Yeah, we totally agree.

The fireworks display at the end of their reception

What better way to end the wedding of the year than with a good old fashioned fireworks display? Luckily, the world got a glimpse of Harry and Meghan’s after-party celebration after they released their holiday card last year, showing the newlyweds arm in arm looking up at the fireworks in the sky at their wedding reception.

Cheers to this first year together and here’s to many more anniversaries!