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.

Prince Nikolaos and Tatiana Blatnik have tied the knot today, surrounded by family and friends. The wedding took place on the Greek island of Spetses, in the Cathedral of Ayios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas) church.

Tatiana is now known as Her Royal Highness Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark.

A few people have asked me why the Greek royal family are known as princes/princesses of both Greece and Denmark. This is because King Constantine is a male-line descendant of Christian IX of Denmark, so he and his family retain this title. Constitutional changes, however, removed the Greek royals from the line of Danish succession since they are a lower cadet branch of Denmark’s House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Read more…

Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark is set to marry his fiancee, Tatiana Blatnik, tomorrow afternoon. The wedding is to take place on the Greek island of Spetses.

Nikolaos is the second son of former King Constantine II of Greece and Queen Anne-Marie. He is a close relation to many royals across Europe and is the nephew of two Queens – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (his mother’s sister) and Queen Sofia of Spain (his father’s sister).

Bride-to-be Tatiana holds a degree in sociology from Georgetown University in Washington. She studied public relations in Switzerland and currently works in the PR office of Diane von Furstenburg.

In an article for Taki’s Magazine, writer Nadine Jolie says that Prince William has to settle for Kate Middleton whether he likes it or not. Settle he has – it seems that no one else can be produced nor are they willing to step forward. Or, God forbid, Kate and Wills really love each other!

Jolie lists a few potential mates that she says would be preferable to Miss Middleton: Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, and Monaco’s Charlotte Casiraghi, Grace Kelly’s granddaughter (how would that be for Anglo-American relations!).

Even though Europe still has a few single princesses up its collective sleeve, it would seem improbable that the heir to Queen Elizabeth II would marry another royal or a European at this point. However, to this blogger, marrying another royal would benefit the monarchy in Britain. The girl would already be a princess to begin with, so no speculation about social climbing. She would most likely have money, so there would be no accusations of “gold digging”. The girl would know what is expected in a royal marriage and already be acclimated to the limelight. The perfect solution!

Jolie produces some good ideas, except for Charlotte Casiraghi. I like her, but she is not British princess material. She’s far too carefree, having lived the glamorous high life in her family’s Mediterranean principality since she was born. Charlotte is undoubtedly elegant and poised, but the British Royal Family would be too restrictive for her. Monaco is royalty with a small ‘r’; Britain is royalty with a capital ‘R’ with mountains of world history on its shoulders. Diana Spencer was looking to marry into what she thought would be similar to Grimaldi glamor, but she realized too late that the Windsors did not work that way.

Jolie also points out that many aristocratic, well-heeled girls like Diana already knew that about their monarchy and turned Prince Charles down. The same can most likely be said for the aristo English roses of today. Arabella Musgrave, Olivia Hunt, and the triple-barreled traditional aristocrat Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe are all shying away from being a royal bride. So, Kate Middleton it is.

Thanks to British Royal Wedding for the link!

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!

Spain’s Crown Princess Letizia was looking decidedly thin at the wedding of Victoria of Sweden.

Letizia donned an eye-catching red gown for the pre-nuptial celebrations the night before. Her arms were sinewy and her body mass index seemed as though it would barely register on a scale.

Since marrying Crown Prince Felipe of Spain in 2004, Letizia has undergone several changes in her appearance. The most recent was her nasal surgery, described as a necessity for a deviated septum. The bridge of her nose, which once sported a natural bump, was shaved completely straight. Her shoes were also designed to make her look different – though stylish, they have platforms on the bottom to make Letizia appear several inches taller.

The most drastic change is her weight: it seems to have dropped substantially, a worrying sign. Letizia is a petite woman and probably doesn’t weigh much to begin with, but her bones are starting to become noticable.

Has becoming a Princess caused Letizia extreme stress over her appearance? She was a very high-profile person as a news journalist on Spanish television, but as the wife of the heir to the throne, she naturally has a different kind of responsibility and an image to maintain. Has it all proved to be too much?

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…