A ROMANTIC SPANISH WEDDING FOR STELLA BANDERAS

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

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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, the daughter of film stars Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith, met Alex Gruszynski, the son of the 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 twenties, it only made them more certain that their romance 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, and is a huge fan of the southern city, so it was a strong candidate for the location.

But Antonio steered her north towards Abadía Retuerta, a spectacular medieval venue set among vineyards near Valladolid.

With many of the guests flying in from the US, 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 Miami Vice star Don Johnson, and Alexander Bauer, her son with the actor Steven Bauer, were there, along with Don's children, Jesse and Atherton Grace Johnson.

The only member of the acting dynasty sadly unable to attend was Stella's maternal grandmother, Tippi Hedren, who is now 95. On Antonio’s side, his longtime partner, Nicole Kimpel, attended, along with her twin sister, Barbara.