Marie Antoinette's

I found this excellent account of the wedding ceremony between Marie Antoinette and Louis-Auguste. This is not about the festivities, which were no doubt fun, but the actual ceremony that took place.

Film still from Marie Antoinette (2006).

Before her royal wedding, the Duchess of Lauzun had never met her husband to be.  Amélie was engaged to the Armand Gontaut-Biron, who would become the duc de Lauzun. The boy was gifted with both ambition and charm (and he wasn't hard on the eyes either!)

He had had a few flings here and there so one can imagine the suspense to an engagement with a lady he did not know.  What did he know? She was very accomplished.  Raised by a grandmother who was an infamous member of the court of Louis XV, Amélie was well versed in court etiquette.  Elegant and graceful, she had been described as "exquisitely beautiful."  Elegance and grace certainly don't hurt a girl's beauty!

So it may not be surprising that the young duc had to see his beautiful bride to be.  An arrangement was made for him to attend a ball where Amélie would also be in attendance.  He would go in a disguise as not to be recognized by the guests.  When he got there,  he saw his bride, and was happily captivated by her beauty!

Unfortunately for Amélie, her husband-to-be was admiring the beauty of a Mademoiselle de Roth. Oops!  When he figured out his error and saw Amélie, as exquisite as she was, her beauty paled in comparison to Mademoiselle de Roth.  A circumstance beyond her control, the duc had a bad first impression, and never let go of that!

Johanna Öst, 2009. Digital Photograph. Website.

After rumors circulated that he was to marry Adelaide, the king's daughter, the Duc de Chartres' luck took an unexpected turn.  Of course, there was nothing wrong with marrying a daughter of France, but the suggested match never fully fabricated.  In fact, had he had his way, he may well have married one of the daughters, but not Adelaide (he had eyes for Anne Henriette de France!) The young duc, who was only 18, was hot on the market, and his father was ready for the boy to settle down and live a wholesome life.

Marriage
Daughters of France aside, a bride was chosen for this bachelor duc, Louise Henriette de Bourbon Conti, who strutted around Versailles as Mademoiselle Conti.  She was absolutely stunning.  The couple had a winter wedding, December of 1743.  The ceremony was held in the chapel of Versailles (same chapel Marie Antoinette was married in years later) and the couple was married by the famous Cardinal de Rohan.  The entire royal family attended the ceremony, including the duc's old flame, Henriette (below).

Adelaide (left) Anne Henriette (right)

The duc's puppy love for his cousin faded quickly once he was wed to Louise Henriette.  The couple was enamored with each other, and they were not afraid of a little PDA.  In what was described as "ridiculous" and "almost scandal" the couple affectionately began their wedded lives in what can only be described as true happiness.

The Honeymoon Ends
The hot passion these two newlyweds shared started to fade a few years after they started their lives together. Six years after the wedding at Versailles, reports of the duc's living were less than desirable.  He was staying out until all hours of the night, gaming, and in debt.  He drank too much and hung out with society far below his rank.  Overall he seemed to be having a good time.


His beloved wife was keeping herself very busy with a lover and was rumored to have several lovers aside from her constant.  This scandal was made public in 1751 when the duc finally told his wife enough was enough.  He made it very clear that she was not to see the lover again ...or else..she would be sent away to a convent!

Louise Henriette had grown up in one and was not ready to go back.  She threw a fit and refused to even dine with her husband. (ps she was also pregnant at this point...but by who...!) Needless to say, things didn't look so good. For whatever reason, the couple reconciled, but Louise Henriette passed away in 1759 just 32 years old. It didn't take long for rumors to spread that the cause of her early death was due to her unfaithful wedded life. 

Here is Marie-Louise de Parma, in her splendid wedding gown, at age 13!  Granddaughter of Louis XV, she married her cousin,  Charles IV of Spain in 1765.  Her wedding gown is light and layered, with soft pinks, floral greens and ivory. Diamonds and pearls mix to showcase her status, and she wears a bracelet with a miniature portrait of her betrothed on it.

Inspired by all the talk of Royal Weddings, I have compiled some lush images straight from Sofia Coppola's 2006 interpretation of Marie Antoinette's royal wedding.  The wedding was only a brief chapter in the movie, but the filming, costumes, decor and choreography were very impressive.  The ceremony was shot in quite a bit more detail than I had expected, and even the reception is included (with full dances and toasts!).  Reception photos after the jump!

Ok everyone, enjoy all the royal wedding fuss! Lets have a relaxing weekend. Pull out the pearls and hey, why not open a bottle of champagne? Cheers!

Reading this description of Marie Antoinette's wedding day at Versailles may sound all too similar.  I bet there will be a similar scene this Friday, except hopefully no rain!

 If you have seen the modern interpretatios of Marie Antoinette and Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire's lives on teh big screen, you may have noticed the amazing difference between the weddings each of the women had. 

Which did you perfer? Georgiana's ceremony? Private, glowing, formal ...cozy?



 Or perhaps you like Marie Antoinette's ceremony better? Lavish, sparkling, formal luxe?



What do you think?

Garnier, Michel, Elegant Lady at her Toilette, 1788.

One of the most lavish weddings held at Versailles was that of the Duc de Bourgogne to the Princess Adelaide of Savoy.  During the elaborate celebrations of the wedding, everyone was outside to view a firework display.  As luck would have it the wind picked up and it began to rain forcing everyone to rush into the palace.  All was not lost, guest were able to walk though the palace and view madame's toilette, all of which was prepared to display luxury and, of course, elegance!

"All the court passed then to the chamber of Mme la Duchesse de Bourgogne, which was brilliantly lighted, and in which, the day before, they had set up a magnificent bed and canopy of green velvet embroidered in gold and silver. The court saw there, also, the toilette of the princess, which was much admired, both for its articles of gold and silver and for its embroidery and lace."

On January 12, 1740, Empress Maria Theresa gave birth to her third daughter, Maria Carolina, but sadly the child only survived a year and thirteen days.  Three months after the death of the little archduchess the empress delivered a baby boy, Joseph. As the oldest son he was destined to rule, an idea he grew up to love, not dissimilar to his mother.  Like his mother also, he seemed to inherit her gumption.