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Prince Guillaume marries Countess Stephanie de Lannoy in Luxembourg
The 500,000 euro wedding: Belgian countess shimmers in breathtaking lace dress as she marries heir to the Luxembourg throne in lavish ceremony
By Paul Milligan
PUBLISHED: 14:45, 20 October 2012 | UPDATED: 14:45, 20 October 2012
One of the biggest days in Luxembourg's not hugely-illustrious history has finally arrived.
Earlier today the wedding of Prince Guillaume, the heir to the throne - the grand duke-to-be - and Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy took place at the Cathedral of our Lady of Luxembourg.
A huge guest list of foreign royal families and dignitaries filled the church to watch the ceremony in the tiny (but very wealthy) country.
Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg and Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg exchanging their vows
The ceremony took place at the Cathedral of our Lady of Luxembourg
Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg walks down the aisle with her brother Count Jehan de Lannoy
Accompanied by her father, Count Phillipe de Lannoy, the 28-year-old bride, wore an Elie Saab dress, with a four-metre (13 feet) train as walked down the aisle.
The dress featured three-quarter length sleeves and a silk tulle veil, and was also adorned with a silver floral motif.
The ceremony, which was conducted in a mixture of French and English, featured a minute's silence for Stephanie's late mother Countess Alix de Lannoy.
The two-day wedding celebrations cost an estimated 500,000 euros (paid by the Luxembourg taxpayer), and included free concerts, street shows and a giant fireworks display.
The guest list for the religious ceremony included kings, queens, princes and princesses from European countries including, among others, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Lichtenstein, Denmark, the Netherlands, Romania and Britain, which sent Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth's youngest child, and his wife, Sophie.
The look of love: The newly-married couple smile and wave to an adoring crowd
The princess, seen here with her brother, just before entering the Cathedral for the service
Princess Stephanie was given away by her brother Count Jehan de Lannoy
The princess looked happy and relaxed as she made her way to the service
Prince Guillaume, 30, and Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, are hugely popular in their country and were seen recently in London, enjoying the 2012 Olympics.
Guillaume is a lieutenant colonel in the Luxembourg army (a force of 900 soldiers), and has been engaged in humanitarian work in other countries, including Nepal.
His bride plays piano and violin, swims, skis, and says she reads three books at a time.
In the language department, she already speaks French and German - two of Luxembourg's three official languages - and, perhaps more importantly, is studying the third, which is called Luxembourgish.
She plans to renounce her Belgian citizenship in order to become, eventually, Luxembourg's grand duchess.
Stephanie and Prince Guillaume wave to the crowd from the balcony after the wedding ceremony
Luxembourg's Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie kiss on the balcony of the Royal Palace after their wedding
(L-R) Prince Felix, Prince Henri, Stephanie, Prince Guillaume, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Princess Alexandra wave to the crowd
Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg is the last hereditary Prince in Europe to get married
Luxembourg is a linguistically complicated country, a reflection of its complicated past. It began as a Roman fortress. It has, at one time or another, fallen under the control of Spain, France and Austria.
In 1839, it gained its independence from the Netherlands, but lost more than half its territory to Belgium, which now has a province of the same name.
In the 20th century, Germany swept through Luxembourg twice despite its protestations of neutrality.
Luxembourg, an important financial centre and home to the world's largest steel manufacturer, continues to prosper despite Europe's economic trouble.
The country has the second-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world, more than £50,000 ($80,000) - though its population of about 510,000 people lost the Number one spot to Qatar. The capital city has 80,000 inhabitants and 120,000 jobs.
For that reason, more than 43 per cent of the people in Luxembourg are foreign nationals, compared to a European Union average of 6.4 per cent.
Stephanie de Lannoy and her brother Count Jehan de Lannoy greet Most Reverend Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg as they arrive
A close-up view of Stephanie's hair and veil
Stephanie's dress was designed by Elie Saab and featured a 4-metre (13 feet) train
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex were present to represent the British royal family. Sophie wore a bespoke hat by millinar Jane Taylor featuring black pheasant feathers
Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and Princess Letizia of Spain attending the wedding ceremony
L-R: Princess Caroline of Monaco and Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco arrive at the Cathedral
The celebrations for the wedding lasted two days and costs half a million Euro
Crown Prince Guillaume is 30-years-old, with his bride, who is two years younger at 28
The new couple listen intently during the wedding ceremony
Read more: Prince Guillaume marries Countess Stephanie de Lannoy in Luxembourg | Mail Online
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Originally Posted by McJag
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