From Monaco with Love: Our Favorite Royal Weddings Courtesy of the House of Grimaldi

By Shayna Seid

From Grace Kelly to her granddaughter Charlotte Casiraghi, Monaco’s royalty has long been in the spotlight for their lavish nuptials. The dress Kelly wore to her religious ceremony is so iconic it’s still regularly referenced by brides today. Lucky for us, tradition in Monaco calls for a civil ceremony and a later, usually more elaborate, religious ceremony, so Monegasque royal brides wear at least two wedding looks each—giving us even more fashion to ogle. Scroll through the below to learn more about the House of Grimaldi and to see more of the unforgettable ways these royals have said “I do.”

Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly

On April 18, 1956, American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in a quiet civil ceremony in the palace throne room. She wore a champagne and pink embroidered floral suit, by Helen Rose from MGM, and a Juliet cap. The pair met at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955, and after a yearlong romance, the two wed. The next day at St. Nicholas Cathedral, the couple had their grander religious ceremony, where Kelly wore her iconic lace gown, again by Helen Rose. The groom wore a military uniform that he designed himself. Among the 200 guests were Cary Grant, Ava Gardner, Aristotle Onassis, and Conrad Hilton. The couple received a Rolls-Royce convertible from the people of Monaco and paraded in it after being pronounced husband and wife. Then, the they hopped onto a 147-foot yacht called Deo Juvante II, a gift from Onassis, and spent their honeymoon cruising around the Mediterranean.

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III at their religious ceremony.

Princess Caroline and Philippe Junot

Daughter of Her Serene Highness Princess Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III, Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite Grimaldi married three times. The first was to 38-year-old Parisian businessman Philippe Junot in June 1978, when she was just 21. When Princess Caroline told her parents that she wanted to marry Junot, they refused to give their approval for months. However, after approval was granted, they had an intimate palace service on the 28th and an outdoor religious ceremony on the 29th, in the courtyard, as the Royal Chapel couldn’t fit all their guests. The latter ceremony was attended by 500 people, including Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Cary Grant, and Gregory Peck, and the princess wore a Christian Dior gown. They honeymooned in French Polynesia, but the pair split in 1980.

Princess Caroline and Philippe Junot after their religious ceremony.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene

Reigning Prince Albert II of Monaco, at 53 years old, married South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock in the summer of  2011. They had a civil ceremony on July 1st inside the Palace Throne Room, where the bride wore a light blue chiffon jumpsuit with palazzo pants and a blazer by Karl Lagerfeld. And then the next day, they had a Roman Catholic ceremony, which Naomi Campbell attended. Rumor has it Wittstock got cold feet beforehand, but ultimately, the wedding went off without a hitch, and the bride wore an off-the-shoulder Armani Privé silk gown with 40,000 Swarovski crystals to walk down the aisle.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene after their religious ceremony.

Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo

Princess Caroline’s eldest son, Andrea Casiraghi married daughter of the Colombian brewing family Tatiana Santo Domingo in a civil ceremony in August 2013 at the Prince’s Palace. The pair was introduced by Andrea’s sister Charlotte. The bride wore a bohemian Missoni dress and a floral headpiece. The newlyweds were joined by their 400 guests next to the pool at the palace. The couple had a second candlelit ceremony in Gstaad in February 2014, where the bride wore a bespoke Valentino gown. Guests included Valentino, Margherita Missoni, and Mario Testino.

Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo after their civil service.

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo

Princess Caroline and Stefano Casiraghi’s son, Pierre Casiraghi married Beatrice Borromeo, who comes from an ancient Italian aristocratic family, in 2015. They had a civil ceremony at the Grimaldi palace with 70 guests, and held celebrations for 700 at the palace and at the Hotel de Paris. The bride had three outfit changes, and wore a pale pink and gold lace silk chiffon Valentino Haute Couture dress, by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Poccioli, during her ceremony. They then hosted a second ceremony in Italy the following week. The religious ceremony was held on the private Isolino di San Giovanni in Lake Maggiore, where Borromeo wore a custom ivory Armani Privé gown.

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo at their Italian ceremony.

Charlotte Casiraghi and Dimitri Rassam

Princess Caroline’s daughter Charlotte Casiraghi married film producer Dimitri Rassam in a civil ceremony at the Prince’s Palace in early June 2019. She wore a long-sleeve Saint Laurent mini-dress in a brocade fabric similar to the one that her grandmother Grace Kelly wore to her civil ceremony in 1956. For the reception, Casiraghi changed into a strapless Chanel gown with a three-strand Cartier diamond necklace given to her grandmother by her grandfather. A larger religious ceremony in Southern France is on the horizon.

Charlotte Casiraghi and Dimitri Rassam at their reception, after their civil ceremony.