Bledapestra, Polonge
March 9, 2078
Crown Princess Maria Christina and Prince-Royal Matthieu are married!
All eyes were on the bride as she made her way towards the abbey. She showed few signs of nerves, smiling and waving at the crowds from her limousine and sat next to her uncle, Archduke Leopold, Grand Duke of Crisana. The bride opted for a gorgeous and regal creation by Elizabeth Percy, an A-line dress floor length off the shoulder lace sleeves, a swagged train and a fine veil of chantilly lace. According to Bleda Palace the dress "epitomises timeless craftsmanship by the best in the world for the best in the world".
Flanked by her sister and maid of honour, Archduchess Maria Amalia, who was wearing a long, cream silk gown, the bride was also accompanied by young bridesmaids Crown Princess Michelle of Poland, Tünde Papp, Princess Charlotte Josepha of Lüneburg, and Bernadette Szilágyi, and pageboys Prince Christopher de Condé and László Katona-András.
Matthieu stood next to his maternal cousin, Prince Jean, and as Maria Christina joined him at the altar he and the heir to the throne broke into a smile. Maria Christina’s mother, Empress Maria Anna, wearing a fitted blue-grey Kis Endrecoutfit, looked on with pride.
The wedding was recorded as the largest public Imperial event since Francis II’s coronation in the 2016 and the event with the most foreign dignitaries as guest ever in Polonge. Guests included eleven heads of states and monarchs outside of Polonge:
Empress Anna Charlotte of the Dutch-Empire,
Empress Katherine II of Atmora,
Kaiser Wilhelm III of Rhine-East Berlin,
Prince Regent André of Derita,
Primarch Eelco Harrevelts of Irav,
King Henrique II of Espana,
Queen Caroline of Great Hyruke,
Queen Adela of Genes,
Queen Marié Thérèsa of Naples,
King Infinity of Timeria
King Louis of Venise,
King Nicholas of Modensora,
and King Leopold I of Beliany
Other royals included Crown Princesses Autumn, Michelle, Juliana and Caroline and Crown Princes Jacques, Baudouin, Nicholas and François. Two prime ministers also attended, Lord Variés of Derita and Lord Rhodeste of Beliany. All of Maria Christina’s aunts and uncles and cousins attended, expect for the Grand Duke and Duchess of Lorraine. The same was true for Matthieu expect his uncle Leo III, his aunt Princess Maria Raphaela, his cousin King Luis II of Portugal.
The wedding ceremony passed without hitch, with the only moment of tension provided as Matthieu struggled to put the ring, the same one his mother, Empress Aubrey of the Royally United Provinces had worn, fashioned from Provite gold given to Matthieu by his grandfather, on his bride's finger.
After the vows Cardinal Kristóf Várádos, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Polonge, declared: "I pronounce that them be man and wife together, in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
In a prayer, written by the couple for the occasion, they said: "God our father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage."
As the couple left Saint Stephen’s Basilica, the crowds, some of whom had been camping for days for the moment, erupted into a fresh wave of cheers as they climbed into state landau carriages for the horse-drawn procession to Bleda Palace.
The married couple waved at crowds as they passed the crowds via Parliament Square, Sandárplatoa, Fortess Domonkos and Saint Alanna Square. Despite fears of thundery showers, threatening grey skies produced no rain.
The couple joined the Empress who is giving a lunchtime reception at Bleda Palace for 650 guests, described by the palace as "a private gathering for guests drawn from the congregation who will represent the couple's official and private lives". Here they had their marriages blessed by former Emperor Francis II, former Empress Alanna and former Empress Josephine.
At just before 1:30 pm Matthieu and Maria Christina kissed for the first time in public on the balcony of Bleda Palace over looking the Danuj River. The fleeting embrace sent the already ecstatic crowds wild, and was repeated during a flypast.
After more than five minutes of waving to the crowds, the couple walked hand in hand back through the doors of the palace. Earlier, stepping on to the balcony, Matthieu appeared to gasp "Oh my" as the royal couple saw the tens of thousands of well-wishers lining Saint Alanna Square before being joined by members of their family.
The Empress of Polonge will give a private dinner, followed by dancing, for close friends and family.