Posters!
Our photo service breathlessly noted that Guilliaume is the LAST HEREDITARY PRINCE IN EUROPE TO GET MARRIED!!!! Thank god they made posters. Also, don't worry, Photo Service: he might not be first in line for the throne, but when Prince Harry eventually gets married, SHIT WILL GET REAL.
Luxembourg Prepares For Royal Wedding
I sincerely love the kitschy do-dads that come hand in hand with a royal wedding. Commemorative booze!
The Wedding Of Prince Guillaume Of Luxembourg & Stephanie de Lannoy - Civil Ceremony
Here, they're off to the state reception prior to the civil ceremony. That color is lovely, but how cold is it in Luxembourg for her to need a pashmina over her suit? I don't know if I think you ever need a pashmina over a suit.
The Civil Ceremony
I do like how the practice of having both a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony means we get to see what a royal wears to (essentially) the justice of the peace. I think this is pretty, and I also think it's funny that she's carrying a full-on purse with a chain. Like she has her ID in there in case the judge needs to see it. (Although, according to Forbes, they were actually married by the mayor.)
The Wedding
Behold The Gown. This is Eli Saab, and I think it is very lovely. The BBC reports that it took 3,200 hours to construct. I assume there is a lot of hand-beading in the lace, because otherwise, after 3200 hours, I would expect that dress to actually be able to perform the wedding ceremony.
The Wedding
I believe the bridesmaids are the groom's sister, and the bride's niece. At the moment this picture was taken, they were thinking uncharitable things about Pippa Middleton, and muttering the words, "peach" over and over again.
Princess Stephanie's Hair
I am not TOTALLY sold on this hairstyle. It feels insufficiently effortless.
The Tiara
I am, however, sold on the tiara, which is the bride's family tiara. The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor (an excellent blog for those of you interested in all things royal) points out that the bride's sisters all wore it at their weddings. My main takeaway is: SHINY.
The Bouquet
I actually LOVE the bouquet. The proportions of it are perfect.
I also think the detailing on the bodice is quite beautiful, I love the length of the sleeves, and I like her hair from the front MUCH better.
The Ceremony
That is a TRAIN, y'all. That is such a train that Train woke up in the middle of the night and wondered if they were missing a gig.
The Ceremony
I DO really enjoy the drama inherent in such a long train and correspondingly long veil. If -- nay, when -- I marry Prince Harry, in keeping with the scandal of his running off with an aged American blogger whose publication's title is a scandalous pun, it will be via the drive-through wedding chapel in Vegas and I will be wearing a baseball cap over dirty hair. And when our union is swiftly annulled (the argument being, of course, that I drugged him) and he is shipped off to a foxhole in Afghanistan and I am bundled into the Tower for all eternity, I will have plenty of time to think about such fripperies, and REGRET.
Married!
This was not a ceremony short on drama all around, actually. This kind of pomp and circumstance is exactly what we expect from fancy royal weddings. Countesses! Swords! Small children in adorable yet slightly ridiculous page outfits! In America, in general, we have zero interest in having our own Royal Family, but we are FASCINATED AND ENTHRALLED by everyone else's.
Official Photo
Here is your official press photo of the wedding party. Guillaume is pretty handsome! And the expressions on the faces of some of those kids are likewise priceless.
The Kiss!
I wish there were a Royal Wedding EVERY MONTH. Start marrying people off, royal and quasi-royal families. Do it for our entertainment!
It's also worth noting, from my perch as an Experienced Observer of the Behavior and Body Language of Women Recently Wed to Princes, that these two DO seem to like each other quite a bit, thank goodness. They seem perhaps a bit less outwardly giddy than Wills and Kate -- although this kiss is clearly the real swoony deal -- but they also seem to be legitimately into getting married to one another. Which is IDEAL, I think we can all agree.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Monaco, Poor Charlene pours herself another brandy. Poor Charlene. Come to America. Swim, if you have to. We'll put you up.