Maxima Zorreguieta and HRH The Prince of Orange
February 2, 2002
Princess Maxima has her fair share of hot mess appearances, but when she gets it right, few can surpass her. In this Valentino couture gown, Maxima was at the top of her game.
The dress was made of ivory Mikado silk. It was an excellent material selection; despite the fact that the wedding included lots of movement (Maxima traveled by both car and carriage and moved between two different venues for the civil and religious ceremonies), not a wrinkle was to be found.
The five meter long train was inset with panels of embroidered lace. The star tiara supported a veil of silk tulle decorated with floral motifs, hand-embroidered in true couture fashion. Maxima’s tiara combined the base of the Dutch Pearl Button Tiara with some of Queen Emma's diamond stars as attachments. This is a love/hate tiara: you either go weak for the stars, or you decry them for their kitsch. Me, I go weak. The height of the stars was perfect for the way the veil was attached, and the motif was a great complement to the sparkle in Maxima’s eyes as she wed her prince.
It's appropriately modest (with extra modesty added in, even), and could be seen as a bit stiff. But it's regal, and I think it went a long way in terms of transforming the exuberant South American into a true Princess.
Not only is this one of my favorite gowns, it’s one of my favorite weddings. Getting the right tone in a royal wedding is a hard thing to do; it would be strange to have all of the personal touches that a regular wedding usually has, given the wedding is something of a state event; but take too much of the emotion out and you’ll end up with a fancy business transaction. 2/2/02 hit just the right notes. The atmosphere was relaxed enough that there was laughter inside the church when the crowds outside punctuated the vows with great cheers. Silent tears rolled down Maxima’s face as a beautiful Argentine tango was played in honor of her homeland and in memory of her parents, who did not attend due to controversy surrounding her father’s past role in government:
Tears me up every time.
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Photos: Hola/ANP/Reuters/Jerry Lampen/Polfoto/Ed Oudenaarden/Pool/Benelux Press