Vogue editor’s guide to the perfect wedding guest
Ex-vogue editor and personal stylist Ginnie Chadwyck-healey shares royal wedding protocol as she recalls attending the last one
To my great surprise, after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding, I found myself included in the fashion reviews, as one of the “best-dressed wedding guests”. Not bad for someone whose day certainly hadn’t begun well on April 29 2011. Early that morning, we discovered our boiler had packed up. As I took a freezing shower, my lips turning blue, I bellowed to my boyfriend, now long-suffering husband, “I bet Kate isn’t having a sodding cold shower at The Goring!” Suffice to say, we were the only couple at the royal wedding who had to race back for our British Gas slot upon leaving Westminster Abbey. It was all very Richard Curtis.
Cold showers aside, the one thing that did put a spring in my step was the thrill of putting on my new outfit. Being a Vogue staffer, this wedding was always going to be a fashion conundrum. Royal protocol had to come first, of course, but I wanted to feel like I had an identity amid the sea of celebrities, friends, military personnel, foreign members of state and, of course, the Royal family. Seven years on, I can honestly say I still love, and wear, my outfit, and that surely means it ticked the right boxes.
For this, I have Emilia Wickstead to thank. Emilia and I set our sights on the ultimate double-act: a highwaisted watermelon pink skirt and a bubblegum pink trapeze-sleeve silk top. It was fun, it was bold, but it was also elegant. I wore the trademark LK Bennett patent nudes (because sometimes there just isn’t any other shoe that works for an occasion like this). To my mother’s horror, I didn’t wear tights, but instead followed my now tried-and-tested formula of Bobbi Brown foundation mixed with Benefit High Beam to make skin near-perfect. And then, of course, there was the hat. I have only ever been to one place, Joan Pressley Hats in Devizes. (I’ve even sent one of my clients there this week for a last-minute search ahead of Saturday.) It’s so much more than a hat hire service. Joan and her daughter, Kathryn, can pull any outfit together with handworked touches that feel bespoke to your style, look and age. It’s a hidden treasure trove of millinery genius in the heart of Wiltshire.
On the approach to Westminster Abbey, I remember feeling deeply nervous as we reached the security drop-off point. The police presence, the sheer numbers of people gathered to watch – many still in their sleeping bags – all there to see our university friends with whom we had enjoyed fancy dress parties or one too many cocktails on a “Booze-day Tuesday” at St Andrews, tie the knot. It was surreal.
Once inside, we admired the trees (oh, the trees), the choir, we spotted Elton John, David Beckham, Mario Testino, Princess Beatrice, Princess Beatrice’s hat… Occasionally you could hear the “whoop” of the crowds outside signalling that a member of the wedding party had arrived. When Will and Harry strode down the aisle, cheeky grins hiding any nerves or hangover, the countdown to the big arrival had begun, the ultimate goose-bump moment. Catherine simply glided along the red carpet of the Abbey, and I thought to myself: “Good for you, girl, you did it!” Her serene exterior was elegant, poised and totally endearing. Of course it was a hugely public affair, but in that moment everyone was willing her on, as you do any friend, so that she reached her future husband without a trip or a wobble.
The atmosphere this Saturday will be second to none. Many of the guests will be Hollywood A-list and used to walking all manner of red carpets. But this one is different. There is no room for latecomers, no selfies at the entrance to St George’s Chapel. As a guest, you have to be seated at least an hour before the bride’s arrival. I can remember queuing behind a very pregnant Victoria Beckham, waiting for the bathroom in Westminster Abbey and wondering if I was meant to make small talk with her. The Beckhams, the Clooneys, Serena Williams, Gabriel Macht – they are seasoned pros, of course, but a royal wedding instantly brings everyone down a peg or two.
Meghan and Harry’s wedding will set the bar high in the fashion stakes. (My money’s on Erdem regarding the dress.) I have it on good authority that Gucci will be worn by a number of guests. Mayfair-based jewellery designer Jessica Mccormack will be bejewelling a lucky few who have met with her personally to discuss their looks. This wedding is a “frocks and rocks” kind of event and diamonds really are a girl’s best friend. Expect to see the usual players, Alexander Mcqueen, Temperley London and Catherine Walker, also out in force.
But for those still searching for an outfit to this, or indeed any, wedding, two golden rules reign supreme: one, only buy a piece if you can picture yourself wearing it on three very different occasions. And two, make sure that after the “big reveal” you promise you will love said purchase and not simply balk at the price you paid. In other words, buy something you will adore just as much on May 20 as you will on May 19. The life-cycle of a dress should start with a wedding (and it doesn’t get much bigger than a royal wedding) and, years from now, be worn on the beaches of a family holiday with Ancient Greek sandals or Hampton canvas plimsolls.
A few final pointers for any guests on Saturday: remember, you are not the bride. No white, no overpowering red, no bare shoulders, no miniskirts, absolutely wear a hat, maybe even gloves and, if you meet the Queen, address her as “Mam” (like “ham”)… But, above all, be sure to get your boiler serviced before the big day.