How about a little Wedding Tiara Wednesday fun? Last weekend, Maria Teresita of Saxony, a descendant of numerous European monarchs, was married in Dresden wearing a beautiful tiara and jewels.
On Friday, Maria Teresita arrived at the Hofkirche in Dresden for her wedding to a French aristocrat, Béryl-Alexandre de Saporta. The bride was escorted by her father, Alexander, who is one of two people who claims to be the head of the House of Saxony. Alexander is a great-grandson of King Friedrich August III, the last King of Saxony, through his mother, Princess Anna of Saxony.
In 1999, Alexander was adopted by his childless uncle, Prince Maria Emanuel, so that he could inherit the headship of the house, a decision that was agreed to at the time by the other dynasts of the family. Later, though, Alexander’s uncle, Albert, retracted his agreement, as did two other family members who had previously signed on. Instead, Albert decided to support the claim of a cousin, Rüdiger (who died last year). There are all sorts of questions involved in this regarding equal marriages and dynastic qualifications. Ultimately, the two men who argue that they are the Head of the House of Saxony are Alexander, father of the bride at this weekend’s wedding, and Rüdiger’s eldest son, Daniel.
This is all a family matter, of course. There hasn’t been a King of Saxony since 1918.
Through her mother, Gisela, Maria Teresita is descended from even more historical monarchs. Gisela is a great-granddaughter of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria, through her late father, Prince Rasso. Through her mother, Archduchess Theresa of Austria, she’s a great-granddaughter of Emperor Franz Josef I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, among others. Above, Alexander and Gisela are pictured at the recent gala reception celebrating the wedding of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and his bride, Sophie.
Maria Teresita’s new husband also comes from a noble background. Béryl-Alexandre de Saporta is a member of an aristocratic French family. The young couple wed in a French civil ceremony in Ivoy-le-Pré on May 27, and the festivities continued with a Roman Catholic religious ceremony in Dresden on September 23.
Maria Teresita wore a classic wedding gown in heavy satin fabric for the religious ceremony. The dress featured bracelet-length sleeves and a standing collar.
The dress had a lengthy embroidered train, emphasized by a cathedral-length veil.
Maria Teresita secured the veil with a lovely tiara made of diamonds, aquamarines, and pearls. The diadem features aquamarines set in diamond clusters and diamond fleur-de-lis elements, surmounted by a row of pearls and nine pear-shaped aquamarine and diamond toppers. Our friend Stefan has shared that the tiara was previously worn by the bride’s paternal great-grandmother, Princess Elisabeth Helene of Thurn and Taxis, who was the wife of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, the second son of King Friedrich August III.
The bride added a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings to coordinate with the tiara.
She finished off the look with a delicate pearl necklace, worn with a heart-shaped diamond and aquamarine pendant.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.