That’s it! It’s officially official:
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are getting married.
We know, you figured this was official back when Harry proposed to Markle and, in nearly every way, you were correct in this assumption.
But proposals can always be taken back; answers can always be changed.
The real official way to know whether a couple plans on getting married or not takes place when the invitations go in the mail. There’s just no turning back at that point.
So, with that in mind, Kensington Palace was excited to make an announcement on Thursday morning:
The invitations are in the mail!
“Invitations to the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have been issued in the name of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales,” the Palace Tweeted today, adding:
“Guests have been invited to the service at St George’s Chapel and to the lunchtime reception at St George’s Hall, which is being given by Her Majesty The Queen.”
So there we have it.
We’ve known for several weeks, of course, that Markle and Harry were getting married on May 19.
The date has been circled on our calendar and multiple alarms have already been set to ensure we don’t sleep through the ceremony.
But we now know the invitations were produced by Barnard & Westwood, a London-based printing company that has held a royal warrant for printing by appointment for the Queen since 1985 and Prince Charles since 2012.
We also know the invitations are stamped in gold and that they feature Charles’ Three Feather Badge.
Moreover, the guests’ names have added with a calligraphy printer.
How do we know all of this?
Because the Palace has also unveiled photos of the invites! EEEK!!!!!!!
Clearly aware of the excitement and curiosity surrounding these nuptials, Kensington Palace also let folks in on how invitations were made, posting details and even a short video about the process on Twitter.
“Lottie Small, who recently completed her apprenticeship, printed all of the invitations in a process known as die stamping, on a machine from the 1930s that she affectionately nicknamed Maude,” reads the official Royal social media account.
The Palace notes that “using American ink on English card, the invitations are printed in gold and black, then burnished to bring out the shine, and gilded around the edge.”
Fascinating, right?
Almost as fascinating as the possibility that Markle may already be pregnant!
The Prince and the former Suits star confirmed their engagement in November.
Since then, they have been making trips around the United Kington to meet local people and help acquaint Meghan with the causes and interests Harry supports.
The stars bonded at the outset of their romance over shared charitable interests and endeavors.
This invitation insight, meanwhile, arrives two days after the Palace announced that the couple asked Violet Bakery owner Claire Ptak of London to create a lemon elderflower cake for their reception.
“I can’t tell you how delighted I am to be chosen to make Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding cake,” the pastry chef said in a statement, concluding:
“Knowing that they really share the same values as I do about food provenance, sustainability, seasonality and most importantly flavor, makes this the most exciting event to be a part of.”
No word yet on who Harry will choose as his Best Man.
But our money is on Zayn Malik.
