Old Pictures of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 ~ Vintage Everyday

Before William and Kate, before Charles and Di, before Liz and Dick (I and II), before any of the “storybook” weddings of the past several decades, there was the fairytale wedding of the last century: the April 1956 nuptials of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco. The tale of the American movie star and Philadelphia native marrying the prince of a small, sensationally wealthy city-state was simply too perfect to ignore — and for months leading up to the event, from the time of the couple’s engagement until the two ceremonies (civil and religious) that formalized their union, the Hollywood princess and the real-life prince were hardly ever out of the news.

Here's a collection of interesting black and white pictures of the Monaco Royal wedding in 1956.

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier wed, St. Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco, April 19, 1956

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier show her engagement ring to her mother and father at the Kelly home in Philadelphia, 1956

Monaco's Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly at time of the announcement of their engagement, January 1956

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier arrive at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, the day after announcing their engagement, January 1956

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, the day after announcing their engagement, January 1956

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier dance not long after announcing their engagement, 1956

Smiling in a brisk March wind and surrounded by photographers and fans, Grace Kelly poses just off of Fifth Avenue in New York, 1956

Grace Kelly takes a momentary breather while packing her things before the wedding, 1956

Kelly inside a New York jewelry store, where she perused possible gifts for her groom

Grace Kelly packing for her trip to Monaco, March 1956

Grace Kelly, March 1956

Grace Kelly and her poodle, Oliver, 1956

Grace Kelly with her mother, Margaret Majer Kelly, before leaving New York for Monaco in March 1956

Grace Kelly (left) and one of her two sisters (either Peggy or Lizanne), New York City, 1956

Seamstresses work on Grace Kelly's wedding dress and veil, conceived by MGM's wardrobe designer, Helen Rose, Hollywood, Calif., 1956

A woman puts the finishing touches on the pearl-studded prayer book for Grace Kelly's wedding, Hollywood, Calif., 1956

Grace Kelly leaves a Hollywood studio lot for the last time before her marriage, 1956

On April 4, 1956, Grace Kelly -- her bridesmaids, her relatives, her dog, and about 80 pieces of luggage in tow -- left New York for Monaco aboard the liner, SS Constitution

Grace Kelly aboard the liner, SS Constitution, on which she traveled to Monaco for her wedding, April 1956

Grace Kelly in Monaco, April 1956

Grace Kelly in Monaco before her wedding, April 1956

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier in Monaco, the day before their wedding, April 1956

Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly ascend the steps of Monaco Palace

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier kneel during Mass at their religious wedding, April 1956

Grace Kelly prays before her wedding to Prince Rainier III, April 1956

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier join hands as the Bishop of Monaco, Mgr. Gilles Barthe, administers the nuptial benediction at Saint Nicholas Cathedral, April 1956