Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist were married today in a ceremony held Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace in Stockholm. It was a day filled with personal touches and a couple that radiated happiness.
Prince Carl Philip, who holds rank of major the Swedish Navy, wore the mess dress model uniform and cap circa 1878. His pale blue sash held the the Order of the Seraphim and the Star of the Order; the Order of the Polar Star cross on a black band around his neck.
Princess Sofia, as she is now known, wore a dress by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt. Made of multiple shades of white silk crepe, the strapless dress was overlaid with a long sleeve, v-necked overlay of Italian silk organza appliquéd with couture lace. The lace, made by José María Ruiz, was was hand-stitched to the dress. If you look closely at the princess cut gown, you will see lace trailing down the full length of the skirt, artfully concealing the seams on the silk crepe base layer. The dress did not provide the same ‘wow factor’ that other royal wedding dresses have created but I thought it was an elegant and very beautiful choice for Sofia’s entry into royal life.
Sofia’s full length veil of silk tulle organza was edged in a wide border of hand-embroidered cotton lace. She wore it off her face, anchored into her low chignon.
Sofia’s tiara choice today was a surprise, as it is new. Announced as a gift from the King and Queen for their new daughter-in-law, the tiara features emeralds atop a base row of palmettes. Coloured tiaras are not a usual choice for royal brides and I loved the unexpected pop of colour which blended beautifully with the traditional sprig of myrtle Sofia tucked into the back of her hair. I don’t believe the Swedish royal jewel collection has an emerald piece and this one, which is a perfect size for a petite princess, will be a great addition.
In a vast majority of the photos released, the newlyweds look to be bursting at the seams with happiness. If you have not already seen their exuberant recessional up the aisle after the wedding service, I strongly encourage you to watch it, beginning at 44:30 in the video below. It was not a traditional choice of royal wedding recessional music but it was obviously a choice special to this couple and I adored them for it.
Photos from Getty as indicated; Patrick van Katwijk/dpa and Patrick van Katwijk/dpa via Corbis
Royal Hats 
Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. How in love they appear. And what a beautiful smile Sofia has, so very natural. I loved watching it. Managing to put your personality and your values in to a royal wedding would not be easy, you’d imagine, but I think they did this really well. They are a very united couple it would appear. Many best wishes to them both. Thanks.
Lovely tiara with the touch of emeralds. I didn’t notice the myrtle in her hair. I think, like Kate’s lace wedding gown, the details of its beauty is hard to see in photographs unless a very closeup photo is taken.
What a great wedding! You can tell these two are actually in love & very happy together, unlike some other royal couples!
I think I go with everyone else – I wasn’t wowed. She does look lovely, but it’s not a standout dress. I do love that tiara though and emeralds are a great choice. I wish she’d done a lot more with the green though, she could have played with that a bit.
I’ve only just got round to watching it all – actually in motion I like the dress much more. And they are so happy – it’s incredibly touching. But oh my God. The music! Umbrella?! Really?! And that recessional. Hmm, well they clearly love it, but I can’t help thinking some of the older queens were wondering what on earth was going on. I’m afraid I found it a slip into naffness. But hey, I’m a grouch!
I don’t think you’re being a grouch, JamesB; you can’t help it if you have good musical taste. I agree with you, being a musician myself. My gripe is twofold: 1. NO HATS! Maybe it’s just as well, since the church seemed rather hot, with all the fanning taking place. 2. The groom is extremely handsome, why is he hiding behind such a beard?
Oh I don’t mind a bit of Carl-Phillip’s beard… I think he looks rather hot myself!
At first glance, I thought Sofia’s dress was boring. A closer look shows much more detail and a perfect fit. One of the best fitting royal wedding dresses in a long time. The design was a perfect choice for her shape.
It fit her perfectly as you say and she seemed very comfortable. For a “small” royal wedding, it was a good choice. I like the veil and the tiara more than I like her dress.
Love the recessional!!! Kudos to them. The entire family looks so supportive of each other and really enjoy each other’s company.
It’s a nice dress. Not spectacular but nice. I thought it was weird that she went with a super traditional dress but didn’t do anything to cover her tattoo. I watched the wedding and the music was WAY out there. Never thought I’d hear a Rhianna song at a royal wedding. AWKWARD.
It looks like Sofia had a second, one shoulder gown that she changed into for late night dancing
http://ow.ly/i/bioF9
Nice group of photos – her dress was lovely and he looks so happy today. The new tiara is going to get a nod of approval from me – the emeralds might look lost on some who would wear this one, but it looks quite nice on her dark hair.