Luxembourg’s Royal Wedding: HGD Guillaume & Stéphanie

Today, on 19 October 2012, the Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, age 30, married Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy of Belgium, age 28, in a civil ceremony.

Crown Prince Guillaume Countess Stephanie de Lannoy and Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg are seated prior to the civil ceremony for the wedding of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Stephanie de Lannoy at the Hotel De Ville on October 19, 2012 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The 30-year old hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the last hereditary Prince in Europe to get married, marrying his 28-year old Belgian Countess bride in a lavish 2-day ceremony.

(Photo source: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe)

Countess Stéphanie wore a Chanel outfit, somewhat reminiscent of the Diana, Princess of Wales’ pearl gown and of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding gown. I found her overall appearance (hairstyle and outfit) to be very elegant. 🙂

This evening (Luxembourg time) at the gala in the Grand Ducal Palace, the Countess chose an elegant Elie Saab gown and wore a diamond floral tiara.

Photo credit: Cour Grand Ducale Guy Wolff

She looks perfectly stunning and regal in the Elie Saab gown, along with the floral tiara. It’s just the thing I’d love to wear or enjoy seeing on royals. 🙂 I also liked how her hair was parted asymmetrically in the front and put together in an upswept bun. I can only imagine that we shall be blown away by her wedding gown!

The Grand Duke Henri‘s speech to the couple was very sweet and touching. It honestly should be a template for all parents to their children and in-laws! Here’s part of his full speech:

My dear Stéphanie,
My dear Guillaume,

On this, the evening of your wedding, we, your parents, would like to say how happy and proud we are that you are embarking on this journey together through life.

We have seen your love blossom for more than two years now. It has grown over time into this couple beaming with happiness, whom we have the pleasure of seeing before us today. You have travelled this path together. Therefore, you know that marriage is a union, a commitment which is renewed each day. It is a harbinger of continuity which will lead our cherished country towards a future that we fervently hope will be prosperous and peaceful.

My dear Stéphanie,

We welcome you on this day with overwhelming joy. We know that, through your sensitivity, your intelligence and your devotion, you will bring great happiness to our son. The fact that you have already endured the most difficult of ordeals, notably the sudden passing of your beloved mother, has shown us that you are capable of strength and courage in the face of adversity.

Alix, for those of us fortunate enough to have known her, will always remain an exceptional person. From heaven above, she will watch over you, so that you, too, will be a united and exemplary couple, as were Alix and Philippe. May their example guide you throughout your lives.

At the time of your engagement and your presentation to the national authorities, the Luxembourg people immediately adopted you as their future Princess. Your radiance, your beliefs and your tenderness make you the perfect person to assist and support Guillaume throughout his life. We love you and are happy and grateful that you have chosen our son.

We would like to thank your dear parents for the unconditional support that they showed during the blossoming of your love. Alix, your dear mother, shall remain in our hearts, especially during these celebrations. Your father Philippe is giving the hand of his final daughter, his youngest child, in marriage. We can imagine how he must feel.

The union between our two families, with well-established traditions, based on Christian values, passed on to their children, is also a pledge of strength for our young couple.

My dear Guillaume,

For Stéphanie and for you, now begins the grand and wonderful adventure of marriage. We have watched you grow up to become a responsible individual, resolutely committed to the service of others and, in particular, to those who are suffering. Your great ability to interact with others allows you to perform your duties with intelligence and ease. The trade missions which you lead with such skill are indispensable to the promotion of our country worldwide, particularly in the challenging situation in which we currently find ourselves.

Your wife shall be, as your mother is for me, steadfast in her support of the difficult but oh so rewarding tasks which await you. Yes, my dear Guillaume, we are proud of you, you are a man of duty and your guiding principle is the common good. We have every confidence in your judgement, but remember too that we shall always be there to support you and help you if you so desire.

I’ve never met them nor do I know much about the young Luxembourg royal couple but I’m already in love with them! This sounds like the perfect fairytale couple, and I say fairytale because they are the ideal royal couple we read about in our stories (the good and fair princes and princesses, kings and queens)!

Long may they blossom together, just as their parents have!

Royal Wedding

The Royal Wedding will take place in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg tomorrow, on 20 October at 11AM. I am quite glad that I’d visited the cathedral 3 years ago in 2009. Now I have been to two cathedral sites of two royal weddings (the other being Westminster Abbey)! 😀

Guillaume & Stephanie Monogram

To watch the Royal Wedding live (I’ll be abed zzz), Luxarazzi has compiled a list here. I most likely will be reading the news and browsing photos when I wake up tomorrow!

For more photos and news of the civil ceremony and this evening’s gala, please check out the following sites: