When Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla married the then Hereditary Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg on February 14, 1981, she wore a custom Balmain creation for the Roman Catholic ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
The future Hereditary Grand Duchess (and now Grand Duchess) wore a white silk embellished gown with fitted bodice and a fur trim by the French designer. It featured long sleeves with the fur around the neck, wrist and bottom of the bell skirt. The gown had a train that began at the shoulders like a cape and flowed down. It was two meters and equal to that of her veil.
The future royal held her lace-trimmed veil in place with the Congo Diamond Tiara - a tiara worn by other members of the Grand Ducal Family on their wedding day.
They first wed in a civil ceremony at the Grand Ducal Palace before the religious service later that day. The couple then appeared on the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace to wave to the crowd assembled below. They shared a kiss to the thrill of the Luxembourgish people watching. 700 guests then attended a wedding reception inside the Palace.
Aside from the Grand Ducal Family in attendance, other European royals were represented. They included King Olav of Norway; then-Hereditary Prince Hans-Adam and Hereditary Princess Marie Aglae of Liechtenstein; King Baudouin, Queen Fabiola, Prince Albert, Princess Paola, Prince Philippe, Princess Astrid, and Prince Laurent of Belgium; Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco; Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark; and Princess Christina of Sweden and husband, Tord Magnuson.
Henri met the Cuban born but New York City raised Maria Teresa while studying in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. Their engagement was announced on November 8, 1980, and they married less than a year later on Valentine's Day. However, the holiday is not widely celebrated in Luxembourg so the couple later said that they did not recognize the significance of the date - odd since Maria Teresa grew up in New York where it is widely celebrated.
Together, they now have five children: Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Prince Felix, Prince Louis, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Sebastian. They also have four grandchildren: Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah from Prince Louis' marriage to Tessy Antony and Princess Amalia and Prince Liam through Prince Felix and his wife Princess Claire.