Melania trumps Donald's TV wedding plan

NEW YORK - The king of reality television Donald Trump was tempted to go for a "royal wedding" broadcast on live television until his supermodel bride insisted some things should remain private. But not everything.

Melania Knauss vetoed the plan for a live broadcast of her wedding to property mogul Trump on Sunday, but that didn't stop her from breaking another tradition by revealing the wedding dress a week before the big day.

Vogue magazine's February issue features the 34-year-old Slovenian on its cover wearing a white satin Christian Dior dress made from almost 90m of material and embroidered with 1500 crystal rhinestones and pearls.

New York's Daily News said it was one of the most expensive wedding gowns ever made, at a cost of some US$100,000 ($142,267), though the parties involved have kept a discreet silence on the price.

A spokeswoman for Trump said she could not comment on whether he had seen the dress - traditionally an unlucky omen before a wedding - but photos of it were plastered on the front pages of several New York newspapers yesterday.

Vogue's fashion gurus Andre Leon Talley and Sally Singer accompanied Knauss to Paris last year to pick out the dress.

Reporting on a discussion last November about NBC's offer to broadcast the wedding live, Vogue said that Trump, the star of reality show The Apprentice in which would-be moguls compete to work for him, was intrigued by the idea.

"There hasn't been a live wedding since the royal wedding," Trump was quoted as saying.

"Three hours in prime time? That's US$25 million in advertising," he added.

However, Knauss said no, so the wedding will be for invited guests only at Trump's Mar-a-Lago villa in Palm Beach, Florida.

According to media reports, the savvy Trump made a number of other deals associated with the wedding.

The New York Times said he paid half price for a US$1.5 million engagement ring from diamond sellers Graff in return for the publicity, and chefs and florists were also lining up to offer their services.

It will be the third time down the aisle for the flamboyant 58-year-old.

The ceremony has been planned down to the last detail by Knauss, from the invitations made by Tiffany to the 1.5m-high cake.

The bride will be seated on a bench because the dress is too wide for a regular chair. She has been advised to eat heartily to keep up her strength wearing such a heavy garment.

"Yes, Donald, you are lucky," was Vogue's conclusion, after reporting Knauss's reaction to designer Tom Ford advising her to do something about her fiance's much-mocked hair.

"I like him the way he is," she said.

- REUTERS