Cressida Bonas, Prince Harry's Ex, Opens Up About Her 'Imperfect' Wedding - That She Planned in 2 Weeks!

The actress said that her wedding with Harry Wentworth-Stanley was "not what we'd envisaged, but a more intimate and special day than we could ever have imagined"

Harry Wentworth-Stanley, Cressida Bonas
Harry Wentworth-Stanley, Cressida Bonas. Photo: Harry Wentworth-Stanley Instagram

Cressida Bonas is opening up about her wedding — which she had in England amid the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The actress, who is known for dating Prince Harry from 2012 to 2014, penned an essay about her COVID-19 era nuptials for The Spectator magazine, revealing all the ways that the ceremony was modified to align with restrictions in place due to the virus.

Bonas, 31, wrote that she and Harry Wentworth-Stanley put together their wedding in under two weeks which turned out to be a dream day even though it was not exactly how she had dreamed it would be.

Despite a series of mishaps — including a stye on her eye, getting lost on the way to the church, stepping in a puddle on her way out of the car and constant rain — Bonas said that "everything fell into place" when she saw her fiancé waiting for her at the altar.

"The Covid regulations, the uncertainty, the plans that got turned upside down, all were gone when I took Harry's hand," said Bonas, who wore a "dusty frock" she found in her wardrobe that she had from appearing in a James Arthur music video.

"After some ironing, it looked as good as new," she wrote of the dress which she chose after failing to find anything to wear with just days to go.

Cressida Bonas
Cressida Bonas in a James Arthur music video in 2017. VEVO

Bonas said that "the only sad part of an otherwise happy day" was that all of her family couldn't be present. "I am certain we value our family and friends, even more, when they are absent," she wrote.

The couple needed to drastically cut their guest list to 30 attendees — a tall order considering they have 22 siblings between them.

The ceremony included readings in soft voices in lieu of hymns to adhere to local regulations and her and Harry's siblings playing on the piano — which was sanitized in between each user.

"Before we knew we were having a 'Covid wedding', we'd talk about the party, the guest list, the cake, people's expectations, what it should or shouldn't look like," Bonas wrote. "Having a small portion of Harry's and my family in the church made it simply special."

Bonas said that the wedding was "not what we'd envisaged, but a more intimate and special day than we could ever have imagined."

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"Imperfect yet perfect — a day we will never forget," she added of the milestone in their relationship.

Bonas and Wentworth-Stanley got engaged in August 2019 after dating for about two years. The White House Farm actress said June that she and Wentworth-Stanley had had to postpone their wedding because of the pandemic.

“Unfortunately it has [been delayed]," she said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. "We are not quite sure what our next move is, but we will have to be postponing the wedding.”

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Cressida Bonas, Prince Harry. Karwai Tang/WireImage

A source told PEOPLE in April 2014 that Bonas' split from Prince Harry was an "amicable" one, and the actress attended the royal's wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.

The U.K. has seen more than 2 million cases of COVID-19, with at least 69,051 deaths related to the virus, according to data from the New York Times. A new mutation of the virus has been discovered in the country, leading to new, stricter lockdowns announced over the weekend.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.

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