A cruisy celebration

Rome may have witnessed the decline and fall of the empire but never before has it seen a spectacle like the wedding of Tom Cruise and his new bride Katie Holmes.

Sunday Telegraph, UK/November 19, 2006
By Fiona Hudson and agencies

With seven-month-old daughter Suri by their side the couple celebrated their union in a full-blooded Scientology ceremony at the medieval Castello Odescalchi in the town of Bracciano just outside Rome yesterday.

The newlyweds are tipped to honeymoon near Tahiti after tying the knot in a fairytale wedding at an Italian castle. The strict Scientology service meant nothing in the eyes of Italian law, but that didn't stop the Hollywood heavyweights enjoying the showbiz party of the year afterwards.

A "never-ending kiss" at the end of the vows had some guests shouting "stop, stop". Guests then kicked up their heels well into the night, as a blaze of fireworks exploded overhead. Bride Holmes, the third Mrs Tom Cruise, wore an Armani off-the-shoulder gown with lace and crystal embroidery.

Guests said Cruise and Holmes walked down a stone ramp lined with flag bearers in traditional costumes to the beat of drums. The head of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige was the best man.

Cruise's publicist Arnold Robinson confirmed the couple had taken part in a traditional Scientology marriage service in front of about 150 relatives and friends. The pair had earlier "officialised" their union in Los Angeles before arriving in Rome because Italian law doesn't recognise Scientology as a religion, Mr Robinson said.

Some A-listers who were expected to attend didn't show up, but celebrity guests watching the couple tie the knot included Victoria Beckham, Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Brooke Shields and Will Smith.

During the vows the minister asked Katie: "Do you take his fortune at its prime and ebb and seek with him best fortune for us all? Do you?" The bride replied: "I do." The minister said: "Good then, I am sure you will and surer yet that you'll fare well and staunchly as a wife." To Cruise, he said: "And when she's older do you keep her still? Do you?" He replied: "I do."

The medieval Odescalchi Castle was decked out in red and white in honour of the couple's beliefs, and the castle glowed with thousands of candles. A fireworks display late in the evening fizzled slightly after bad weather set in.

More than 1,000 people turned up to watch the fireworks, which topped off the festivities at the castle, reportedly rented for $A2.5 million.

Earlier in the day bride-to-be Holmes was drenched as she arrived at the castle - though in Italian tradition, "a drenched wife is a lucky wife". Carrying her baby, Holmes arrived several hours before her husband-to-be and was seen looking anxiously out a window until Cruise arrived. Cruise's two adopted children with ex-wife Nicole Kidman were at the service.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli sang Ave Maria to guests at the reception as a wedding gift. Victoria Beckham almost stole the spotlight from Holmes, turning up in a black dress with dramatic, wide-brimmed hat. Her soccer star husband David missed the ceremony after Real Madrid bosses ordered him back to Spain to sit on the bench.

Page boys involved in the service were ordered to have "a wash, shave and session in a sunbed" to look their best for photos. The wedding cake was five-tiered white chocolate decorated with marzipan and studded with white chocolate chips.

Being a Hollywood match, a pre-nup is already in place in case the magic fades, as it often does in Hollywood. The pre-nup was negotiated because the bride's father (a divorce lawyer) has long-held fears about the future of the union, and would not give his blessing without it.

Life And Style Weekly reported that under the pre-nuptial agreement, Holmes was set to receive three million dollars for every year of the first 11 years of the marriage - her first and Cruise's third - plus ownership of a California mansion, after which she would be entitled to half of Cruise's immense fortune if they split up.

But all talk of insurance against messy endings was put aside yesterday when aglow in a strapless cream gown covered in thousands of crystals by Giorgio Armani and wearing underwear estimated to have cost a mere $3000, Holmes enjoyed her moment in the spotlight.

In what has been the most talked about wedding since Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's nuptials in 2000, lucky guests at the lavish affair received goody bags complete with monogrammed towels bearing Tom and Katie's initials and designer sunglasses.

It was a suitably dramatic setting for a bride who, according to one insider, was prepared for her big day as if for a particularly grand movie premiere. She has spent months dieting away more than two stone and was rumoured to have spent four hours getting ready.

But by Hollywood standards, the wedding was surprisingly small with only around 200 guests feasting on parma ham and mozzarella, followed by pasta, and then fish or beef, prepared by Tom's favourite chefs from the restaurant Dal Bolognese in Rome.

But for the cynics who view the wedding as nothing more than a publicity stunt for Cruise, the actor will need more than fireworks to restore his fading career.

"It is being planned just like a gigantic movie premiere,'' said a source. "this will present a certain, very romantic, view of Tom Cruise to the world. He's basically starring in his own movie here, he's having a go at showing everyone that he is still the world's premier leading man.''

UK bookmaker William Hill is considering offering odds on how long the union will last. Cruise, 44, has been married twice before, including to Australian actor Nicole Kidman. He and Holmes, 27, have a daughter Suri, who was born in April.