American actress Grace Patricia Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 in two separate ceremonies: a civil ceremony on 18 April and in a Catholic Mass on 19 April. The wedding was called "The Wedding of the Century" and is still considered one of the most beautiful weddings ever.
Jump to the dress, the jewels, the flowers, the guests, Wedding in Monaco film, books, trivia, pictures, and photos & posters.
Grace Kelly's wedding gown was designed by Helen Rose, who had dressed her in High Society and The Swan. The gown was the most expensive dress that Rose had ever made.
The wedding dress consisted of a rounded collar, full skirt of ivory peau de soie, and a fitted bodice made from Brussels lace embroidered with seed pearls. The lace was over a century old and had flower designs in it. 25 yards of silk taffeta and 100 yards of silk net were used in the construction of the dress.
Under her wedding gown, Grace's petticoats had tiny blue satin bows.
The story of Grace's engagement to Rainier is told in With This Ring: The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Jewelry by Penny Proddow and Marion Fasel.
Grace's Cartier engagement ring from Rainier featured a 10.47-carat emerald-cut diamond and two baguette diamonds mounted in platinum. She wore the ring as her character's engagement ring in High Society.
On 28 December 1955, Grace started to let people know about her engagement to Rainier. Rainier gave her a friendship ring, a band with diamonds and rubies, until the diamond engagement ring could be made.
Grace also received a beautiful jewelry set created especially for her by Van Cleef & Arpels, consisting of a necklace, bracelet and earrings of diamonds and pearls. She can be seen wearing it in Van Cleef & Arpels by Sylvie Raulet.
Create your own diamond ring at Amazon.com.
Grace's bridal bouquet was of lily-of-the-valley, and the ribbons of her bouquet had small sprigs attached to them. She left the bouquet on the altar of the Chapel of St. Dévote after the wedding.
Grace Kelly's "Juliet cap" headpiece was decorated with orange blossoms. Reproductions of the headpiece can be purchased at Long Live the Marriage.
Grace's matrons of honor carried bouquets of tea roses, and the flower girls carried white daisies.
Cary Grant, David Niven, Gloria Swanson, Aristotle Onassis, Ava Gardner, and Aga Khan all attended the wedding.
Grace Kelly's wedding was filmed and released as Wedding in Monaco. It can be viewed in two part:
A wonderful book, full of fantastic photographs of your favorite bride. The book starts by giving a good overview of Grace's personal style, and then goes right into the details of the wedding, with a strong focus on her wedding gown.
Synopsis: One of the most admired women in the world, Grace Kelly (1929–1982) is remembered for her beauty, grace and style. Her 'fairy-tale' wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 was one of the most celebrated of the century. To commemorate its 50th anniversary, this lovely book tells the story behind her wedding gown, cap, veil, shoes and prayer book, all given by the new princess to the Philadelphia Museum of Art shortly after the ceremony. Philadelphia-born Grace Kelly rocketed to Hollywood stardom, becoming a major box-office draw and winning an Academy Award. She also was an icon of classic American style, which became known as the 'Grace Kelly Look'. After examining the development of the star's on- and off-screen style, the book focuses on her magnificent wedding dress, designed by Helen Rose and made by MGM Studios under top secret security. Public interest in the star's wedding dress was intense, and it remains one of the most popular objects in the Museum's collection. Stunning colour images detail the wedding dress, accessories and attendants' dresses, which are also owned by the Museum. Numerous historical photographs illustrate the actress's career, style and the famous wedding in Monaco.
This book focuses primarily on the weddings of Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Bouvier, and Lady Diana Spencer, and includes photos from many other famous weddings. Grace has her own chapter, "From Star to Princess: The Wedding of Grace Kelly", which contains quite a few interesting facts about and photos of Grace's wedding to Rainier, including one of the few rare color wedding photos of the ceremony that we've seen.
This book is about Grace's wedding, but also about her friendship with the author. It is refreshing to see Grace portrayed in a friendly light.
On her wedding day, Grace Kelly gave new meaning to the word icon. Her whole look, from the regal veil to the feminine lace details and the conservative gown, made her an ageless bride.