By Vennette Lailani Seprado
The glamorous Monégasque royals celebrated the nuptials of one of its most photographed members, the beautiful Charlotte Casiraghi to film producer Dimitri Rassam on June 1st, 2019. The photogenic couple’s civil wedding ceremony was held at Monaco’s Prince’s Palace Throne Room where Charlotte’s grandmother actress Grace Kelly wed Prince Rainier in 1956.
As soon as photos emerged in public, royal and fashion watchers quickly pointed out the modern ways in which the bride paid tribute to her famous grandmother. After the ceremony, Charlotte was snapped with her new husband wearing a silvery gray brocade mini dress from Yves Saint Laurent, adorned with three large crystal embellished bows down the front. The short lace dress designed by Anthony Vaccarello for YSL drew comparisons from Grace Kelly’s civil wedding dress designed by Helen Rose. The late Princess Grace wore a two-piece ensemble covered with Alençon lace in a dusty shade of pink. The lace covered taffeta suit paired a tea-length skirt with a fitted bodice and rounded collar with a sweet little bow accent. The bows on Charlotte’s dress is thought to be a nod to the three bows that featured on the back of Princess Grace’s iconic wedding dress.
Following the service, the family hosted a traditional picnic-style reception at the terraced gardens of Ville La Vigie Hotel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the notable attendees were Prince Albert II, his wife Princess Charlene, and their children, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques. Also in attendance was the bride’s mother Princess Caroline of Hanover, her brothers, Andrea and Pierre Casiraghi together with their wives Tatiana Santo Domingo and Beatrice Borromeo. They celebrated their union along with 300 guests which also included the groom’s mother, famed French beauty Carole Bouquet, the couple’s children from their previous relationships and their seven-month-old son Balthazar.
At the reception, the bride changed into her second look which was all things Old Hollywood. Her shoulder length hair was coiffed into a faux bob reminiscent of Princess Grace’s hairstyle in the 1950s by Paris-based stylist, John Nollet. Charlotte’s vintage hairstyle was perfect for her custom-made Chanel bustier dress with elaborate folds and a cinched waist that was inspired by a look from the label’s Spring 2019 collection. Her strapless white silk dress was another nod to one of her grandmother’s most famous cinematic looks from the 1955 film, To Catch A Thief.
If the references to Princess Grace aren’t obvious enough, then the three-strand round and baguette diamond festoon necklace from Cartier should convince just about anyone that the bride’s grandmother was a major inspiration for her wedding styling. The sparkling piece was one of the wedding gifts of Prince Ranier to his new bride in 1956. Princess Grace also wore the necklace for the opera gala held on the night of her civil wedding ceremony.
Charlotte wed Dimitri Rassam in a second ceremony with family and friends in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence at the Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Pierredon just outside of Saint-Remy in the south of France. The church ceremony was followed by a private evening reception in Provence.
For the religious ceremony, she wore a custom made gown by Giambattista Valli with a vintage vibe very similar to her mother’s bridal look. She clutched a natural bouquet of lavender common in the area. She completed her bridal look with a floral diadem to fasten her veil which was part of a larger piece belonging to her mother.
