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Meghan Markle's first date with Prince Harry came full circle in more ways than one.
Five years after the couple tied the knot in a lavish ceremony, the Duchess of Sussex's wedding dress designer revealed how they honored the tradition of the bride including "something blue," sharing that a small portion of the dress Meghan wore on the couple's first date made it down the aisle, too.
"We basically sewed it into the hem of the wedding dress, so she was the only one that knew that it was there," Clare Waight Keller told Vanity Fair in article published Aug. 25. "It was a little blue gingham check."
As Clare noted, "It was the perfect personal memento that was secretly hidden inside the dress."
And as for Meghan's classic, minimal Givenchy gown, Clare—who was the first female artistic director of Givenchy when she designed the look—explained that Meghan wanted to "bring some simplicity and just timeless elegance" to her ensemble.
photosPrince Harry and Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding Day Photos
"Not overly feminine, but not really minimal either," the designer told the outlet. "That effortless American style, where it just feels really fresh and personal. But it's not overwhelming. It's not specific to any particular decade."
DANNY LAWSON/AFP/Getty Images
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And though Meghan's dress is estimated to cost $265,000 and was crafted after nearly 4,000 hours of design for the veil alone, the dress wasn't the only piece of attire that held significant meaning, as her silk tulle veil was designed to represent all 53 countries of the Commonwealth.
"[She] felt like she was bringing an element of each of those countries down the aisle with her," Clare explained of the royal—who, along with the Duke of Sussex—took a step back from their duties in 2020. "So that her new role—and that bridge to the new role—was captured in what she was wearing. For both of us, we felt it was a really beautiful signature, and I think even Prince Harry was just thrilled at the idea that we really tried to capture something for everyone in that service."
Meghan—who shares kids Archie Harrison, 4, and Lilibet Diana, 2, with Harry—also praised Clare for executing her "very clear vision" of her dream dress.
"What was amazing in working with Clare is that sometimes you'll find designers try to push you in a different direction," she said in a 2018 recording for the Windsor Castle exhibition featuring the royal wedding. "But she just completely respected what I wanted to see for the day, and she wanted to bring that to life for me."
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