It's more than 30 years since the last Swedish royal wedding and Swedes have long looked forward to a grand royal bash. Preparations are already underway for the big day in Stockholm, the 700-year-old capital city. The city is sure to be resplendent for this most auspicious of occasions and there will be a huge turnout for the pomp and ceremony.

Crown Princess Victoria was first brought up in the Royal Palace situated in the Old Town (Gamla Stan) area of Stockholm and later at Drottningholm Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the best preserved 18th-century palace in Sweden. Daniel Westling, her beau and Stockholm gym owner, comes from Ockelbo, a small town in the province of Gästrikland.

The couple will be married at the Great Church (Storkyrkan) in the heart of the Old Town, just a stone's throw from the Royal Palace. The church pre-dates the palace by some 400 years and when the palace was completed around the beginning of the 18th century, the church was given a makeover as it was considered too 'mediaeval'. Storkyrkan is a wonderfully impressive, peaceful and meditative place to be and well worth a visit. Following their betrothal, the new royal couple will take up residence in the 'still being renovated' Haga Palace, built in 1802, in Haga Park just north of central Stockholm. It is here that Victoria's father King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden was born and raised with his four sisters. There has been some controversy over the choice of residence as until recently the palace and grounds were open to the public. With the royal couple moving in, the building and portions of the grounds will be cordoned off for security reasons. This has left some local joggers, dog owners and other park users less than pleased. Haga Park is wildly popular with Stockholmers the year-round for its lakeside beauty spots and views, forests, jogging paths and relaxed atmosphere.

As the Swedish royal family has several royal residences, Daniel will have to get used to a bit of travelling. The family spends the summer at Solliden Palace, a gorgeous building in the Italian country house style, located on the beautiful east-coast island of Öland. Wintertime, the couple usually head for the ski resort at Storlien, 700 km north-west of Stockholm, and not far from Åre, perhaps northern Europe's finest ski resort.

If you want to experience Stockholm and Sweden in the grip of 'royal wedding fever' this might just be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don't forget the date: Saturday, 19th June, 2010.