Inside Russia's first royal wedding since 1917

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov marries his Italian fiance Rebecca Virginia Bettarini at a lavish ceremony at Saint Isaac's cathedral

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini leave St Isaac's Cathedral after their wedding ceremony in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photos: Reuters and AFP

Bettarini converted to the Orthodox faith last year and took the name Victoria Romanovna

The royal wedding is Russia's first since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution toppled the Romanov monarchy, with aristocrats travelling from across Europe for the lavish ceremony

Bettarini's wedding dress featured the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, embroidered in gold

Bettarini beaming during the ceremony.

An Orthodox priest presided over the ceremony

A member of Russia's Federation Council Lyudmila Narusova attends the wedding ceremony

The guest list of 1,500 people included other prominent names

St Isaac's Cathedral was built between 1818 and 1858, by the French-born architect Auguste Montferrand

Born in Madrid, Romanov is the son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, the self-proclaimed heir to Russia's imperial throne

Ahead of the wedding, Romanov said the couple chose to tie the knot in Saint Petersburg because it was the first place in the country where the family returned in the early 1990s

Victoria arrives accompanied by her father, Roberto Bettarini. She is the granddaughter of Grand Duke Kirill, a cousin of Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar who was executed along with his wife Alexandra and five children by the Bolsheviks in 1918

The happy couple

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, left, the mother of Romanov

The newlywed couple

The last wedding in Russia of an heir to the Romanovs was that of Nicholas II and Alexandra, 127 years ago

Maria Vladimirovna congratulates Bettarini

Romanov, who graduated from Oxford and spent much of his life in France, met Bettarini in Brussels, where he worked in the European Parliament

Romanov, who now works on several charity projects, said he believes European and Russian royals could help Moscow and the West mend fraying ties

The couple moved to Russia three years ago, settling first in the Moscow suburbs before relocating to the city centre next to the Kremlin

Aristocrats travelled from across Europe for the lavish ceremony

Hundreds of foreign guests travelled to Russia's second city for the Orthodox Christian ceremony.

Guests included Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Rudolph and Princess Tilsim of Liechtenstein, and the former king and queen of Bulgaria

Guests taking their seat before the ceremony

The prominent names included Konstantin Malofeyev, a monarchist and billionaire close to the Kremlin, and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

Saint Petersburg is the history of Russia, Romanov said, 'The history of the House of Romanov'

Russia on Friday held its first royal wedding since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution toppled the Romanov monarchy, with aristocrats travelling from across Europe for the lavish ceremony.

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov, 40, and his Italian fiance Rebecca Virginia Bettarini, 39, exchanged their vows at Saint Isaac's cathedral in the former imperial capital Saint Petersburg in the presence of dozens of European royals.

Hundreds of foreign guests travelled to Russia's second city for the Orthodox Christian ceremony, including Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Rudolph and Princess Tilsim of Liechtenstein, and the former king and queen of Bulgaria.

The guest list of 1,500 people included other prominent names such as Konstantin Malofeev, a monarchist and billionaire close to the Kremlin, and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Ahead of the wedding, Romanov said the couple chose to tie the knot in Saint Petersburg because it was the first place in the country where the family returned in the early 1990s.

Scroll through the gallery above for more pictures from the royal wedding.

Grand Duke of Russia George Mikhailovich Romanov and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini during their wedding ceremony. EPA

"It is very, very close to our family," he told Saint Petersburg news website Fontanka ahead of the wedding.

Saint Petersburg is "the history of Russia," he said, "the history of the House of Romanov."

Born in Madrid, Romanov is the son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, the self-proclaimed heir to Russia's imperial throne.

She is the granddaughter of Grand Duke Kirill, a cousin of Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar who was executed along with his wife Alexandra and five children by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

The last wedding in Russia of an heir to the Romanovs was that of Nicholas II and Alexandra, 127 years ago.

Buried after their execution in a place long kept secret by the Soviet authorities, their bodies and those of their children were transferred in 1998 to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.

The family was canonised by the Orthodox Church in 2000 as martyrs.

Romanov, who graduated from Oxford and spent much of his life in France, met Bettarini in Brussels, where he worked in the European Parliament. He also held jobs at Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel.

Bettarini converted to the Orthodox faith last year and took the name Victoria Romanovna. Her wedding dress on Friday featured the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, embroidered in gold.

The couple moved to Russia three years ago, settling first in the Moscow suburbs before relocating to the city centre next to the Kremlin.

Romanov now works on several charity projects. He said he believes European and Russian royals could help Moscow and the West mend fraying ties.

"I think that we can be ambassadors of goodwill."