Royal Wedding Tiaras: Stephanie of Luxembourg

Royal Wedding Tiaras: Stephanie of Luxembourg

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A family tiara for Stephanie of Luxembourg on her wedding day

(photo By Denis Probst - Own work, archive Denis Probst, CC BY-SA 3.0 lu, Link)

The royal family that Stephanie de Lannoy married into on October 20th 2012 has one of the best collections of tiaras around. But on her big day, the new Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg chose a tiara much closer to home - her family diadem, worn by her sisters on their own wedding days. This royal bride followed her own tradition with a tiara filled with sentimental value.

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That's not to say that her sparkler isn't really rather lovely. It's made of platinum and diamonds with the stones shaped into leaves that scroll in an arch towards a centre point which is topped with an inverted pear shaped gem. There are 270 diamonds in this diadem and although it's delicate and demure, it packs its own weight in gem power.

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The Lannoy family can trace its history back to the 13th century nobility of Hainault but it acquired this sparkling example of aristocratic standing about 100 years ago when the tiara was created by the Belgian jeweller Altenloh of Brussels. In this generation, Stephanie's sisters and sisters-in-law wore the piece for their weddings. Stephanie was also mourning her mother on the day she got married - Alix de Lannoy had died that August, just weeks before the wedding of her youngest child.

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Stephanie's tiara might not be as grand or glittering as some of those worn by royal brides at recent weddings but its sentimental attachment and the way it honours her family make it a real stand out diadem choice. It also suits this bride down to the ground and given that she has decades to enjoy the Luxembourg tiara collection there was no need to rush into its gem studded vaults just yet. There is something romantic and touching about this tiara choice and it look spectacular too. A sparkling success all round for Stephanie.

Royal Wedding Gala Gowns:Stephanie of Luxembourg

Royal Wedding Gala Gowns:Stephanie of Luxembourg

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Five years ago this week, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg married Countess Stephanie de Lannoy in a wedding (or two) to remember. The last heir of his generation to say 'I do' did it not once, but twice, as he and his bride exchanged vows in a civil ceremony on October 19th and then again in a religious service on October 20th. In between that they held a gala dinner to celebrate their nuptials with royal guests from across Europe filling the Ducal Palace in Luxembourg on the night of the 19th for a glittering celebration. Which means that not only did royal bride, Stephanie, get two wedding dresses she also got a gala gown to go in her marriage wardrobe sandwich. As the happy couple celebrate their wood anniversary (yep, five years is really owning it with the gifts), let's get all sparkly and look back at a gala night to remember...


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After a triumph of a cream Chanel earlier in the day, Stephanie got us all ready for the big frock the following day by choosing a gown by her wedding dress designer. The bride was to wear Elie Saab for her religious marriage and she chose him to make her gala look as well.

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The dress, in gun metal grey, is a fabulous mix of regal and romance. Stephanie showed she was more than ready for her royal close up by picking a gown with all the interest in the neckline - most of the photos of it were taken as she sat down for dinner so the top had to be the star of the show. The pretty lace dress gives way to a sheer, ruched panel at the neck while there's also a pretty dipped, draped back to keep the interest going.



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This is pretty much pure fairytale princess stuff, with a fitted waist giving way to a gently flared skirt that skims into a mini train (it's a royal wedding, no one is getting away with cocktail here). The colour is strong enough to stand out against the opulence of the Ducal Palace where the gala dinner was given while soft enough to be bridal. There's plenty of glitter on the intricate lace overlay. Oh, and Stephanie added one of her new family's diamond tiaras to the look just to make sure the sparkle quota was filled.

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This was a stand out look for Stephanie and helped complete one of the most memorable royal bridal ensembles of the 21st century. Between the subtle charm of her Chanel at the civil wedding and the full on fabulousness of her Elie Saab dress for the religious marriage, this chic gala gown adds just the right note of glamour to produce a trio that any royal bride would be happy to wear. Five years on, Stephanie of Luxembourg's regal wedding wardrobe still stands the test of time.

Royal Wedding Outfits: Stephanie of Luxembourg

Royal Wedding Outfits: Stephanie of Luxembourg

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What's better than a royal wedding dress? Why, two royal wedding dresses of course. While more than one recent royal bride has gone through both a religious and civil ceremony to marry, not all of them get to do the double dress whammy. But Stephanie de Lannoy wasn't going to say 'I do' in just one frock. The future Grand Duchess of Luxembourg gave us two regal wedding looks for her two ceremonies five years ago this week. On the anniversary of her civil marriage to Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, here's a look back at what Stephanie wore to say 'I do' first time round.


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The civil marriage of Stephanie Marie Claudine Christine de Lannoy and Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie de Luxembourg took place at the Hotel de Ville in Luxembourg City on October 19th 2012. The then mayor of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, was in charge of proceedings - he, of course, is now the country's Prime Minister.

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The royal wedding of Stephanie and Guillaume was a huge affair and attracted a lot of global coverage, not least because the groom was the last heir to the throne of his generation to get married. But while the guest list for the religious marriage on October 20th included royalty from just about every corner of Europe and beyond, the civil wedding was for family only and rather low key. Apart from the huge crowds, endless flags and mammoth walkabout that came with it.

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For this first foray into the royal wedding spotlight, Stephanie chose a Chanel suit in dark cream with some rather slinky silver highlights. It is pure Chanel from its tweed texture to skirt and jacket shaping and it's really rather elegant.

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But as this is a wedding, and a royal one at that, there had to be a bit of bling. We all know that Luxembourg's royals can outglitter the best and rest of them without even blinking and Belgian born Stephanie showed she was more than with her husband's family on that, adding a silver bag and shoes  (Chanel, natch, as you can see from the soles) to her first wedding outfit and all without looking like a Christmas tree. They, in turn, welcomed her into the sparkly fold by all choosing outfits in muted metallic shades - yep, even Grand Duchess Maria Teresa kept it low key in burnished gold for her first born's big day. Elegance everywhere.

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It all works rather well together and while all brides are beautiful, Stephanie really did shimmer and shine on the first of her big days. The girl's a trooper, too. You can see her main wedding dress here tomorrow but before then pop back for a reminder of the rather lovely gala gown she wore on the night of October 19th for the glittering dinner sandwiched between her two weddings. Anyone who can entertain royalty just after one marriage and just before another is a duchess on a grand scale. Oh, and she rewore the Chanel at the end of wedding two for a fireworks performance. Stephanie of Luxembourg had being a royal bride down to a tee.

Three royal brides for October

Three royal brides for October

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Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, was an October bride
(photo Grand Cour Ducale)

You don't get that many royal weddings in October. It's getting chilly for a start and this part of the year in modern times is often pencilled in for overseas tours and State Visits while the regal agenda firmly beds in after the summer break. But every now and again we get an early autumn royal bride - here's a trio that said 'I do' in October.

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Countess Stephanie Marie Claudine Christine de Lannoy, October 19th and 20th 2012

The marriage of Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Stephanie de Lannoy in October 2012 was billed as the last wedding of an heir to the throne for the best part of a generation. The bride, who speciliased in languages, became engaged to her prince in April 2012 and they married in a civil ceremony at the Town Hall in Luxembourg on October 19th before a religious marriage at Notre Dame Cathedral the following day attended by royalty from around the world. Five years on, they are turning into the stars of a new royal generation.

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Infanta Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santisima Trinidad of Spain, October 4th 1997

Once upon a time, Spain's monarchy was among the most popular in the world and one of its favourite members was the Infanta Cristina. When the second daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain married Olympic bronze medal handball player, Inaki Urdangarin, in Barcelona on October 4th 1997 the bride was just about as popular as a bride gets and the couple were feted as a golden pairing among their generation. They were created Duke and Duchess of Palma de Mallorca  by the bride's father and had four children together. But a lot has changed in the past twenty years. The couple were accused of financial irregularities and ended up on trial. Earlier this year, Cristina was acquitted of fraud but her husband was found guilty of embezzlement and is appealing. But the wedding present of a proud papa is gone - Cristina lost the right to use the title of Duchess of Palma in 2015 before her acquittal. She remains sixth in line to the Spanish throne.

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Serena Alleyne Stanhope, October 8th 1993
The Queen's nephew, the new Earl Snowdon, was always a glamourous member of the extended Royal Family and when he married in 1993 it was a glittering affair. His bride, Serena Stanhope, was a distant cousin of Diana, Princess of Wales and wore a dress inspired by the famous creation chosen by her new mother-in-law, Princess Margaret, over two decades earlier. The marriage, at St Margaret's Church, Westminister on October 8th 1993, made front pages around the world and the bride's outfit remains among the most famous of modern royal times.