Fancy Hats Are Still The Rage At Royal Weddings * Age of Grace

In America, we have the Kentucky Derby, a horse race the first Saturday in May. The annual tradition calls for women to wear lavish and elaborate hats. When it comes to headwear, the bigger and bolder, the better. Now, I didn’t get to go to the Kentucky Derby and watching Meghan Markle marry Prince Harry made me want to get out the fascinator that I never wore. Did you view the royal wedding? Everyone wore such fancy hats.

It’s a British royal wedding tradition to wear hats or fascinators. Meghan and Harry’s wedding was star-studded, and their high profile guests wore over-the-top millinery at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. When church and religion come into play, sometimes we have rules to follow. Unlike last’s week’s post of the Met Gala Red Carpet interpretations of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Church.

It’s impressive in this day and age to see decorum in practice. A few rules of etiquette for attendance at the royal wedding:

♥ Formal Attire
♥ No white for female guests
♥ Hemlines Conservative
♥ Closed-Toe Shoes
♥ Shoulders Covered
♥ No Super High Heels
♥ No Bare Legs
♥ Cover Your Head
♥ Proper Attire for Men as Well
♥ No Social Media

My royally inspired ASOS Fascinator Hat type as outfit of the day; Moda Operandi Verandah Stripe Wide-Leg Pants — Fancy Hats Are Still The Rage AT Royal Weddings. Wearing: ASOS Polka Dot Mesh Fascinator Headband, Kay Unger Cropped Velvet Jacket with a satin bow, Spanx Sheer Fashion Flocked Dot Bodysuit and Moda Operandi Verandah Wide-Leg Stripe Pants

While Paris gets all the attention internationally, it seems like British women’s claim to fame is their spectacular hat toppers.

So, what exactly is a fascinator? A fascinator hat is a small ornamental headpiece that fits on the head using an Alice-band-type base or headband or even a tiny comb. It is always lightweight and usually features feathers, beads or flowers. The use of the term fascinator began in the 1990s when such headpieces became famous for wearing at weddings without ruining your hairstyle or give you a helmet head.

Great Fascinator Moments:

Female Guests at The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Wedding:

One of the first guests to arrive at the Windsor Castle chapel, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey donning her custom Phillip Treacy pink hat and long-sleeved, pink Stella McCartney dress. I saw great monochromatic looks from Amal Clooney in yellow, Victoria Beckham in navy and Priyanka Chopra in lavender, as well as her Phillip Treacy hat.

My favorite royal wedding look was Meghan’s former Suits co-star actress Gina Torres. Torres stood out in bright orange print from Greek fashion house Costarellos, a white fedora, with a matching nude clutch and heels.

Meghan and Doria riding in Rolls Royce — Meghan Markel and her Mom, Doria Ragland riding to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in a burgundy Rolls Royce.

Doria Ragland wearing mint Oscar del a Renta — Doria Ragland, Meghan Markel’s Mom, leaving the Rolls Royce before Meghan enters into St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Image credit: Getty

Meghan Markel and Prince Harry at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel. — The royal wedding of Rachel Meghan Markel and Prince Harry on Saturday, May 19, 2018. Meghan is wearing Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy gown. Her tiara, borrowed from Queen Elizabeth is Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara. Side note: I love seeing the bride’s mother, Doria’s image in this photo. Getty Image

I got up on Saturday, May 19 at 5 a.m. (with the rest of the world, it seems) to see the first American biracial woman to become a princess. The moments that stood out to me include Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir, singing “Stand By Me.” I also loved the sermon address by the Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry of Chicago and the 19-year-old cello player. Finally, the rendition of the Etta James song “This Little Light of Mine“ as the newlyweds exited the chapel was beautiful.