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Monaco - Monaco's Serene Highness the Princess Charlene came to the altar for her religious wedding to Albert II of Monaco on Saturday wearing an astonishing Giorgio Armani gown studded in crystal and pearl.
The palace said the gown took the Italian designer's team 2 500 hours to prepare, including 700 hours for the embroidery alone, as "kilometres" of platinum-coated thread was sewn into 130 metres (430 yards) of off-white silk.
Charlene's broad swimming champion's shoulders also had to bear the weight of 40 000 Swarovski crystals, 20 000 mother of pearl tear drops and 30 000 "stones in gold shades", the palace announced.
PHOTOS: Monaco wedding ceremony
The stones and crystals were arranged in floral patterns and the ensemble was topped off with a long train and subtly embroidered off-white veil made from 20 metres of silk tulle, itself requiring 100 hours of labour.
The groom
The groom, His Most Serene Highness the Prince Albert II, wore the cream summer uniform of Monaco's palace guards, its sleeves embroidered with oak and olive leaves and the front fastened with monogrammed golden buttons.
His chest was emblazoned with medals representing the Order of Saint Charles, the Order of Grimaldi and France's Legion of Honour. His rigid fabric cap was topped off with a rosette representing the Crown of Monaco.
Bridesmaids
Charlene's seven young bridesmaids, girls of around seven years of age from Monaco and six neighbouring French districts, were wearing embroidered taffeta bodices and red and cream striped taffeta skirts with velvet ribbons.
Their outfits were topped off with wide-brimmed straw hats lined with silk and embroidered in cream mimosa, and each had a black velvet choker decorated with a Provencal gold cross donated by the groom.
Following the service - attended by world leaders, royals and stars of sport, cinema and fashion - the couple were to host a reception at which Charlene was due to wear another Armani outfit, reflecting the first.
This was to be an evening gown in off-white silk chiffon with a broad neckline and embroidered four-tier train.
