A ROMANTIC SPANISH WEDDING FOR STELLA BANDERAS

The daughter of Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas marries Alex Gruszynski in a stunning medieval setting

- INTERVIEW: ANTONIO DIÉGUEZ

An ethereally beautiful wedding in a 12th-century abbey in Spain has set the seal on a love story worthy of Hollywood – which is where it all began.

Stella del Carmen Banderas, daughter of actors Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith, met Alex Gruszynski, son of Emily in Paris cinematographer Alexander Gruszynski, before they'd even started school.

Their meet-cute took place at a kindergarten in Los Angeles and, in due course, teenage friendship evolved into romance.

Even when the couple took time apart in their early 20s, it only made them more certain that their love was meant to be. So after announcing their engagement last summer, Alex and Stella began planning their fairytale wedding.

Stella, an actress and lifestyle entrepreneur, was born in Málaga – like her father – so it was a strong candidate for the location.

But Antonio steered her north toward Abadía Retuerta, a spectacular medieval venue set among vineyards, near Valladolid. "I'd been here once on a trip with friends," he says. "Looking through the photo albums, she saw it was wonderful."

With many of their loved ones flying in from the U.S., the bride and her groom co-founder of the creative-industry network Nova – agreed on a relatively small guest list of around 200.

Naturally, Stella’s happy blended family turned out in force. Dakota Johnson (Melanie’s daughter with Don Johnson) and Alexander Bauer (her son with actor Steven Bauer) were there, along with Don’s children, Jesse and Atherton Grace Johnson.

The only member of the acting dynasty sadly absent was Stella’s maternal grandmother, Tippi Hedren, who is now 95. Among the friends in attendance were Malia and Sasha Obama – the daughters of former president Barack Obama – and British A-lister Trudie Styler.

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