Watch Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett fight back tears as they exchange vows at wedding
Märtha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett were overcome with emotion during their wedding ceremony last Saturday when the time came to exchange the personal vows they had written for each other.
At the nuptials, which were exclusively covered by HELLO! magazine, Märtha Louise, 52, and Durek, 49, celebrated their love in a ceremony officiated by Märtha's close friend, parish priest Margit Louise Holte.
You can watch the emotional moment they exchanged vows below…
The personal vows
His voice breaking with emotion, Durek said: "I promise to always listen to your wisdom. I promise to always hold space for you and your daughters and listen to them as well. I promise to love you with my last breath."
Fighting back tears, Märtha, who is the proud mother to her daughters Maud, 21, Leah, 19, and Emma, 16, said: "I promise to love you with all my heart. I promise to take responsibility for my emotions. I promise to love you because I know you know that my girls come first.
"And I promise I will walk with you to the best of my ability because we are always changed although we are always the same. Because we are always the past, the present and the future in one."
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The wedding rings
After the newlyweds slipped their beautiful wedding rings on each other's fingers and kissed, Norwegian stoicism gave way to smiles, applause, and tears of happiness all round.
"I had our wedding bands made in the old Viking way," Durek told HELLO! of the rose-gold and diamond rings. "The runes engraved in the gold mean 'love's flame' so when two flames come together we create love's fire."
The ceremony also included words of wisdom about love and marriage by Michael B Beckwith, Bible readings from Märtha's brother Crown Prince Haakon and Durek's sister Angelina Verrett-Byrne, and emotional hymns including Amazing Grace and Ave Maria.
Märtha and Durek walked back down the aisle to the sound of Stevie Wonder's hit song As, sung by the gospel choir HIM and delighted their guests by dancing to the uplifting beats.
The congregation stood up to dance and clap too, including the bride's parents, King Harald and Queen Sonja.
Some 350 guests flocked to western Norway to attend the high-profile wedding at the four-star Hotel Union on Saturday.
Festivities had kicked off on the preceding Thursday, with guests treated to a meet-and-greet party followed by a boat ride and Latin American-themed pre-wedding bash on the Friday.
To read the full exclusive interview with Märtha Louise and Durek and to see the full wedding album, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
