Monaco prepares for Prince Albert II's glamorous wedding

The couple's marriage is due to be the first royal wedding in Monaco since Prince Rainier married Grace Kelly in 1956, and the festivities will be lavish.

In fact, no expense has been spared -- the price tag is an estimated 45 million pounds -- to try and match the fairytale majesty of Prince William and Kate Middleton of Britain, according to media reports.

A plethora of celebrities and heads of state are expected to attend, including President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, as well as supermodel Naomi Campbell and top names from the sporting and music world.
A civil ceremony will be held on Friday in the red silk damask-draped throne room of the palace -- a fortress- turned-Italian Renaissance residence. Around 3,500 handpicked seated guests will attend the religious ceremony the following day in the palace's marble courtyard, the reports said.

All the guests will dine on food prepared by Alain Ducasse, France's most celebrated chef.
Moreover, Prince Albert has ordered 200 BMWs to carry the guests around, and has booked Jacques Couturier, best-known producer of firework displays in France, to put on an "opera of fire" above Monaco's harbour.

"Even if it's not the main purpose (of the wedding), it will be a chance to shine a light on the principality and to contribute to ending stubborn cliches (about Monaco)," said Prince Albert before the event.