Luxembourg, the tiny European nation smaller than Rhode Island, celebrated the wedding of heir apparent Prince Guillaume to Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy this past weekend. Guillaume was the last bachelor heir apparent in Europe. Stephanie de Lannoy is a member of Belgian nobility and the daughter of Count Philippe de Lannoy and Countess Alix della Faille de Leverghem. Sadly, the bride's mother, Counter Alix, passed away this past August after suffering a stroke. Stephanie studied languages at the University of Lovaina and is fluent in German, French and Russian.
The couple had stated in an interview that they met about eight years ago in Germany, lost touch for several years, then met again in 2009 and started dating over a year ago. They announced their engagement this past April.
On Friday they held a civil ceremony at Luxembourg City Hall, and on Saturday a religious service at the Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral that was conducted in a mixture of French, German and Luxembourgish. There was also a moment of silence for the bride's mother. For the religious ceremony, Stephanie wore a gorgeous lace Elie Saab gown with a 13-feet-long wedding train, an ivory silk tulle veil, and a tiara from the Lannoy family that had been worn by her sister and sisters-in-law at their weddings.
The wedding banquet was attended by 800 people and catered by Bocuse d’Or-winning chef Lea Linster, who is also from Luxembourg. Her menu included Riesling-marinated pork and veal pate, lobster in gelee consomme, and sea bass in salted crust and thyme stuffing. The desserts included Madeleine cakes, choux a la creme pastries, and creme brulee. Many other European royals attended, including the Earl and Countess of Wessex from England, Prince Frederik and his wife Mary from Denmark, Norway's Prince Haakon and his wife Mette-Marit, the Spanish Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia, the Netherland's Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima, and Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel.
Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union with a population of just over 500,000. It has continued to prosper despite the tough economic time in Europe, and is known as a financial center. It is also home to the world’s largest steel manufacturer, and boasts the second-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world, more than $80,000. It has three official languages: French, German, and Luxembourgish. The current Grand Duke of Luxembourg is Guillaume's father, Henri, who is extremely popular. His wife is Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, who hails from Havana, Cuba. They got married in February 1981, and together they have five children.
Hello Magazine has extensive coverage of the wedding, including tons of pictures.
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