Greek Prince To Marry In Lavish Mediterranean Ceremony
SPETSES, Greece (CBS) A picturesque monastery on a cliff above the Mediterranean in the harbor of the Greek isle of Spetses will be the site Wednesday evening of the wedding of Prince Nikolaos and his British-born bride.
Nikolaos, second son of the deposed Greek King Constantine, will marry 29-year-old Tatiana Blatnik, an event planner for fashion house Diane Von Furstenberg, in a Greek Orthodox ceremony in St Nicholas Church.
Pictures: Royal Wedding Festivities
Spanish Queen Sofia, who is Constantine's sister, her son, the Crown Prince Felipe, his wife, Letizia, and their two daughters were on the island to celebrate, along with members of the royal families from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.
About 350 guests are expected for the wedding; singer Elton John is reportedly among them.
Yachts began gathering in the harbor as early as Monday. And pre-wedding parties drew a glittery international crowd to the isle, about three hours from Athens.
The wedding ceremony will take place at sunset with 40-year-old Prince Nikolaos expected to arrive at the church by boat, escorted by police and coast guard. His bride is coming by horse-drawn carriage.
The whitewashed church is part of a 17th century monastery just off of Spetses' old harbor.
It is not strictly a royal wedding since King Constantine was deposed in 1974 - but royal protocol is being followed by attendees. Both locals and tourists were excited about the wedding.
"I think it is quite exciting really because I didn't know it was going on and I have been here about a week and a half and suddenly I realize what is going on around me and I looked on the Internet and there seems to be a lot of famous people coming, and everything," said tourist Nicole Woods.
Nikolaos is a graduate of Brown University and works in his father's London office.
The bride was educated in Switzerland and the U.S. and is the granddaughter of Ellinka Countess von Einsiedel. The couple have been engaged since December