Meghan Markle got her fairytale ending when she walked up the aisle to marry Prince Harry - and she made history all at the same time.
Harry and Meghan tied the knot on 19 May 2018 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. They had been set up on a blind date by a mutual friend in July 2016 - and announced their engagement in November the following year.
In many ways, the ceremony upheld most royal wedding traditions. But there was one unconventional moment. Thomas Markle, Meghan's biological father, was not there to walk Meghan down the aisle. Instead, the then-Prince Charles stepped in to give the bride away during the ceremony.
Shortly before the wedding took place, Kensington Palace confirmed: "Ms. Markle has asked His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St. George's Chapel on her Wedding Day. The Prince of Wales is Pleased to Be Able to Welcome Ms. Markle to The Royal Family in this way."
Given her father's absence, Meghan made the decision to walk herself halfway down the aisle before she was met by Charles, who accompanied her the reminder of the way, from the Quire of St. George's Chapel. It was the first time any royal bride had walked down the aisle of her wedding on her own.
Meghan later revealed that she had a surprise in store for her groom when he first laid eyes on her at the altar. For the big day, Meghan chose a chic dress by British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller, artistic director of the fashion house Givenchy.
The two women worked closely together to design the dress , which showed a "timeless minimal elegance", according to a Kensington Palace announcement at the time. It was made of silk with three-quarter-length sleeves, an open boat neckline and had a train with built-in triple silk organza underskirt. It was without lace or any other embellishments.
The veil, meanwhile, was five metres long and took longer to make than the dress itself. And that's likely because Meghan had a very special request to make as a surprise to her new husband.
Meghan's veil was delicately embroidered with the national flowers of each of the 53 Commonwealth countries. She later revealed to the ITV documentary Queen Of The World that it had been a total surprise to her groom, saying: "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."
After the wedding, Meghan made another surprising revelation about her big day. At the time, she was viewing her dress at a special exhibition put on at Windsor Castle. She said: "Somewhere in here, there's a piece of - did you see it? The piece of blue fabric that's stitched inside? It's my something blue. It's fabric from the dress I wore on our first date."
It was a touching nod to an age-old tradition - although her admission did seem to put her recollection of their first date at odds with her husband Harry .
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