First Look: Charlene Wittstock's wedding dress.

Charlene Wittstock and Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Princess Charlene of Monaco walked down the aisle last Saturday in a beautiful Giorgio Armani Privé wedding dress. The gown was made of off-white silk duchesse satin. It had a long train and a crossover detail on the front and back of the train, which formed a second "à l’andrienne" train. Also on the front of the dress: floral embroidery crafted with countless Swarovski crystals and mother of pearl teardrops in white and gold hues. The wedding look was completed by an off-white silk tulle veil, that required 20 metres of fabric and over a 100 hours to create. The designer, who also dressed Charlene's father and brothers, said of the dress "The idea was to go for a completely modern look, without any obvious sense of nostalgia or revivalism. I felt this was appropriate given that there would inevitably be comparisons with Princess Grace, and though such comparisons are of course a sign of admiration, each person has their own individual and unique style, and style is an expression of the times."

Monaco's big wedding day.

Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene.

Today Monaco's ruler Prince Albert II married his Charlene in a religious ceremony in the palace courtyard. Charlene walked down the aisle on the arm of her father in a beautiful, off-white silk Duchesse Armani Privé wedding dress with a long train and a long veil made from off-white silk tulle. The dress was embellished with flowery embroidery and crafted with stones in gold shades, Swarovski crystals and mother of pearls teardrops in white and gold hues. Prince Albert wore the palace guards cream-coloured summer uniform, adorned with three medals, one of the French Legion of Honour, another of the Order of the Grimaldi.

The couple exchanged their vows in French, a language that Charlene intensively studied for one month at the Institut de Francais. Albert winked as he put the ring on her finger, causing Charlene to giggle. After the ceremony the newlyweds were driven to St. Devote chapel in a Lexus hybrid, where according to tradition the bride leaves her wedding bouquet. It was at the St. Devote chapel that Charlene had to cry. According to wedding guest, and longtime friend of Prince Albert, Gildo Pastor "it was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen. They have a wonderful future ahead of them."

Congrats to the newlyweds!

Prince Albert II of Monaco marries Charlene Wittstock in a civil ceremony.

A royal kiss: Charlene and Prince Albert show their love to the crowd.

Prince Albert II of Monaco has married South-African Charlene Wittstock today, in a civil ceremony, making Charlene a Princess of Monaco. After the ceremony, the newlyweds took to a balcony and waved to the crowd. The couple was married in the Throne Room of Prince Albert's palace.

Charlene looked lovely in a sky blue suit an skirt, but everyone's curious what tomorrow's wedding dress will look like! The newlyweds will celebrate their love with a big, religious wedding in the palace courtyard tomorrow. The palace gates will be open and TV monitors will be set up for the crowd, so that they can see the ceremony live.

Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock talk about their wedding plans.

Prince Albert of Monaco, 52, and his bride-to-be Charlene Wittstock, 32, have revealed some of their wedding plans in an interview with German tv broadcaster ZDF. Instead of marrying in the Saint Nicholas Cathedral where his parents, Prince Rainier and Princess Gracia, married, Albert and Charlene will marry in the palace courtyard. The courtyard will host about 800 guests, 300 more than would fit in the Cathedral.

According to the groom some surprises are being planned, however the designer of the wedding gown is not a secret, contrary to William and Kate's wedding. Rhodesian-born, Olympic swimmer will walk down the aisle in a Giorgio Armani gown. However, what it looks like is unknown, so we'll have to wait until July 2nd to find that out.

When asked about starting a family Charlene is quoted as saying that "I personally want to have children. I love children, and I simply can't wait to have a family of my own". I wonder how quickly after the wedding the pregnancy rumours will start!

Albert already has two children, daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi was born in 1992 and son Alexandre Eric Stephane Coste in 2003. Since both were born out of wedlock they don't have a claim to the throne.