Living the Royal Wedding Dream on a Tight Budget
New York, May 25, 2018: In a whirlwind of kid‑style glam and a budget that would make any planner shake their head, a handful of American youngsters stepped into the shoes of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and a handful of real‑life royals for a photoshoot that feels more like a backyard wedding than a Millennial dream.
The Story Behind the Magic
Tricia Messeroux, a New York photographer whose portfolio glows with young faces from award shows and blockbuster films, gave her first creative challenge to her daughter back in 2008. That spark birthed Toddlewood Studio, a place where kids don everything from Oscars’ gowns to superhero capes.
When the world was buzzing about the biggest wedding of the year, Tricia pressed her squad to bring out a version of the ceremony with kids and real‑life characters—think Doria Ragland, Prince Charles, and even a cellist named Sheku Kanneh‑Mason—wearing miniature replicas of their adult counterparts.
Mini‑Me Makeup and Midnight Madness
- 7‑Year‑Old Naiyah Otero struts in a reinterpretation of Markle’s boat‑necked Givenchy wedding gown. “I’m pretty, and it’s an honour to dress up as her,” Naiyah gushes, lighting up the set.
- 6‑Year‑Old Andrew Robert Joy pulls off the iconic bearded affair with a touch of eyebrow pencil and a scan‑my‑hair fix—a close‑cut, slick red mane that would impress even the most skeptical parents.
Tricia admits it was a true “all‑night‑in‑studio” endeavor. “We had to stay up to craft that flower wall—our own six‑hour, thirty‑minute masterpiece,” she tells a friend. “And there I was, glued on a priest’s gown by myself. Guess I got a bit hands‑on with the whole outfit.”
Why It Matters
For kids who love watching the paparazzi haze and beating the odds, this shoot is the ultimate ‘toy story’—they get to say, “I was the wedding guest when Prince Harry and Meghan said ‘I do’.”
And while Tricia’s team pulls double duty juggling couture and kids’ crawling feet, the heart of the project is simple: to transform budget constraints into pure, playful wonder, proving that elegance can live in the 7‑year‑old’s gym sock and the midnight paint splatter on a makeshift altar.
