Stockholm has been dressed up in flowers, flags and royal portraits for Saturday's fairytale wedding between Crown Princess Victoria and gym owner Daniel Westling.
The couple will exchange vows in Stockholm Cathedral on June 19 _ the same date as Victoria's father King Carl XVI Gustaf wed Queen Silvia 34 years ago _ in front of nearly 1,000 royals and dignitaries from across the world.
* At the government dinner: the young Swedish royals, Madeleine, Carl Philip, Victoria and prince-to-be Daniel
After the wedding ceremony, the newly married couple will head a grand procession through central Stockholm before boarding the royal barge which will sail them to the palace. The day will be rounded off with a lavish banquet in the palace, hosted by the king and queen.
* Princess Máxima and Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands with Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie.
"This is Sweden's 15 minutes in the limelight" said Herman Lindqvist, a journalist and historian who watches the royals. "I think you can feel the expectation and excitement. People think it will be fun." Since June 6, Sweden's national day, the capital has been celebrating under the banner Love Stockholm 2010 in anticipation of the wedding _ the top event on the social calendar.
* Government reception in Stockholm's Town Hall, with the Prime Minister and his wife
Lavish flower arrangements, in urns and baskets, adorn the streets and Sweden's furniture giant IKEA has erected a two-story tent replica of the princess' Haga castle. Stockholmers were preparing to hold private champagne parties and store windows displayed wedding regalia in Sweden's yellow and blue colors.
* Serbia's crownprincely couple and Grand-Duke Henri and Grand-Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
"I will celebrate with pink bubbly on the rooftop and watch the procession", 38-year-old Roger Lejonqvist said. "It's something of a historic event". Even anti-royalty republicans prepared their own celebrations _ under an alternative banner: Love Republic.
* The Greek royal family heading to the government dinner.
Police said they expect 250,000 people to line the streets along the meandering route of the procession, scheduled to last 30 minutes, with 7,000 police officers, military staff and volunteers on guard at vantage points. Eighteen Gripen fighter jets will fly overhead in formation as the procession ends.
* At the Grand Hotel: Norway's Märtha Louise and Ari Behn and the Dutch crownprincely couple with daugther Amalia.
While the majority of Swedes support the monarchy, the estimated 20 million kronor ($2.5 million) wedding price tag has also triggered skepticism. Last year, 56 percent of Swedes wanted to retain the monarchy, a drop from 68 percent in 2003, according to a survey by the SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg.
* Daniel's parents Olle and Ewa Westling
The moment Westling says "I do" in the Saturday afternoon ceremony, the gym owner becomes Duke of Västergotland and a prince for life _ endowed with his own coat of arms and monogram. Westling grew up in a middle-class family in the village of Ockelbo in central Sweden.
* Spain's Felipe and Letizia before the concert
His mother worked as a clerk at the Swedish post office and his father was a manager at a municipal social services center. Royal families and heads-of-state in Europe converged on Stockholm. "This is the biggest wedding in Europe for a long time. Everybody will be here", said Roger Lundgren, author and an expert on the Swedish royal household.
The festivities started in earnest Friday with a reception for representatives of Swedish municipalities and provinces, followed by a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and the Swedish government and a swinging concert at Stockholm's Concert Hall.
* Dutch Queen Beatrix, and far left Danish Princess Benedikte and Prince Richard, before the concert
Except for Queen Sofia of Spain, the Jordanian royal couple, Belgium's Princess Claire and some Dutch royals, all royal guests for the wedding, were already present. © GPD; Photos by GPD © AP
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