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If you watched the royal wedding and wiped a tear away wishing you could have had the same day on a smaller budget but on home turf, you’re in luck!
Following Harry and Meghan’s big day, we visited some of Sydney’s top wedding businesses to find out how to recreate your own royal wedding right here in Australia.
From the dress designer who has created wedding gowns for Tongan and Bavarian royalty to the cake maker extraordinaire who has baked for celebrities including Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Elton John, we have you covered so that your wedding will be fit for a duchess.
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The dress- Rhonda Hemmingway Couture
Designer Rhonda Hemmingway with her replica of Meghan’s Givenchy gown.
Sydney wedding gown designer, Rhonda Hemmingway is no stranger to royal weddings. Princess Sinaitakala Fakafanua of Tonga’s wedding dress was designed by Rhonda herself as was Bavarian Countess Kate Stahl’s. So this is the lady to visit if you want the royal treatment!
At every wedding, especially a royal one, all eyes have to be on the bride. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wore a Givenchy gown designed by British designer Claire Waight Keller, and Rhonda while she said it could have been fitted a little better, she loved the classic, simple design that reflected the young, fresh bride.
“I thought she looked magnificent, not too much make-up, hair very natural. She didn’t need to have all that razzmatazz. I actually thought she’d have something a lot more because of her engagement dress,” says Rhonda.
Rhonda’s replica dress took three days to construct and also includes a five metre train made from French Chantilly lace that was hand sewn around the edges. And for any brides-to-be who want to look like royalty on their big day, Rhonda recommends going simple.
“I’d put them in something plain but with a magnificent fabric and with a design that suits the bride.”
The cake- Sweet Art
Anthea Leonard of Sweet Art made a replica of Harry and Meghan’s lemon and elderflower cake.
Harry and Meghan strayed from tradition with their wedding cake, opting for a lemon and elderflower cake over the traditional English fruit cake. And Anthea Leonard took on the challenge of recreating this revolutionary wedding cake with her team from Sweet Art, based in Paddington, Sydney.
“Everyone keeps calling it a sponge, but it’s actually a butter cake which is a bit heavier than a sponge. It’s got buttercream, meringue, flour, lemons and lemon rind in it and it’s incredible. I must say I have licked my finger once or twice,” says Anthea.
And while it looks stunning, the recipe is actually quite and a simple one and it was released by The Royal Family in the lead up to Harry and Meghan’s wedding.
“To be honest, anybody can make that cake and that’s what I think was fabulous about it,” says Anthea.
But one tip from the expert is to choose elderflower syrup over cordial.
“It’s double the price at 12-15 dollars a bottle but it’s sweet, sour and divine,” Anthea says.
The tiara- Viktoria Novak
No royal wedding is complete without a regal tiara. And if you can’t get hold of the Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau like Meghan did, there is another option.
Designer Viktoria Novak spent over 45 hours working on the Lucila Royal Jewell tiara by hand. This one features rhodium plated filigree features with Swarovski crystals hand sewn onto a beautiful silver vintage appliqué and she is the lady to talk to if you want your own custom royal headpiece. In fact, Viktoria has been snowed under with requests including wannabe brides who aren’t even engaged yet!
Viktoria says, “When people see a royal wedding, it’s timeless and it inspires them and it just reminds them that a wedding is so special. In Australia I feel like a lot of people get scared and they think they’re going to be judged, but seeing the royal wedding has just put everything back into perspective and they’ve gone, ‘You know what, if I’m going to do a crown or tiara, this is the day to do it.'”
The bling- Affinity Diamonds
They do say diamonds are a girl’s best friend after all!
Meghan’s engagement ring featured one large diamond and two smaller ones either side. It also had a lot of sentimental value attached to it as two of the diamonds came from Princess Diana’s personal collection whilst the other one hails from Botswana, a country Harry and Meghan visited as their romance bloomed.
Sydney-based Affinity Diamonds are a family run business who specialise in creating that perfect engagement or wedding ring. Surely Harry would’ve popped by here if they’d been living in Australia.
And there you have it! Now all you have to do is invite the cast of Suits, some royal dignitaries and you’ve got yourself a party!
