Antonio Banderas has revealed the special reason his daughter chose to marry in Spain and sweetly gushed that seeing her as a bride was one of the ‘most beautiful moments’ of his life.
The 65-year-old actor was every inch the proud father as his daughter Stella, 29, married her longtime partner Alex Gruszynski on Saturday.
They wed at the enchanting Retuerta Le Domaine Abbey, an old monastery that sits on a sprawling wine estate in Valladolid, Spain.
And Hollywood actor Antonio felt emotional at being the father of the bride.
Shortly before the nuptials, he told Hola magazine: ‘Seeing my daughter dressed as a bride will be one of the most beautiful moments of my life.
‘I get to be the father of the bride, and it’s a role I take on with all the emotion in the world.’
Antonio Banderas has revealed the special reason his daughter chose to marry in Spain and sweetly gushed that seeing her as a bride was one of the ‘most beautiful moments’ of his life (he is pictured at the wedding)
The 65-year-old actor was every inch the proud father as his daughter Stella, 29, married her longtime partner Alex Gruszynski on Saturday
Stella was born in Spain, but raised in Los Angeles, and Antonio was delighted she picked her birth country as the destination for her nuptials, saying the decision filled him ‘with pride’.
He explained: ‘She’s very Andalusian, very much from Málaga, even if she grew up in the US. This is her way of reconnecting with her roots and sharing her homeland with her future husband and his family.’
Stella also felt fortunate to be able to marry her significant other in Spain saying she ‘felt so lucky’.
Puss in Boots star Antonio was spotted toasting the newlyweds at their nuptials last weekend.
His ex-wife and Stella’s mother Melanie Griffith, 68, was also present for her daughter’s big day.
Michelle and Barack Obama’s daughters were reportedly present, as well as Stella’s half-sister Dakota Johnson, her movie star grandmother Tippi Hedren, and Sting’s producer and director wife Trudie Styler, per Hola! magazine.
The publication reported that the event was shrouded in secrecy, with the couple implementing a strict no phones policy for guests and making staff sign confidentiality agreements.
Shortly before the nuptials, he told Hola magazine: ‘Seeing my daughter dressed as a bride will be one of the most beautiful moments of my life’ (the happy couple are pictured)
Last year in August, Stella jumped to social media to announce her engagement to Alex – whom she has known since they were kids
It was said that roughly 200 to 250 people were in attendance, and the festivities included an ‘outdoor cocktail reception, a gala lunch, and a party with an open bar and live performances.’
Photos show Stella and Alex walking hand-in-hand during the wedding, with the bride donning a stunning off-the-shoulder white wedding dress with dramatic, long sleeves that draped to the floor.
Her beau, for his part, looked dapper in a classic black tuxedo, which was paired with a white dress shirt and black bowtie for the big day.
At one point, Stella’s famous father, who also donned a black tuxedo, could be seen holding up a glass of wine as he proudly celebrated his daughter’s special milestone.
In 2018, Antonio insisted he will love Melanie ‘until the day he dies’ for the sake of Stella.
He told People Now: ‘Even if we are divorced, she is my family and I will love her until the day I die.
‘We have been in contact all these years and we managed to do a separation that is very elegant.
‘Our kids are enjoying that and that is very important for both of us. Our kids are priority number one.’
The pair split in June 2014 after 18 years of marriage.
Last year in August, Stella jumped to social media to announce her engagement to Alex – whom she has known since they were kids.
His ex-wife and Stella’s mother Melanie Griffith, 68, was also present for her daughter’s big day (all seen in 2012 in Spain)
She had given her followers a glimpse at her sparkling diamond ring in a sweet snap not long after he popped the big question.
Stella penned in the caption of the post at the time, ‘I get to hang out with my favorite person on earth forever!!!!!!!!’
Her mother Melanie also jumped to the comment section to gush, ‘I love you both sooooo much!! Congratulations again!!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️.’
The actress later uploaded a separate post of her own in celebration of her daughter’s engagement and wrote, ‘He asked…. On bended knee… she said yes ♥️ Stella and Alex are engaged to be married ♥️.’
Melanie continued, ‘Their love story began in pre-school! True love, deep love! Congratulations to the beloveds!!! ♥️♥️♥️.’
After the engagement was announced, Antonio offered his thoughts on his daughter getting married.
‘I feel great! She’s happy, I’m happy,’ The Mask Of Zorro actor told People last year in September.
He also had kind words to say about his son-in-law Alex and added, ‘He’s awesome. I’ve known him since he was a little kid.’
Antonio and Melanie welcomed their daughter Stella to the world in 1996 – the same year they tied the knot. The former couple announced their separation in 2014, with the divorce being finalized the following year.
Melanie – whose mother is actress Tippi Hedren – was also previously married to Don Johnson, whom she shares Dakota Johnson, 36, with. She is also mom to son Alexander Bauer, 40, whom she welcomed with ex Steven Bauer.
Despite their divorce, both Antonio and Melanie have still remained close of the years which the actor has opened up about.
‘I’m a very good friend of my ex-wife. I don’t have anything against her,’ the actor told Fox News Digital in 2023.
‘She’s a wonderful woman and I still respect and support that idea that everything that happened between her and me for 20 years was beautiful.’
Antonio added, ‘Of course, we had our bad moments. But the thing that I will remember forever is those beautiful moments that we had together.
‘And one of those beautiful moments has to do with our kids and the family,’ the star further said.
Both he and Melanie will still spend time together whenever he visits Los Angeles.
‘We go for dinner, we just get together, the whole entire family. And so that is very important. Not only to us but to the rest of the family. I think the kids – I think we did well.’
Antonio has also developed a close bond with Melanie’s other two children, including actress Dakota Johnson.
He revealed to E! News earlier this year in February that he ‘would love to’ work on a film with Dakota sometime in the future.
‘I would love to, but that’s something that is very difficult. I will search for [a project], but I would love to work with Dakota someday.’
In 2018, Antonio insisted he will love Melanie ‘until the day he dies’ for the sake of Stella
Antonio explained that he would enjoy working with the Fifty Shades of Grey star because ‘she’s a good actress’ and ‘a great comedian.’
Dakota previously called Antonio her ‘bonus dad’ during a speech when he received the Hollywood Actor Award in 2019.
‘When I was six-years-old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light, a whole new world of creativity and culture and one remarkably magical little sister in to our family.’
She also added, ‘Antonio taught me about true passion and discipline.
‘He would spend hours, and days even, in his office trying to get to the nucleus of something he had become interested in, or a role he was preparing…’
