On 10 January 1967, on a cold winter’s day, the third daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard, married at the City Hall and later that day in the Great or Saint Jacob’s Church in The Hague. Princess Margriet, born 1943, had chosen to marry a Dutch commoner, Pieter van Vollenhoven.
The bride wore a dress of cloque silk with daisies woven into the fabric. More daisies were embroidered on the bodice and the five metres long train. The name of the bride, Margriet, is the Dutch word for “daisy”. On her head she wore a tiara with rosette-shaped large button pearls surrounded by nine diamonds. The wedding bouquet was made of daisies – imported from the South of France – and roses. The groom wore his uniform of the Dutch Royal Airforce.
After the church wedding the couple returned to Huis ten Bosch for lunch. A large table for 80 guests was laid in the Orange Hall. Of course the couple and their family were seated at the head of the table. In the ballroom nextdoor another 48 guests had lunch. First the guests had ‘Médaillons de saumon Royal’ (served with Meursault Blagny 1962), followed by ‘Consommé cordial’, ‘Selle de chevreuil Valencia’ (served with Château Gruaud Larose 1959), and at the end of course the wedding cake appeared (and Champagne Veuve Cliquot-Ponsardin brut 1961).
The tables were decorated with table silver, vases, candelabras, the French Sèvres china service and Italian glass work. The flower arrangements were made of white lilac, freesias and of course daisies. Palace Het Loo from 12 December 2015 to 3 January 2015 shows the table setting, as well as the wedding dress and uniform of the groom. I thank them for all the information given at the museum, which I used to write this blogpost.
thanks very much for this splendid Christmas tour and not only. Splendid display of the wedding table and the wedding dress. You really made my Christmas. I personally adore and highly the Orange Nassau dinasty. With much appreciations.
Anna Gerakis
Athens-and-Rome