Happy anniversary, Duchess Meghan! 10 surprising facts about her incredible royal wedding dress

The stunning dress that the Duchess of Sussex chose to wear when she walked down the aisle to marry Prince Harry was surely the most talked-about items of clothing of 2018. The rumour mill went into overdrive in the weeks leading up to the wedding, with couture house Ralph & Russo hotly tipped to have won the much-coveted gig, and designers including Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham also touted as possible contenders. But when the royal bride finally stood on the steps of St George's Chapel in Windsor, it was revealed that the timeless gown was the handiwork of Clare Waight Keller, artistic director of Parisian fashion house Givenchy.

What a moment it was, eh? Since the happy couple celebrate their first wedding anniversary on 19 May, there's no better excuse to look back on Meghan's beautiful wedding gown - here's ten amazing fashion facts you might have missed on the big day...

1. Meghan's stunning veil was embroidered with the national flowers of each of the 53 commonwealth countries

She was later filmed reuniting with her dress in the ITV documentary Queen Of The World – revealing that it had been a total surprise to her groom! Touching the beautiful veil, she said: "It was important for me, especially now being part of the royal family, to have all 53 of the commonwealth countries incorporated. And I knew it would be a fun surprise for my now husband - he didn't know! He was really over the moon to find that I would make this choice for our day together, and I think the other members of the family had a similar reaction."

Meghan's beautiful veil

2. Crops of wheat were also blended with the floral details

The statement from Givenchy read: "Symmetrically placed at the very front of the veil, crops of wheat are delicately embroidered and blend into the flora, to symbolise love and charity."

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3. The veil was also decorated with the California poppy and a wintersweet, also known as a Japanese allspice

This represented both Meghan's place of birth, and the flower that grew in Harry and Meghan's private garden at their previous home in Kensington Palace.

Meghan and Harry married at St George's Chapel in Windsor

4. Hundreds of hours (3,900 in fact!) were spent sewing the flowers on the veil

The fashion house stated: "Each flower was worked flat, in three dimensions to create a unique and delicate design. The workers spent hundreds of hours meticulously sewing and washing their hands every thirty minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine."

5. The stunning veil was 16 feet long

Or five metres! It was sweetly carried by page boys Brian Mulroney and John Mulroney, the sons of Meghan's best friend and stylist Jessica Mulroney.

Designer Clare Waight Keller shows off sketches of the gown

6. Meghan only had a few meetings with Clare Waight Keller about the iconic dress

She revealed she had always wanted a classic look during Queen Of The World, saying: "We had two or three meetings talking about sketches and different ideas of how this could really come to life. We knew we wanted it to be very delicate, but then after that point, I just said I trust her implicitly with what she did."

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7. She chose to work with Keller after meeting her in early 2018

It's thought that Meghan wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent who has served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses – Pringle of Scotland, Chloe and now Givenchy. Clare said of their relationship: "It has been an immensely rewarding experience to get to know Meghan on a personal level, one I will forever carry with me. The House of Givenchy joins me in wishing her and Prince Harry every wish of happiness in their future."

With the adorable bridesmaids and pageboys!

8. A piece of material from the dress Meghan wore on her first date with Harry was also sewn into the dress

How adorable is that? Meghan told the ITV documentary it was her "something blue". She added: "It's fabric from the dress that I wore on our first date."

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9. It's believed Meghan's wedding dress cost around £100,000

And she paid for it herself, just like Duchess Kate did in 2011.

The couple shared a moment after arriving in church

10. The bride didn't see her finished dress until the big day!

That's right, Meghan didn't know exactly what her gown looked like until her royal wedding day. "I didn’t see it really until the morning of, so this is my first time seeing the veil like this," she said, while viewing her dress in its exhibition display at Windsor Castle.

WATCH the best moments from Meghan and Harry's royal wedding below...