Wedding blends tradition with diversity
Norwegian press catches glimpses of royal celebration
Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
The Norwegian press caught a brief glimpse of the wedding couple inside the bridal tent.
NTB
NTB reports that many of the guests felt overwhelmed after the wedding of Princess Märtha and Durek Verrett on Aug. 31. The couple gave each other their yes, after a ceremony that was described by the guests as very moving.
“It was beautiful, solemn, and filled with lots of happiness and joy,” Norwegian television celebrity Lilli Bendriss says. “The many international guests at the princess’ wedding made the experience extra special.”
Cultural breadth
Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
Harald Austad and Margie Plus, friends of the bridal couple from Los Angeles, came out in living color for the wedding.
Several guests praised the wedding celebration for the diversity of its participants, content, and execution. Already on the way up the red carpet, it was clear that this was a meeting between different cultures. There were many Norwegian guests, including several members of the royal family. The contrast was with the style of the American guests, some in very colorful outfits, was stark.
Very little was known in advance about the ceremony in the tent at Vinjevollen, apart from the fact that parish priest Margit Lovise Holte was to perform the wedding, with assistance from the American celebrity pastor Michael Beckwith.
Afterward, the artist Björg Thorhallsdottir stated that it was a dignified and beautiful wedding, with wonderful breadth, from Sámi joik to a performance of “Amazing Grace.”
Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB
Pictured here on the royal yacht, King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Prince Sverre Magnus wore their traditional Norwegian bunads to the wedding ceremony.
Hidden under canvas and in tents
The guests waited a long time for the bride, who thus arrived at the tent almost an hour behind schedule, hidden by a sea of white tablecloths. One could still get a small glimpse of the bride in an opening in the cloth in TV 2’s live broadcast.
Märtha Louise was dressed in a traditional white wedding dress, wearing a tiara, which, according to royal expert Trond Norén Isaksen, is her own.
Durek Verrett, on the other hand, was wearing a black tuxedo. Celebrity stylist Jan Thomas, who had styled the princess’s hair, also came out from behind the curtain. TV 2’s images showed that it was her daugther Maud Angelica who led her mother into the tent.
“Märtha was so beautiful when she entered, and it made an impression to see her with Maud by her side,” said Thorhallsdottir.
Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB
Prinsesse Märtha Louise’s daughters, Maud Angelica Behn, Emma Tallulah Behn, and Leah Isadora Behn, head to the hotel for the reception and dinner.
Ready to party
After the couple had said their vows, the guests eventually came out of the tent. The members of the Norwegian royal family came out first, followed by their royal counterparts from Sweden and the Netherlands. They waved to everyone, before entering a separate side entrance to the Hotel Union, where the wedding celebration continued.
According to the program, the stage was set for afternoon tea in the garden or foyer of the hotel, before drinks were served at 5:30 p.m. It gave some guests time to change from, for example, bunad to gala attire.
The wedding dinner started at 6.30 p.m.
Photo: Cornelius Poppe
Newlyweds Prinsess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett arrive at the Hotel Union in Geiranger for the post-ceremony celebration.
All according to plan
Large police resources were deployed during the wedding celebration.
“The event has been somewhat delayed, but everything has gone according to plan, and there are no unwanted incidents, “said operations manager Sindre Molnes in the Møre og Romsdal police district to NTB.
First official royal wedding photo
Photo: Maja Moan / NTB
This is the first official group photo of the wedding of Princess Märtha Lousie in Geiranger.
The photo was taken in a private room at the Hotel Union after the wedding by the bride and groom’s private photographer.
King Harald, Queen Sonja, the Crown Prince couple, Princess Ingrid Alexandra ,and Prince Sverre Magnus are in the picture.
Also in the picture are royals from Sweden and the Netherlands, including Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. The groomsmen, bridal attendants, and flower girls are also present.
The royal house has excluded itself from the exclusive photo arrangements for the wedding. This means that the royal family has refused to allow themselves to be filmed and photographed by the media who have been given exclusive rights during Märtha and Durek’s wedding when only they are present. This picture is thus the first official picture where they are photographed together with the bride and groom.
The British weekly magazine Hello! has the image rights to the princess wedding in Geiranger.
See also “Princess Märtha Louise weds Durek Verrett” by Lori Ann Reinhall, The Norwegian American, September 2024.
