Archducal Wedding in Nancy

A wedding A “minor” royal wedding was celebrated today in Nancy, France when Archduke Christophe of Austria married Adelaide Drapé-Frisch. Christophe is the son of Archduke Carl Christian of Austria and Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria (née Princess of Luxembourg) – this makes him the grandson of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and the nephew of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. As such, the Luxembourg royals were out again to celebrate a royal wedding!

Let’s start with the bride- Adelaide wore an antique lace Habsburg veil- a family piece rumoured to have been worn by Empress Eugénie for her wedding to Napoleon III in 1853 (and also previously worn by her sisters-in-law Marie-Christine and Kathleen on their wedding days). Adelaide anchored the veil with the Luxembourg Royal Family’s Small Diamond Floral Tiara. I thought the lace veil and floral tiara were a perfect compliment to her satin dress.

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Mother of the groom, Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria (née Princess of Luxembourg), wore a dark brown brimless fur hat. I know this is a Christmas wedding but I somehow don’t see the connection between the dark fur hat and her beautiful powder blue suit. Powder = snow = need for a fur hat?! Somehow, this doesn’t work for me.

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Mother of the bride, Odile Drapé-Frisch, looks fantastic, even with the random explosion of orange feathers. I actually admire a mother-of-the-bride who can pull of orange because I suspect very, very few women can.

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Sister of the bride, Eleanor Drapé-Frisch, wore a large blue straw molded saucer hat with upswept ‘slice’ brim. While it’s lovely to see colour, I’m not sure this technicolour blue is the best look for her. I think I might have liked it a lot better if her hair was back in a chignon.

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Sister of the groom, Countess Marie-Christine de Limburg-Stirum, wore a beige fur hat with wide, cuffed bumper brim.

Sister-in-law of the groom, Archduchess Kathleen of Austria, wore a prim chocolate fur pillbox. I suppose if you’re going to wear a fur hat, you might as well choose a big one. I know there is a lot going on here- bouncy hair, weird angled hat- but somehow, I kind of like it.

Dec 29, 2012 | Royal Hats

Aunt of the groom, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, brought some sparkle to this celebration with a large Fabienne Delvigne beaded headpiece she has worn before. I think this was the right choice for this outfit- any larger hat would have competed too much with the fur collar on her brocade jacket.

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Cousin-in-law of the groom, Princess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, wore a dark green button base cocktail hat trimmed with grey and caramel twisted bows. I really, really, REALLY want to like this hat but the way she has placed it makes it look like a one-sided green earmuff. Although, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure better placement would help on this piece.

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Cousin of the groom, Princess Alexandra, wore a grey felt cloche. Top marks to Alexandra for bringing a quintessentially French hat shape to this French wedding. Très chic!

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Cousin-in-law of the groom Princess Tessy wore a chocolate felt pork pie/cloche hybrid hat. The hourglass shape is interesting but the velvet bow and bland colour leave me on the fence about this hat- I can’t decide if this is boring or twee. There’s also something funny going on with her hair and the perch of the hat.

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Future cousin-in-law of the groom, Claire Lademacher (soon to be Princess Claire), wore a black felt saucer trimmed with feathers and a large, flat bow.. Call me crazy but I think this combination of hat, chignon, biker coat and faux fur wrap is fabulous.

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Aunt of the groom, Princess Sibilla, oozed elegance in a classically shaped hat with black felt crown and wide red felt brim. Trimmed with red felt zigzag picks and black quills, the hat is appropriately Christmassy without being too obvious.

Photos from LUXPRESS/Jean-Claude ErnstBest Image; Abacca

Luxembourg Wedding: The Grand Ducal Family

Royal Hats Mother of the groom Grand Duchess Maria Teresa beamed from the moment she arrived until the last fireworks lit up the sky- she was one PROUD Mama. I just wish I could be as excited about her coral Fabienne Delvigne toque headpiece and matching Natan dress. My heart goes out to her- Maria Teresa is not tall and willowy like many of the other royals and hats are often tricky on a shorter person. There was just something off about the proportion of her dress collar and her swept back hair and hat. I think this Grand Duchess is better flattered by a larger brim and her hair down.

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Princess Tessy, on the other hand, had the proportions just right. I thought she looked STUNNING. Tessy, who is married to Henri and Maria Teresa’s third son Louis, carried off a large brimmed grey hat that perfectly complimented her unstructured asymetrical dress. Tessy has gained such poise and confidence since joining the royal family (with a slightly scandalous entry)  and I cheer loudly to see her looking so fabulous. Her hat was also designed by Belgian millinery designer Fabienne Delvigne.

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UPDATE December 2012: with her recent engagement to Prince Felix (Guillaume’s younger brother), Claire Lademacher will soon be a member of this family as well. For this wedding, she wore a striped black and white headband with black veil over her face.  It’s too avant garde for my taste and I can’t figure out how the soft pink coat related to the stark and graphic headpiece (not to mention the futuristic and hair puff).

Claire Lademacher | The Royal Hats Blog

Photos from Getty as indicated and Laurent Blum via Wort.lu