TESSY OF LUXEMBOURG
TELLS HOW HER CHILDREN PLAYED A VITAL ROLE ON HER SPECIAL DAY
Beaming beneath a shower of rose-petal confetti, Tessy Antony de Nassau, former Princess of Luxembourg, looked every inch the radiant bride after tying the knot with financier Frank Floessel in an intimate ceremony in Switzerland.
“It was so beautiful, exactly how I imagined it would be,” she says, sharing personal photos and exciting details of the big day. “The greatest highlight was looking at Frank and realising the moment we were about to become husband and wife had arrived.”
“It felt very special,” adds Frank, 48. “To be able to call Tessy my wife meant so much to me. The whole day was magical.”
Tessy, 35, who is due to give birth to a baby boy imminently, chose a layered ivory silk dress from her own wardrobe for the civil service in Zurich.
Only nine members of the wedding party could attend the ceremony due to Covid restrictions, but scores of friends and family watched on Zoom before uniting at an alfresco lakeside celebration.
A TRUE FAMILY AFFAIR
Playing key roles, Prince Gabriel, 15, and Prince Noah, 13, from Tessy’s first marriage to Prince Louis of Luxembourg, served as best men, while Frank’s 13-year-old daughter Julia was bridesmaid.
“We wanted our children to be at the heart of the wedding because they are at the heart of our lives,” Tessy tells us. “It was our way of showing how much we love them and that they are an important part of our families becoming one.
“Gabriel made such a touching, eloquent speech that everyone was moved to tears,” she continues. “His words were thoughtful and deep and showed his maturity and understanding of me, his mum, getting married and having a stepdad and his responsibility for being the ‘ head of the pack’, as Frank calls it.
“We’re extremely proud of him and all our children.”
Tessy and Frank met in London several years ago and announced their engagement this year, after a surprise proposal during a family skiing trip in Colorado.
“We took a train up a mountain and in the middle of the snow, Frank went down on one knee and asked me to marry him,” the bride tells us. “It was so romantic. He’d already asked the children’s permission, which was beautiful.
“Frank always makes me feel valued and is wonderful with my children. We’re like a puzzle that fits together,” she adds.
The family are now bursting with excitement to meet the new arrival, who is due any minute.
“We’re getting the wooden stork ready,” Tessy says. “In Switzerland, we have a tradition that a stork brings the baby, so when he’s born, we’ll write his name and date of birth on a wooden stork then put it outside for everyone to see.”
‘The greatest highlight was looking at Frank and realising we were to become husband and wife’