• Speculations over who will design Meghan Markle's wedding dress began soon after her engagement to Prince Harry was announced.
• Israeli designer Inbal Dror has sketched three designs, which were leaked on Tuesday.
• This isn't the first time Dror has designed couture for elite clients.
• In 2016, Beyonce wore a bespoke dress designed by Dror to the Grammys.

The world has been hit with a serious case of Royal Wedding Fever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement at the end of November.

First, there was the endless speculation over where the couple would marry — which was later announced to be St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. 

Then it was the date, which was confirmed on Friday to be Saturday May 19, 2018.

Now, the public has moved on to guessing which label Markle will choose to design her wedding dress.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli fashion designer Inbal Dror — whose dresses are shown in the Instagram post below — was asked by palace officials to provide some sketches of potential wedding dress designs for Markle last week.

When approched by Business Insider, a spokesperson for Inbal Dror declined to comment on whether Dror had been approached by the palace.

Nevertheless, the spokesperson did say: "We have been responding to an initiative of the Bridal Council to present the sketches [for Markle]."

As of this morning, the dress designs have been leaked via celebrity news site TMZ. A spokesperson for Inbal Dror then sent the designs to Business Insider a few hours later. See them below:

The three designs from Dror, each annotated with the phrase "for Meghan Markle, with love," all feature tight bodices, high-neck collars, long sleeves, lace accents, and flowing skirts — which could be insights into the type of dress Markle is looking for.

British Fashion Council chairman Harold Tillman told the Daily Mail that he wouldn't be surprised if Markle and the royal family chose an international designer to craft the bride's gown — especially in light of the fact that Markle isn't British herself.

"We need to be embracing international business," said Tillman. "If we get ourselves into, 'She's marrying a British royal so she has to wear British' then we're isolating ourselves."

Dror's trademark styles tend to feature elegant fabrics, tight bodices, and plunging necklines. Her dresses typically tend to sell for between $8,000 and $10,000 (£6,000 and £7,500), although it's difficult to estimate how much a bespoke bridal gown for the royal wedding would cost.

This wouldn't be the first time that Dror has provided a bespoke dress for an A-Lister client. In 2016, Beyoncé wore a bespoke Inbal Dror gown — shown above — to the Grammy Awards.

The dress also featured long sleeves, white lace accents, a high collar, and flowing skirt — much like Dror's designs for Markle.

SEE ALSO: The most iconic image from 26 royal weddings throughout modern British history

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Brides on every continent know that it's all about the wedding dress.

In many countries, a bridal gown is a manifestation of the couple's heritage. The color, silhouette, and detail are designed in keeping with their customs and religious beliefs.

Of course, no two brides are alike, and traditions may vary by region.

Take a look at how wedding dresses are worn around the world.

SEE ALSO: Here's how wedding dresses have changed over 200 years — and why

Before a Turkish bride leaves her father's home for the wedding, a male relative ties a red maidenhood belt around her waist. The color signifies luck, sexuality, and happiness.

Sources: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Today's Zaman

At a wedding in Ribnovo, Bulgaria, the bride gets her face painted white and decorated with colorful sequins by her female in-laws. The custom dates back centuries.

Sources: Reuters and The Guardian

In a traditional wedding in Macedonia, the bride wears an intricately embroidered smock in red, white, and gold.

Source: PannaComp

• Meghan Markle's wedding dress remains a mystery, but plenty of rumors are swirling.
• Some rumors have included the possibility of Markle paying homage to Princess Diana with her wedding attire. 
• Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are getting married on May 19, 2018.

Meghan Markle's wedding dress remains a mystery.

Markle is expected to wear a traditional gown with a unique detail for the royal wedding on May 19.

Rumors around which designer she'll choose and how much money it will cost are swirling — including the rumor that it might include pieces of Princess Diana's 1981 wedding dress that was worn during her ceremony.

The list of potential designers for her wedding dress include Markle's friend and designer Roland Mouret — whose line of wedding dresses includes seemingly simple designs with structured lines. Israeli designer Inbal Dror has also been speculated. Dror's 2018 collection incorporates more lace, sheer fabric, and gems than Mouret's. Rumors of Burberry's Christopher Bailey designing the royal wedding dress have also been discussed.

Markle may very well wear two wedding dresses— changing into something slightly more casual after the ceremony. This move would echo Kate Middleton's dress change during her wedding in April 2011.

Rumors have also been flying that, like Markle's engagment ring— which includes two stones from Princess Diana's collection — Markle's dress or floral bouq might reference Princess Diana.

Below, take a look back at Princess Diana's wedding dress.  

SEE ALSO: Meghan Markle is taking fashion risks and dressing like no royal before her

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Princess Diana's wedding dress was designed by husband-and-wife team David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The gown had sequins, lace, and 10,000 pearls.

Source: Town and Country

The value of the Princess Diana's wedding dress was estimated at $115,000.

Designs of the dress were kept under wraps and only revealed on the day of the wedding.

A wedding dress is one of the most memorable garments a woman will ever wear. Above the invitations, the flowers, the cake, the gown stands out as a symbol of the bride's personality.

American actress Meghan Markle, who's engaged to Prince Harry, is rumored to have not one but two custom wedding dresses for her May 19 nuptials. The duchess-to-be is expected to wear something traditional for the wedding and a more glamorous number for the evening reception.

Over the years, American brides have worn every shape, fit, and color gown. These stunning vintage photos show how the Western wedding dress has evolved over the last 200 years.

SEE ALSO: 31 beautiful photos of traditional wedding dresses from around the world

American brides didn't always wear white. Through the 19th century, white cloth was impossible to clean by hand. Only the wealthy could afford such a high-maintenance garment.

Source: BBC

Instead, women wore what they considered their best dress.

Source: BBC

Red was a popular choice, as the color signifies luck, sexuality, and happiness. In some Asian countries, many brides continue to wear the color red on their wedding day.

• Ralph & Russo's wedding gowns have reportedly caught the eye of Meghan Markle, who is rumored to have chosen the designer for her wedding dress.
• Ralph & Russo also designed Markle's engagement dress, and their designs have been worn by various celebrities such as Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, and Lupita Nyong'o. 
• Meghan Markle's wedding gown is expected to cost roughly $135,584 (£100,000), according to sources who spoke to the Daily Mail.

Speculation is swirling on which wedding gown designer Meghan Markle will wear on her wedding day, along with how much it will ultimately cost, and who will pay for it.

In the running are designers Roland Mouret, Inbal Dror, and Burberry's Christopher Bailey. However, last weekend  the Daily Mail reported that Markle's wedding gown will be created by Ralph & Russo— the designer behind the gown she wore during her engagement photos with Prince Harry. 

Launched just 10 years ago in London, the Ralph & Russo line is run by Australian couple Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo. In the past 10 years the brand has grown internationally, and the designs have been worn by high-profile clients such as Beyonce, Princess Ameerah al-Taweel of Saudi Arabia, Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong'o, and Bella Hadid.

Below a look at stunning Ralph & Russo wedding gowns that might hint at what Markle's wedding gown could be.

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Worn by Camila Figueiredo Coelho, this Ralph & Russo wedding gown is a part of their summer 2018 line.

Model Shanina Shaik recently wore a Ralph & Russo wedding gown at her wedding.

This wedding gown is a part of the autumn and winter 2017/2018 Ralph & Russo couture collection.

Whether you're already married, planning a wedding, or have simply attended too many to count, you'll know that a wedding day comes with a mix of emotions, from stress to sadness to utter joy.

Weddings also differ depending on where in the world they're taking place.

In order to "promote and celebrate the art of wedding photography from around the globe," the International Wedding Photographer of the Year (IWP) Awards have released their list of the best wedding photos from 2017.

Professional wedding photographers from around the world entered their best snaps from real weddings days into one of 9 categories — Single Capture, From Above, Black & White, Epic Location, Solo Portrait, Dance Floor, Bridal Party, Album, and Couple Portrait.

Each image was scored by six judges. The scores were then averaged out to determine winners and runners-up within each category, as well as The International Wedding Photographer of the Year — who received $3,000 and a range of camera equipment — and Runner Up.

Scroll down to see a selection of the 26 most beautiful and intimate award-winning photos which show the reality behind weddings around the world.

SEE ALSO: 21 beautifully intimate, award-winning photos from weddings around the world

Grand Prize Winner & Category Winner, Solo Portrait: Erica Mann captured a bride with a double rainbow after a storm along the banks of Cougar Creek in Canmore, Alberta, Canada.

Runner Up & Category Winner, Single Capture: Photographer Paul Woo said he was 'secretly bawling behind the camera' as the son of the bride expressed his emotion seeing his mother come down the aisle.

Category Winner, Black & White: The bittersweet father-daughter dance was captured perfectly in this shot by Bruno Sauma at a wedding in Massachusetts, USA.

• Pnina Tornai started her bridal business 30 years ago in a small shop with a single mirror in Tel Aviv, Israel. Today she sees 90 to 120 brides per day on weekends at Kleinfeld, a renowned bridal store in New York City.
• Before brides were saying "yes" to Tornai's wedding dresses at Kleinfeld, her designs were rejected from the bridal store because her designs were "too sexy." 
• Instead of giving up, Tornai went home and created a collection of dresses that could adapt to American bridal fashion. Two weeks later, Kleinfeld's owner called her and said the dresses were selling like crazy.

Before brides were saying "yes" to Pnina Tornai's wedding dresses at Kleinfeld, her designs were rejected from the bridal store because her designs were deemed "too sexy." 

Pnina Tornai started her bridal business 30 years ago in a small shop with a single mirror in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Tornai connected with Kleinfeld — a renowned bridal store in New York City now featured on the TLC show "Say Yes to the Dress"— when a bride's father wanted to strike a deal with her for a more affordable price on a gown, she told Business Insider on an episode of our podcast "This Is Success."

Two days later, Tornai had a set meeting at Kleinfeld in New York City — a 12-hour flight from Tel Aviv. 

"The next thing I knew was that I was on a plane with my dresses on my way to Kleinfeld," Tornai said.

Read more:'Say Yes to the Dress' designer Pnina Tornai explains how she went from running a small shop in Israel to one of the world's most famous bridal labels

"That was really not an easy beginning because I remember the day where I came to Kleinfeld and showed my dresses, and the buyer was looking at my dresses with a very weird face, saying, 'We are never going to sell these dresses in America. These dresses will never sell in America. They're too sexy; they're too daring.'"

On the 12-hour flight back to Tel Aviv, Tornai said she cried until the plane touched down. Instead of giving up, she went home and created a collection of dresses that could adapt to American bridal fashion. She sent the collection back to Kleinfeld with an email saying, "Please expose these dresses in your store. If they don't sell, send them back to me."

Two weeks later, Tornai got a phone call from the owner of Kleinfeld, who said the store had a problem with her dresses — they sold too many and weren't sure if Tornai could keep up with the amount of orders. 

"And the rest is history," Tornai said. 

For 13 years, Tornai traveled back and forth from Tel Aviv to New York City on 12-hour flights to ensure her gowns flourished at Kleinfeld. 

Once Kleinfeld's show "Say Yes to the Dress" took off nine years ago, Tornai became one of the most requested designers at the store. Today, the show airs in 120 countries and Tornai sees 90 to 120 brides a day on weekends. 

"It's about my bride; it's about my customer," Tornai said. "It's being thankful to every opportunity I have in life. I don't take anything for granted."

SEE ALSO: 'Say Yes to the Dress' designer Pnina Tornai explains how she went from running a small shop in Israel to one of the world's most famous bridal labels

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• Pnina Tornai, a designer on TLC show "Say Yes To The Dress" sees 90 to 120 brides a day at Kleinfeld Bridal, a world renowned bridal store in New York City.
• If a bride comes to Tornai and expresses issues with a fiancé, she doesn't hesitate to tell them to postpone a wedding.
• At a young age, Tornai was in an abusive marriage she has since left. Because of what she went through, Tornai is willing to put aside her wedding dresses to consult brides when needed.

Pnina Tornai, a designer on TLC's "Say Yes To The Dress" sees 90 to 120 brides a day at Kleinfeld, a world renowned bridal store in New York City.

If a bride discloses to Tornai that they have a rocky relationship, she doesn't hold back her advice, she said on an episode of Business Insider's podcast "This Is Success."

By the age of 23, she was married with child. "It was an abusive marriage," Tornai said. She has since divorced and remarried, but the experience has given her perspective that she thinks could be useful to other women.

"And you know, if a bride would come in and say to me that she's going through a very tough time with her fiancé and she's being disrespected or abused, I would always tell her the truth," Tornai said. "I would always tell her that these things do not get better, they only get worse, so maybe she should postpone, think about it."

While married, Tornai was pursuing a career in acting, but her then-husband put a stop to her dream job.

"At the time, I didn't have the luxury to really think twice whether I was doing the right thing or not. I became a mother at the age of 23, so everything happened in a way where I didn't think that pursuing my dream at the time was the most important thing," she said.

Now, if a bride comes to Tornai for a dress and expresses a similar experience with a fiancé, she doesn't hesitate to share her own story or advise a bride to postpone nuptials. 

Read more: 'Say Yes to the Dress' designer Pnina Tornai was rejected after flying 12 hours for a meeting, but soon after, she got the phone call that changed her career

"And every bride that would come to me with her story and tell me how she feels, sometimes also her hesitations and her hardships, I would always put aside the dress and make sure that I was giving her the right advice even if it meant to tell my bride to postpone a wedding," she said.

Still, those experiences with other brides can be triggering for Tornai.

"I remember moments where I heard a bride talking about her own story. I was strong for her, but I would go in the back of the store and burst in tears because it reminded me of my story," Tornai said.

She continued: "But you know what? Nobody promised us a rose garden, and the beauty in life is that if you are true to yourself and you walk your path, you can create quite a beautiful garden. We all have the abilities to do that."

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• Prince Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte, a descendant of the famous conqueror, has married an Austrian countess, Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg.
• Coincidentally, Countess Olympia is the great-great-great niece of Archduchess Marie-Louise, who married Napoleon Bonaparte in 1810 to help end conflicts between France and Austria.
• Despite this, Jean-Christophe has previously said that his relationship with Countess Olympia is based on love, not history, according to the Daily Mail's report after their May engagement.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Prince Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte married Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinnberg over the weekend, Harper's Bazaar Australia reports.

The French prince is a descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte; Prince Jean-Christophe currently works as a private equity professional at The Blackstone Group in the United Kingdom, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The royal's marriage to Countess Olympia has made headlines throughout the world, as it was revealed that his Austrian bride is the great-great-great niece of Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria — also known as the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Still, Jean-Christophe stressed that this union is out of love, not history. 

"It's a story of love rather than a nod to history. When I met Olympia, I plunged into her eyes and not into her family tree," Jean-Christophe said in an interview after their engagement, according to the Daily Mail.

Read more: Napoleon's heir helped recover a $1.1 million family jewel after a thief stole it from his car without realizing its value

The pair met when Olympia was studying abroad in Paris during her college years at Yale. They became engaged in May 2019 and married at the Les Invalides in Paris — which also, ironically, happens to be the burial site of Napoleon. 

Keep reading for a closer look into the lavish wedding and to learn more about the couple and their families' history. 

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Prince Jean-Christophe, 33, and Countess Olympia, 31, married on October 19 in a lavish ceremony in Paris.

Source: Vogue Australia 

The wedding ceremony was held at Les Invalides in Paris and was attended by royal guests, including Princess Beatrice of York.

Source: Harper's Bazaar AU

The countess wore a gown by Oscar de la Renta with white pumps — and of course, a diamond tiara. Perhaps most notably, her engagement ring contains a 40-carat diamond from the crown of Eugenie de Montijo, Napoleon III's wife and the last empress of France.

Source: Harper's Bazaar AU, Vanity Fair

The reception was held at the Château de Fontainebleau, a medieval palace that Napoleon had restored and refurbished during his time as Emperor.

Instagram Embed:
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Source:Instagram, Napoleon.org

Jean-Christophe is a descendant of military general Napoleon Bonaparte, the first emperor of France. Napoleon Bonaparte was known for implementing Napoleonic Code, also known as French Civil Code, and leading the Napoleonic Wars, which lasted from 1803 to 1815. In 1815, Bonaparte was forced to abdicate power, and was exiled to the island of Elba.

French Civil Code "forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and stated that government jobs must be given to the most qualified."

The Napoleonic Wars allowed for the French empire to expand into other countries such as Italy, Sweden, and Spain.

Source: Biography.com

But a year later, in 1816, Napoleon fled back to Paris and returned to power — only to abdicate once more, after his defeat in the Battle of Waterloo. He was then exiled to the island of St. Helena, where he later died.

Source: Biography.com

Countess Olympia, meanwhile, is the great-great-great niece of Archduchess Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Marie-Louise, a member of the house of Hapsburg, was the eldest daughter of Francis I of Austria and a niece of Marie-Antoinette, the former queen of France.

Source: Britannica, Vogue Australia 

Historians generally agree that Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie-Louise were in a loveless marriage, in a political union that aimed to end conflicts between France and Austria.

After Napoleon's death, Marie-Louise married twice and is now buried in Vienna.

Source: Britannica, Vogue Australia 

But now, nearly 200 years later, the House of Hapsburg and Imperial House of France are unified once more, this time in a decidedly loving ceremony. As Jean-Christophe said, the relationship between himself and his now-wife is "a story of love," rather than a "nod to history."

That said, the French prince did admit that the two were later "able to smile at this historical coincidence."

Source: Harper's Bazaar AU, Daily Mail

• Spanx founder Sara Blakely will loan her wedding dresses to 31 brides whose weddings have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
• Blakely built a billion-dollar fortune after founding shapewear maker Spanx in her Atlanta apartment in 1998, while selling fax machines door to door to make ends meet.
• The novel coronavirus sparked dual public health and economic crises in the United States after killing 5,923 Americans.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Billionaire Spanx founder Sara Blakely is looking out for an oft-overlooked population affected by the coronavirus pandemic — brides.

Blakely is offering to loan her wedding dress out to any size 4 or size 6 brides who are struggling to organize a wedding amid the pandemic, she announced on Instagram. Over thirty women have already taken Blakely up on the offer, she told CNBC.

"When COVID-19 happened, I shifted my thinking to, 'How can I use my social platform right now to be helpful?'" Blakely said in an interview with CNBC Make It's Taylor Locke published Thursday. "I thought, 'This is a really feel-good post that should make other people feel good right now ... and I also wanted to hopefully start a trend and spark an idea in other women that maybe they hadn't thought of loaning their wedding dress out and now they will."

"My heart is breaking for all the brides out their [sic] having to cancel and postpone their special day so I thought why not offer my dress to more amazing women," Blakely wrote when first making the offer on Instagram March 19. "Hoping this will possibly help ease someone's plans during this time."

The 49-year-old billionaire loaned out one of the two dresses she wore to her October 2008 wedding years before the coronavirus outbreak began, first to a friend in 2010 and later to a stranger she met on a hiking trail in 2016, according to CNBC. Blakely built a billion-dollar fortune after founding shapewear and loungewear brand Spanx in her Atlanta apartment in 1998, Business Insider reported.

Engaged couples across the country have been forced to postpone or completely cancel their nuptials as authorities limit gatherings to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The cancellations are also costing couples tens of thousands of dollars in losses from broken contracts with vendors, canceled flights and hotel bookings, aside from what they hoped would be the happiest day of their lives, Business Insider's Jessica Snouwaert reported.

The novel coronavirus has infected over one million people and killed over 96,000 across the globe, after being identified in Wuhan, China, in December. No country has reported more cases than the United States. In addition to a public health crisis, the outbreak has also led to an economic downturn, as nearly 10 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past two weeks alone as businesses close to comply with social distancing guidelines designed to slow the virus' the spread.

SEE ALSO: Meet Eric Yuan, the founder and CEO of Zoom, who has made nearly $4 billion in 3 months as usage of his video conferencing software skyrockets amid the coronavirus pandemic

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• The annual turnover for wedding dresses in the US is roughly $2.8 billion.
• The national average spent on wedding gowns was over $1,500 in 2017.
• We met with bridal designer Lela Rose and bridal boutique owner Mark Ingram to learn how wedding dresses are made, and why the cost is so high.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

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