This is how Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett’s wedding will be

On Saturday 31 August, the two get married in Geiranger.

But the celebration extends over several days. It already starts on Thursday 29 August, says Märtha Louise’s management. Then the bride and groom and guests arrive in Ålesund. There will be a so-called meet and greet at Hotel 1904, the venerable Art Nouveau hotel in the center of Ålesund.

The following day, Friday 30 August, the bride and groom travel with their guests by boat from Ålesund to Geiranger.

The wedding itself takes place on Saturday 31 August at Vinjevollen in Geiranger. Several sources have informed TV 2 that the wedding should take place in a large tent. Parish priest Margit Lovise Holte will marry the couple.

The wedding takes place a stone’s throw away from the Hotel Union, where the wedding party takes place. The hotel was built in 1891 and has later been remodeled and expanded.

Secret guest list

The bride and groom have kept their cards close to their chest when it comes to details about the wedding. Neither the guest list nor details of the program and its content are shared publicly, as it is a private event.

Little is therefore known about who is present in Geiranger. Verrett himself has previously stated that the royal couple will come, but this has not been confirmed by the Palace.

Earlier this summer, the police visited Geiranger to plan security around the event, which is expected to generate a lot of interest.

Møre og Romsdal police district has applied for permission from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority to be able to close the airspace over Geiranger in the period 30 August to 2 September, but NRK and TV 2 have been granted permission to operate with drones within the airspace, except during weddings and at a couple of other occasions.

Exclusive rights

On Wednesday, Märtha Louise’s management confirmed that the British weekly Hello Magazine has been given the exclusive rights to both the wedding and the wedding party.

– It is of course gratifying that so many people want to participate in the celebration. This great interest, however, places very high demands on capacity, security and logistics. We have therefore chosen to enter into an exclusive agreement on coverage of the wedding and the party with Hello Magazine, writes press and communications manager Simon Eriksen Valvik for the wedding in an email to the press.

He emphasizes that other press are also allowed to participate in the celebrations, both in public and private areas. According to Valvik, there is particular interest from foreign media, as Durek Verrett is American.

This week it also became known that the wedding is being captured on film by a Netflix director, who will make a documentary that ends up on an unnamed major streaming service, according to Aftenposten.

Occasional storm

The relationship between Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett first became known in 2019, and in June last year they got engaged. The royal family has stated that they are not contributing to the financing of the wedding.

It has occasionally stormed around the couple, for example when they went out together on the lecture tour “The Princess and the Shaman” in 2019. Märtha Louise received criticism for mixing up commercial interests and the title of princess. Verrett has also received criticism for his role as a shaman and the statements he has made.

This year too, there has been a lot of media coverage, most recently last month when it became known that Vinmonopolet has stopped the sale of the gin produced for the wedding, because it may be illegal.

This spring, Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett made a statement that was interpreted as meaning they wanted to boycott the press. In mid-June, the princess rejected that there is talk of a boycott.