June 2005 Newsletter: The Princess Brides

[Alexandria]

Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands & Laurentien Brinkhorst
May 17 & 19, 2001, Oude Raadzaal, Javastraat for the civil service and Grote of St Jacobskerk, The Hague

The Dress: For the civil ceremony, a knee-length shimmering blush-pink jacket with an upturned angular collar cinched at the waist with a matching belt. Paired with it, an upturned mauve raffia hat. For the religious ceremony, Belgian designer Edouard Vermeulen of Natan designed an ivory coloured dress of radzimir silk. A boat neckline that lined down the middle to the waist, which opened up and gave flow and movement to the dress. Bell sleeves and a three metre-long train and tulle veil completed the outfit.

The Diademe: Queen Beatrix loaned her new daughter-in-law, appropriately enough, the Laurel Wreath tiara, which was originally made for Princess Louise, sister of King Wilhelm I.

The Bouquet: For her civil service a predominantly green bouquet with cream-coloured roses and accents of pink and mauve to match her jacket. For her religious service, Fernanda Hora Siccama made a luscious-smelling bouquet of orange glossoms, gardenias, Emerald Green and Avalanche roses and lilies of the valley.

The Attendants: The bride's attendants included the groom's cousin Princess Carolina de Bourbon de Parme.

Memorable Detail: The attendance of Maxima Zorriegueta at an official function with the rest of the Dutch royal family.

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...hread.php?t=125

[Alexandria]

Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands & Mabel Wisse Smit
April 24, 2004, Oude Kerk (Old Church), Delft

The Dress: Dutch couturiers Viktor & Rolf were behind the wedding dress, which took more than 600 hours to create. 248 handmade bows (128 on the skirt, 85 on the bodice, 35 on the train) covered the points where the checkered pattern of the dress met. Satin duchess from Lyon and silk georgette were used for the dress, including the nearly 3-metre long train. The bride’s shoes were handmade in Italy using the same satin as the dress, and were trimmed with bows to match the dress.

The Diademe: The diademe was originally made by French jewelers Mellerio dits Meller in 1881, which was originally a gift for Queen Emma. The sapphire cornet was re-worked and mounted with diamonds for this occasion.

The Bouquet: Touches of Queen Beatrix’s wedding bouquet were incorporated into this delicate spring bouquet of lilies of the valley, snowdrops and guelder roses. White roses formed in a star-shape echoed those used in then-Princess Beatrix’s bouquet to Claus von Amsberg.

Memorable Detail: The bride's dress! It's bows made it the most memorable part of the day.

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...p?t=1965&page=1

[Alexandria]

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands & Pieter van Vollenhoven
January 10, 1967, The Hague

The Dress: A long-sleeved, slim, A-line white gown with an intricate floral pattern embroidered all over. A round neckline, elbow-length tulle veil and immaculate white gloves completed the bride's outfit.

The Diademe: Queen Sophie's tiara, which is made with a diamond base with five triangular diamond arches. Five pearl buttons surrounded by diamonds are at the top of each arch. The tiara was worn by the bride for her pre-wedding portrait, and was later worn when the bride's sister inaugurated in 1980 as Queen of the Netherlands.

Memorable Detail: A small, dainty bouquet of the bride's namesake flowers, white daisies.


TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...read.php?t=5561

[Alexandria]

Prince Maurits of the Netherlands & Marilène van den Broek
May 29 & 30, 1998, Apeldoorn

The Dress: For the civil ceremony, a two-piece jacket and knee-length skirt made of metallic red silk with accents of orange around the wide-angled collar, paired with a raffia hat tied with matching ribbons. For the religious service, a long-sleeved white silk gown with two rounded collars and a round neckline. Silk-covered buttons adorned the front of the dress. A long, full pleated skirt hung from the fitted waist of the dress. The full length veil was made of tulle.

The Diademe: The Ears of Wheat tiara with all eight ears (there were originally 10 but two were sold off), which originally belonged to Queen Wilhelmina.
The Service: To accomodate the bride and groom's different religions -- he is Protestant, she is Catholic, -- the couple were married in a eucomenic service by Reverand Nico van Der Linden and Pastor Gerard Oostvogeli.

Memorable Detail: Following the relgious service, the bride and groom released dozens of orange, red, blue and white balloons into the air during their champagne kisses.

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...hp?t=796&page=1

[Alexandria]

Prince Bernhard Jr. & Annette Sekrève
July 6 & 8, 2000, Paushuize, and Dom Church, Utrecht

The Dress: For the civil service, a Frans Molenaar-designed jacket and sheath dress in sky blue. For the church service, silk taft coat dress also made by Frans Molenaar, with small round collars and silk-covered buttons to the waistline, where it met a thick band at the waist and the dress opened up and revealed a full-length dress with a bell skirt underneath. The coat’s train was about two metres long.

The Diademe: The Ears of Wheat tiara, which can be worn with two, four, six or all eight ears of wheat. The bride wore the tiara with all eight. The tiara originally belonged to Queen Sophie and over the years has been worn by Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Juliana—the groom’s grandmother, Princess Margriet—the groom’s mother, and his sister-in-law, Princess Marilene. The full-length veil was made of tulle.

The Ceremony: The groom’s youngest brothers, Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Prince Floris read lectures and the groom’s aunt, Princess Christina, a mezzo soprano, sang Amarili of Caccini—it was the first time she had sang publicly. The berget Lewis gospel choir closed the service with a rousing and swinging rendition of You’ve Got a Friend.

Memorable Detail: The groom arrived with his older brother, Prince Maurits in an open Ford Landauer borrowed from his aunt, Queen Beatrix.


TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...read.php?t=5574

[Alexandria]

Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgirum & Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg
April 9, 1953

The Dress: A silk and lace dress with a ruffled lace high-collared neckline. A fitted waist with a full-length, flowing tulle skirt with a ruffled hemline.

The Veil: A tulle veil that was longer than her train with a scattering of embroidery and ruffles.

The Diademe: The bride wore two different tiaras on her wedding day, both of which were pictured in her official wedding portraits. One was the Belgian Diamond Tiara with itnricate scroll work that was a wedding gift from Belgian bankers. The second was the Congo Diamond Tiara, which was also a wedding gift by the then Belgian colony of Congo to the princess on her wedding day; this tiara was later worn by the bride's own daughters Princesses Margaretha and Marie-Astrid, as well as her daughter-in-law Maria-Teresa, on their own wedding days.

Memorable Detail: The bride is allegedly said to have cried the entire way down the aisle to meet her groom. She was in love with someone else and her wedding day was considered more of a day of mourning than a day of celebration.

[Alexandria]

Hereditary Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg & Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista
February 14, 1981

The Dress: A white criss-crossing silk trimmed around the round neckline, cuffs and hem of the dress in an approximately three-inchy thick band of white fur. The centre of the dress was detailed by the criss-cross pattern, with the same pattern being repeated down the length of her sleeves.

The Veil: A staggered tulle veil, with various layers throughout.

The Diademe: The bride wore a tiara that was given to her mother-in-law Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte on her wedding day from the then-Belgian colony of Congo. The Congo Diamond tiara can also be worn as a necklace.

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...read.php?t=3974

[Alexandria]

Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg & Prince Nicholas of Liechtenstein
March 20, 1982

The Dress: A floor-length satin gown with a high ruffled neck and staggering ruffled sleeves.

The Diademe: The Congo Diamond tiara that was given to her Belgian-born mother Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte on her wedding day from the then-Belgian colony of Congo, which she also wore on her wedding day, as did the bride's sister Princess Marie-Astrid.

The Bouquet: A small, dome-shaped bouquet of pink-coloured buds.

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...read.php?t=3985


Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg & Archduke Carl Christian of Austria
February 6, 1982

The Dress: A silk wrap-inspired dress. A thick band of ruffles edged the dress, sweeping from around the neck through to the waist and in two large bells to form the skirt of the dress. A light blue and white floral motif was embroidered into the swags of the dress's skirt.

The Veil: A tulle veil that was longer than the bride's train.

The Diademe: The Congo Diamond tiara that was given to her Belgian-born mother Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte on her wedding day from the then-Belgian colony of Congo, which she also wore on her wedding day, as would be worn by the bride's sister Princess Margaretha a month later at her wedding.

The Bouquet: A small, unstructured bouquet made of white and cream-coloured roses.

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...read.php?t=3984

[Alexandria]

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg & Sybilla Weiller
September 8, 1994, Alsace

The Dress: A wide-necked dress with the top portion made of lace and the skirt made of silk. Lace sleeves and two rows of silk-covered buttons adorned the front of the bride's dress, while a straight skirt of silk was finished with a "balloon" trim.

The Veil: The same lace used to make the top of the bride's dress was used to make the veil. The lace featured a leaf motif and extended the length of the bride's train. The veil was affixed to the bride's hair, as she opted to not wear a tiara.

The Bouquet: An abundant and cascading bouquet of chamapagned coloured roses. The largest and opened blooms formed a large circle with smaller blooms mixed wigh greens creating a slight waterfall effect.

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...read.php?t=3996

[Alexandria]

Hans-Adam von und zu Liechtenstein and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau
July 30, 1967, Vaduz Liechtenstein

The Dress: Countess Maria’s gown was made of silk with a round neckline, ¾ length sleeves and a high waist. From a small light-silver bow (at the high waist), the overskirt opened to reveal a white silk underskirt. The sleeve edges and the overskirt edges were embroidered with light silver thread to match the bow.

The Diademe: Countess Marie wore theHabsburg Fringe Tiara. This diamond fringe tiara was made in 1900 for Princess Maria Theresia of Braganca, infanta of Portugal (1855-1944), the grandmother of Prince Franz-Josef (mother’s side) when she married Archduke Charles Louis, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. The piece is covered with diamonds and can be worn as a tiara or as a necklace.

The Veil: Made of tulle.

--Information and pictures courtesy of Mandy

[Alexandria]

Prince Alois von und zu Liechtenstein and Sophie, Duchess in Bavaria
July 3rd 1993, the Cathedral of Vaduz, Liechtenstein

The Dress: Sophie wore a white silk gown that featured a V-shaped neckline, ¾ length sleeves and and a fitted bodice. The V-edged sleeves were accented with three small bows. The skirt fell into large pleats from the V-shaped bodice that was decorated with small bows. The beautiful 6-8 meter train, attached at the waist, was equipped with loop handles to so that the little train bearers could carry the train up the steep cathedral steps.

The Diademe: Sophie wore theBavarian or Bayern Floral Tiara, a diamond tiara of small flowers and leavesmade of gold and diamonds. The first owner was Queen Therese of Bavaria and later Sophie ‘s mother.

The Attendants: One of the page boys was Guillaume (or Felix) of Luxembourg

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...read.php?t=5044

--Information and pictures courtesy of Mandy

[Alexandria]

Princess Tatjana von und zu Liechtenstein and Philipp von Lattorff
June 5, 1999, St.Florian Church, Vaduz, Liechtenstein

The Dress: The dress was designed by Armani. Princess Tatjana wore a simple gown of white silk with long sleeves and high round neckline.

The Diademe: Tatjana wore the Kinsky Diamond Tiara. It was first seen in the princely family worn by Princess Marie, Princess Tatjana's mother. It was possibly a gift from Prince Hans-Adam or a Kinsky family gift. The tiara is made of palmettes and spikes.

The Attendants: Witness for Tatjana was her brother, Constantin who was getting married the following month.

Memorable Detail: It was an intimate wedding. During the service Tatjana's brother Maximilian spoke, as well as Stephan von Lattorff, a brother of the groom.

TRF Thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...read.php?t=5558

--Information and pictures courtesy of Mandy