It was a Cinderella fairy tale turned real-life royal wedding when Crowne Prince Haakon of Norway married single mother and former waitress, Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby on Aug. 25, 2001.
The prince's two-year courtship with the petite, blue-eyed blonde, the mother of a four-year-old son Marius, initially scandalized the Scandinavian nation. The bride's past, which included a convicted drug-dealer ex-boyfriend, inspired catty European headlines such as the unfortunate "HRH Princess Single Mum."
The pressure to produce a more "suitable" bride to legitimize the rather young Norwegian monarchy seemed inconsequential to the heir-to-the-throne Prince Haakon, who openly lived with Hoiby, the woman he declared the "love of his life" before their lavish wedding.
Public opinion about Prince Haakon's commoner bride shifted when Hoiby gave a tearful interview in the days before her nuptials, apologizing for her "rebellious" indiscretions.
Despite their unconventional beginnings, their wedding was royally traditional. (Although the "Pretty Woman" themed played out again as a charity controversially gave 20 wedding invites to rehabilitating prostitutes and drug dealers.)
The day before the wedding reigning King Harald V and Queen Sonja hosted a lunch, followed by a royal yacht tour of the scenic Oslo fjords hosted by the bride and groom.
The next day, the royal couple traveled to the Oslo Cathedral on streets lined with Norwegian flags, colorful decorations and cheering well-wishers.
Hoiby walked down the aisle to meet her prince before 800 guests that included European royal witnesses such as Great Britain's Prince Charles, Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, the Duchess of Wessex.
The bride wore a stunning, simply cut, long-sleeved dress of specially-dyed ecru silk and soft silk tulle by designer Ove Harder Finseth. Its long, flowing silk train was also decorated with tulle to resemble waves in the sand. The dress, sewn by seamstress Anna Bratland, was a replica of the gown worn by Prince Hakoon's great-grandmother, Queen Maud, to marry King Haakon VII.
Her six-meters-of-silk veil was fastened over a simple chignon. Her hair was accented with a vintage diamond tiara, a gift from her royal in-laws, comprised of 23 rosettes set in platinum and yellow gold.
The bride carried an unusual wrist bouquet, or Brudeloperon, of rosary ivy, orchids, roses and hydrangea in pink and mauve tones, worn on her hand as a muff. The crowne princess conceived the bouquet concept, developed in collaboration with floral designer Aina Nyberget Kleppe of Oslo's Passiflora.
Her close friend, Linda Tanevik, served as her maid-of-honor. Five young bridesmaids wore ecru-silk dresses and wreaths on their heads made of flowers similar to those the princess carried in her bouquet.
The Crowne Prince, wearing the dark gala uniform of the Norwegian Army, had Prince Frederik of Denmark as his best man.
The couple touched witnesses during the service as they doted on Marius, who served as a page boy. Princess Mette-Marit wiped tears from her son's eyes with a white handkerchief, while Prince Haakon held his hand in a sturdy grip.
During their vows, they exchanged white gold wedding bands custom designed by artist Esther Helen Slagsvold, gifts from the Norwegian Goldsmiths' Foundation.
Following the ceremony, the couple toured the streets of Oslo in an open Cadillac and kissed several times as they appeared with Marius, dressed in a white tie and tails, before cheering crowds on a palace balcony.
At a dinner/dance reception Prince Haakon gave a poignant toast in which he thanked his parents for their tolerance, acceptance "and great capacity for love" and told his princess, "your soul glows with light." He described the opportunity to live with Marius as a "gift in itself."
In addition to Marius, now 14, the couple are parents to seven-year-old Princess Ingrid Alexandra (second in line to the throne after her father) and six-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus. The family lives at Skaugum Estate, a farm in Asker, southwest of Oslo that dates back to the Middle Ages.
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