For the millions who tuned in to watch Prince Harry marry Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle,
it was the chance to witness a real-life fairy tale as it was told.
The charming prince defied expectations by wedding the American actress and divorcee,
so it's probably not too surprising that some of the most memorable moments of the telecast
were completely unscripted.
From a few swoon-worthy gestures to some gutting emotional tributes, here are the royal wedding
moments no one will forget.
Battle of the exes
Prince Harry's decision to invite ex-girlfriends Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy to his wedding
might seem odd to some, but it's actually in keeping with recent royal tradition.
After all, several of Prince William's former flames attended his nuptials with Kate Middleton,
and it's quite common for princes to stay in the good graces of their exes.
Of course, what's not expected is for one of them to go viral for their on-camera reaction
to the big day.
While Bonas seemed in good spirits, Davy looked much less chipper once she was inside the
ceremony.
Though she split from her prince years ago because she wanted no part in the media scrutiny,
her wide-eyed expression and undeniable frown during the ceremony certainly said a lot.
To make matters worse, neither she nor Bonas was invited to the reception, so she couldn't
drown her sorrows in the royal spirits stash either.
Ouch.
The solo act
Meghan Markle has always been one to shake up tradition, especially in the name of feminism.
So, instead of being accompanied by her father, the duchess opted to walk herself down the
aisle — at least for part of the way.
Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, bailed on the royal wedding at the last minute after
he was caught staging paparazzi photos — which is a major no-no for the royal family.
Later, it was confirmed that Thomas was undergoing heart surgery.
Though some speculated that the former actress would enlist her mom for the send-off, she
decided to walk most of the way alone instead.
Her father was going to escort her from the Quire, where main royal guests like the queen
are seated, but in his absence, Meghan asked her new father-in-law, Prince Charles, to
step in and accompany her.
Unlike a traditional ceremony, Charles was instructed to stop before the altar and let
Meghan greet Harry alone because she wanted to give herself away.
With this small action, the Duchess of Sussex became the first bride in U.K. royal history
to walk unescorted down the aisle.
The scene-stealers
When it comes to weddings, kids tend to steal the show in small, but unforgettable ways.
In the case of Harry and Meghan's ceremony, it was Princess Charlotte who started things
off on an adorable note by greeting her adoring audiences by sticking out her tongue at them
and offering up some very spirited waves to the crowd.
Soon after, Markle's page boys, the twin sons of her best friend Jessica Mulroney, also
stole many hearts after one couldn't contain his glee upon arrival to the chapel and showed
off a toothy grin that was so bright it even stole away some attention from the incoming
bride.
Although they were all mostly well-behaved, children are still pretty unpredictable, and
these tots seemed to have some unexpected moments of fun during the regal festivities.
Yas Queen
Queen Elizabeth II is certainly known for her vibrant outfits, but she may have topped
even herself with her choice for the royal wedding.
Her royal highness donned head-to-toe lime-green from her silk tweed coat to her matching Angela
Kelly hat and accented it with touches of bright purple.
Sure, it's a seasonally appropriate get-up, and she's been known to wear bright green
before, but the queen's statement-making outfit may have a deeper meaning than most.
Green is said to symbolize growth and rebirth, which means the long-reigning monarch may
have been signaling the crown's readiness to embrace the future.
The queen also had a prime spot to witness her grandson's nuptials because no one sat
in front of her.
Contrary to popular belief, the empty seat wasn't reserved for Harry's late mum Princess
Diana; it was actually just left empty because the queen must never be blocked by someone's
head.
After all, she is a literal queen.
But there were some tributes to the People's Princess hidden throughout the day as well.
Honoring the fallen
Meghan's bridal bouquet was a tasteful mix of elegant white flowers, but it was also
created with Princess Diana in mind.
According to a statement released by Kensington Palace, Meghan opted to include Forget-Me-Nots,
which were Princess Diana's favorite flowers.
If that wasn't enough to make all of us reach for a Kleenex, Prince Harry actually hand
picked several of the flowers from their private garden at Kensington Palace.
The bouquet also included sweet peas, lily of the valley, jasmine, and myrtle.
The myrtle is a long-standing tradition that started with Queen Victoria.
The sprigs included in Meghan's bouquet came from two places: a garden planted by Queen
Victoria and plants grown from the queen's 1947 wedding bouquet.
It doesn't get sweeter than that … until you consider what Meghan and Harry did with
the flowers after they tied the knot.
The couple donated their wedding flowers to patients at St. Joseph's Hospice in London
and placed Markle's bouquet on the grave of the unknown warrior at Westminster Abbey.
That lip bite
The moment when a bride and groom first greet each other at the altar is always special,
but Prince Harry's reaction might've topped them all.
For starters, Harry completely ditched the British tradition of not looking at the bride
as she walks down the aisle, because he simply couldn't resist.
Then, he mouthed the heart-melting line: "you look amazing", making everyone swoon.
Coupling that with his nervous lip bite, and the whole world was pretty much reduced to
tears by the genuine impromptu gesture.
According to lip-reading experts, Harry asked Meghan, "Are you OK?" before complimenting
her looks and mouthing, "I love you."
His demeanor was so touching that it became an instant conversation piece and set the
bar for all future royal weddings to be just as romantic and warm as theirs.
A fiery sermon
Meghan and Harry's wedding sermon was anything but traditional -- at least for the Church
of England.
The couple hand-picked Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the first black leader of the Episcopal
Church in the United States, to deliver the inspiring, 14-minute speech,
Many hailed Bishop Curry's sermon as a triumph for its authenticity, but it was also pretty
clear from their expressions that the Royal family just didn't get it.
The Church of England isn't known for its outpouring of emotion, especially on occasions
such as the royal wedding, but that didn't stop Curry from livening things up.
Some of the royal reactions were pretty priceless, like Zara Tindall's gaping jaw, Elton John's
stern expression, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie's snickers, and Kate Middleton giving Camilla
some major side eye and a smirk.
Whether the royals were ready for it or not, though, Curry definitely delivered a homily
that wedding watchers will remember for years.
"Episcopalians aren't known for being loud and raucous in church, but I've learned to
be able to hear an amen by looking in their eyes."
Token of remembrance
It wasn't just the floral arrangements that paid tribute to the late Princess of Wales.
After the ceremony, Meghan wowed royal wedding-watchers with a second dress.
This time, she ditched the tiara and changed into a silk halter-neck dress by Stella McCartney
that had an old Hollywood vibe and made for the perfect party gown.
Before speeding away from the castle to their 200-guest afterparty at the Frogmore House,
the duchess waved at onlookers and flashed an emerald-cut aquamarine ring that used to
belong to Princess Diana, who infamously wore it to several high-profile events in her final
years.
This piece of jewelry was a rather thoughtful wedding gift from Harry and assured the world
that the memory of his mother accompanied the couple throughout every step of their
nuptials.
Owning the moment
Many may have wondered whether Meghan might ever publicly acknowledge that she was living
in a real-life fairy tale during or after her big day.
Between the dress, the horse-drawn carriage, and her handsome prince, her wedding put pretty
much every sappy Disney classic to shame, especially when you think back on those photos
of a 15-year-old Meghan posing outside of Buckingham Palace while on vacation.
After the "I do's," Meghan finally did admit to living a dream come true, telling party
guests at her reception:
"I have found my prince."
Being the modern monarch that she now is, though, the statement itself was still a total
break from tradition, considering brides don't usually pick up the microphone in these situations.
Harry's speech was equally as adorable, and he told his bride:
"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
We've yet to see if the two will live happily ever after, but considering how storybook
this romance has been so far, they're well on their way to a happy ending.
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