Warning: Photo Heavy!

A royal wedding means gown commentary, and the recent Greek royal nuptials are no exception.

It was a formal wedding but with a relaxed, happy twist that was perfect for their Mediterranean surroundings. Below, the great and the good (along with a few questionable choices thereafter):

The bride, Tatiana – Her wedding dress was an ivory Angel Sanchez gown with lace overlay. It was paired with a matching lace bolero jacket and full-length veil, topped off with a stunning tiara borrowed from her new mother-in-law. This tiara was also worn by Tatiana’s sister-in-law, Princess Marie-Chantal.

Marie of Denmark – a sand-colored gown and a stylish fan finishing the look. Bravo!

Princess Victoria of Sweden – her brilliant warm tangerine gown with empire waist fits and flows elegantly. Perfect!

Princess Letizia – a warm blue gown that wraps in the style of a Greek goddess, with a matching Hellenic column bracelet.

Nikolaos’ cousin, Infanta Cristina, looked splendid but serious in a black and gray floral gown with matching wrap.

The “Oh No!” Brigade:

Princess Madeleine of Sweden – an aqua gown the color of the Mediterranean Sea; a top the style of…a lettuce leaf?

Princess Mary and Princess Maxima – the the light and airy colors flatter Maxima, but the skirt of the gown is too fussy. The color and pattern of Mary’s gown, though it’s an elegant cut, falls flat.

The groom’s brother and sister, Prince Philippos and Princess Theodora – the stylish Philippos looked handsome in his suit. Funny enough, the men’s suits seem too heavy in comparison with the women’s gowns in such sunny, warm weather.

J’adore Theodora’s gown, except for the top. It cuts much too tightly across her bosom, and the bejeweled strap seems out of place.

Nikolaos’ other Spanish cousin, Elena, (L) looked much better without her candy pink jacket. The dress is still too dated though, looking like something out of the 1980s. Princess Rosario of Bulgaria (R) kept things much more simple.

Royal Updates for July 2010.

Prince Albert gets engaged to Charlene Wittstock, and Princess Victoria of Sweden marries her Daniel. What the heck would Diana be like today, had she lived? What’s up with Crown Princess Letizia of Spain? Welcome to the latest edition of RoyaltyNow! Click here to view the latest!

Prince Albert of Monaco has proposed to his girlfriend Charlene Wittstock.

The Palace of Monaco officially announced the engagement of HSH Prince Albert II with Ms Charlene Wittstock on June 23rd. This is the first marriage for the 52-year-old prince and for Charlene, 32.

His Highness is the son of the late Prince Rainier III and the American actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly. Albert succeeded to the throne upon Rainier’s death in July 2005.

Charlene Lynette Wittstock is of South African nationality. Born on January 25th, 1978 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, she is a former Olympic swimmer and described by the Palace’s official statement as ‘a youth worker’.

Charlene’s engagement ring is as stunning and large as that of Albert’s mother, Princess Grace:

Stylelist.com says:

Her pear-shaped engagement ring, set in unique gray gold, is the “Tethys” design created by Parisian jeweler Maison Repossi. The sparkler’s huge center stone is embellished with round diamond brilliants.

Many congratulations to them both!

My final post before vacation focused on the royal jewels that might be seen at Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding. The royal women certainly did not disappoint; everything sparkled and looked magnificent.

I saw some tiaras that were amazing as well as amazingly out of place. Let’s check it out, but a word to the wise: this post is picture-laden. It may take a moment to load.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

The Cuban-born lovely usually wears beautiful jewels that fit her appearance, but in this instance, the tiara was too big. It seemed to weigh too heavily for someone as petite as Maria Teresa.

According to Royal Magazin, the origin of this Empire Diamant tiara is not known. The tiara’s design of laurel leaves dates to around the mid of the 19th century. It had been worn by Grand Duke Henri’s mother, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte. Read more…

As if the wedding wasn’t sweet enough already:

I love Princess Vic. What a great wedding! It will go down in royal history.

Since her engagement last February, Crown Princess Victoria has been waist-deep in wedding business: choosing her gown, flowers, and most importantly, her jewels.

Many details have not been made public yet, but one important tidbit we do know is that Victoria has chosen the Cameo tiara as her headpiece. One of the oldest jewels in the Swedish royal family’s collection, the Cameo tiara was worn by the princess’s mother, Silvia, when she married King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Owned by the French Empress Josephine, it was inherited by her granddaughter and namesake, Duchess Josephine of Leuchtenberg, who brought it to Sweden when she married the future King Oscar I. It has been passed down by the Bernadotte dynasty ever since.

We know what Victoria will be wearing for a tiara, but what about the other royal women attending the ceremony? What cascades of jewels will be adorning regal heads – and gowns – across Europe? Take a look at Royal Jewels of the World, Royal Dutch Jewels, and Royal Magazin for an idea of the magnificence that may appear on the day.

For more possibilities, Read more…

Crown Princess Letizia’s wedding and engagement bands (on her right hand) and a Bvlgari ring (on her left).