Parties You Will Never Get Into

In the late afternoon of June 25, 2006 (Australian EST), Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and Grammy Award-winning country music star Keith Urban tied the knot at a small cliff-top chapel in the beachside Sydney suburb of Manly. Although Nicole Kidman was born in Hawaii and Urban was born in New Zealand, both of them were practically raised in Australia.

The two were married in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony inside the gothic-style Cardinal Cerretti Chapel that rests on the grounds of the former St. Patrick’s Seminary. Along with a slender veil and a pair of pearl drop earrings for her accessories, Nicole Kidman was dressed in a flowing white gown designed by Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga. Kidman also held a long-stemmed bouquet of white roses. Urban, on the other hand, wore an elegant black suit with a white rose pinned on his suit’s lapel. Escorted by her father, Nicole Kidman rode on a cream Rolls-Royce Limousine coming from her mansion by the harbor on the way to the chapel, while eager spectators lined on the streets in order to get a glimpse of Australia’s sweetheart. While the there were several media and onlookers standing outside the compound desperately trying to capture shots of the event, the couple managed to hold a solemn and private ceremony inside the gothic chapel. The chapel was simply romantic as it was lit by around 1,000 candles. The entire compound was fully guarded by the police, private security guards, and a high-wire fence to prevent unwanted guests from gaining access. A gazebo was also mounted on the grounds to accommodate the couple’s guests.

The wedding ceremony was officiated by Father Paul Coleman and around 230 family and friends attended the event. Actor Hugh Jackman was one of the first visitors to arrive. Other prominent guests included Media mogul Rupet Murdoch and wife Wendy Deng; director Baz Luhrmann; actor Russel Crowe; actress Naomi Watts; and Nicole Kidman’s children from ex-husband Tom Cruise, Isabella and Connor. After the wedding, Urban grabbed his guitar and serenaded his wife with his song Making Memories of Us.

A very fine and very blurred line exists between the worlds of sports and showbiz. It’s not surprising to find celebrity couples belonging to both. “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria and 2007 NBA Finals MVP Tony Parker are one such couple.

Longoria was engaged to Parker on Nov. 30, 2006. Leading up to the day of the wedding, Parker quoted during the 2007 NBA All-Star game that “Eva is doing everything. I’m just going to show up and say yes.” Spoken like a modern man.

The official wedding ceremonies took place on July 7, 2007. In compliance with French law, official ceremonies were first performed at the Paris city hall. These were presided over by Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe, who praised the couple’s choice of venue for their wedding. (Not surprising, considering Parker was raised in France and because we all know and dream about France and all its romantic associations.)

In a fine example of modern simplicity, Longoria was clad in a pink Chanel mini dress and silver heels. Her guests wore combinations of white, cream, pink, and purple dresses and carried small Chanel shopping bags.

The day after the civil wedding, an extravagant church ceremony took place at the nearby Roman Catholic Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois Church in Paris.

This time, Longoria wore a brilliant mermaid gown designed by Angel Sanchez. The gown, a hitherto closely-guarded secret, was made of silk wool with silk gazar metallic embroidery.

The guest list was impressive: among the many celebrities and Hollywood personalities were French football superstar Thierry Henry and, of course, fellow NBA ball players including fellow Frenchman Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns and the LA Lakers’ Ronny Turiaf.

Diaw and Turiaf were also members of Parker’s entourage. Longoria arrived with a group of friends, including “Desperate Housewives” co-star Teri Hatcher, Jessica Alba and boyfriend Warren Cash, Mario Lopez, Ryan Seacrest, Brenda Strong, Nicolette Sheridan, and Felicity Huffman and husband William H. Macy.

The church wedding was followed by a small reception that lasted about 45 minutes. One of the highlights of the reception was a wedding cake that was reported to cost nearly $40,000 US. The cake itself cost about $15,000 US to make in California and was flown to Paris first class the day before the wedding. An escort accompanied the cake on the trip. The price of the cake plus two first class tickets brought the total cost to almost $40,000 US.

As is requisite for a “normal marriage” (if such a thing exists), their marriage has had its own share of trials: some time after the wedding, French model Alexandra Paressant claimed to have had an affair with Parker. These claims were never substantiated.

From battling undead vampires to solving unsolvable mysteries, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. now take on an even bigger challenge: married life.

Gellar and Prinze Jr., co-stars in the big-screen adaptation of the children’s favorite talking dog-slash-detective cartoon “Scooby-Doo,” wed on September 4, 2002, in a lavish but relatively low-key ceremony in the hills of Jalisco, Mexico, south of Puerto Vallarta. Gellar was beautifully clad in a Vera Wang gown, while Prinze Jr. was smartly dressed in a custom-made linen suit.

The wedding ceremonies lasted for the better part of several days, beginning in Jalisco. Before the actual ceremonies took place, the couple and their guests celebrated at Costa Careyes, a resort named after the turtles that nest on the beach on the Costa Alegre.

The actual wedding, the couple’s first ever, was done a few miles away from Costa Careyes at the Sol de Oriente, a private rental villa atop a cliff that offered a marvelous view of the sea and coastline. The non-denominational ceremonies were officiated by Adam Shankman of “The Wedding Planner” fame.

True to the couple’s public personas, the celebration was quiet and kept a low profile, having been a closely-guarded secret. It was attended by a group of family and friends.

Gellar announced her engagement to Prinze Jr. at her 24th birthday party in April, 2001. Gellar, who played the leading role in the popular television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” first met Prinze Jr., the son of 70′s “Chico and the Man” star Freddie Prinze Sr. while co-starring in the 1997 slasher film “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” They dated for nearly a year before getting engaged sometime in 2000. Gellar and Prinze Jr. were two of PEOPLE magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in 2000.”

Quite interestingly, Gellar had always maintained that she would never date her co-actors. “I try not to date actors, because I know how insecure and crazy we are. I can’t imagine going out with another one of me.”

Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s December 2000 wedding was one of that year’s most anticipated. The couple had reporters in the dark about the wedding details until several hours after the ceremony took place in Scotland’s Skibo Castle.

The music icon wore a traditional wedding gown made by her close friend, Stella McCartney. It was topped by an Edwardian tiara with 765 diamonds.

After the traditional wedding ceremony, guests were treated to a champagne reception. Dinner followed shortly afterwards with the newlyweds garbed in fashionable evening wear. Madonna was stunning in a Jean Paul Gaultier creation that showed off her best figure. Guy looked every bit of the dashing groom in his elegant midnight blue suit.

The reception was held in a luxurious oak-paneled dining room, with the castle’s Highland piper leading them into the area. Dinner was a sumptuous four-course banquet that left all 50 guests full and satisfied.

Then the guests were led into the castle’s Great Hall where Sting took the center stage as he serenaded the newlyweds. Sting’s wife — Trudie Styler — introduced Madonna and Guy to each other at a party in 1996.

One of the highlights of the evening, though, was when Madonna and Guy gamely trooped to the floor, to the delight of the guests, when a ceilidh band started playing.

Madonna and Guy’s guest list included some of today’s most popular celebrities. Aside from Sting and Trudie, Gwyneth Paltrow, who was the chief bridesmaid, celebrated with the couple. Football player-turned-actor Vinnie Jones was the best man. Also spotted in the fabulous and beautiful ceremony were designers Jean Paul Gaultier, Donatella Versace, Stella McCartney, Rupert Everett, Elton John, and then-married couples Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The official photographer for the event was Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

Of course, Madonna’s father, Tony Ciccone, was also present. In fact, it was he who gave the bride away. The singer’s siblings, Chris Ciccone and Melanie Henry, also joined in the celebration. Guy’s dad did not hide his excitement when he exclaimed how lovely the wedding was.

The newlyweds spent the next few days in Sting and Trudie’s 41-room Tudor mansion in England.

Can You Keep a Secret? We’re Getting Married!

Mariah Carey weds Nick Cannon in what is probably the year’s biggest celebrity marriage secret. Heck, not even I knew, and I am Mr. Showbiz. Just how much of a secret was it? Read on.

In stark contrast to the extravagant and widely-publicized wedding ceremonies that transpired in her prior marriage to Tommy Mottola, Carey’s marriage to Cannon was consummated with nary a public announcement. The multiple Grammy-winning singer wed the “Drumline” star and rapper in a secret ceremony that was described as “very impulsive.” A source was even quoted as saying, “there was no prenup – there wasn’t time.” Impulsive indeed. (The couple actually got a quickie prenup done).

The quiet wedding took place on April 30, 2008 at Carey’s newly purchased home in the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Rapper Da Brat, a close personal friend of Carey’s, was among the very few prominent guests in attendance. The ceremony was officiated by Bishop Clifford Petty of the National Church of God right on the patio of Carey’s mansion.

The secrecy of the whole affair shocked both Carey’s and Cannon’s family and friends but they had nothing but kind words and good wishes for the newlyweds. Members of Cannon’s family found out about the wedding through media reports. As is typical of many Hollywood match ups, their whirlwind romance which culminated in marriage lasted a very short time: six weeks to be exact. When asked about their feelings for each other, Carey would gush that she and Cannon were soul mates. Cannon, when asked what he loved about Carey would reply simply, “everything.”

Photographs from the ceremony that surfaced to the public show Carey wearing a white veil and Cannon in a white suit. Photos also showed the couple’s new tattoos: he got a large “Mariah” tattoo across his back, while she got a small butterfly with the letters “MC” on her lower back.

Carey, the soprano coloratura who made her international debut in 1990 and enjoyed considerable mainstream success in the following years, had been friends with Cannon for a long time. Carey, 38, and Cannon, 27, appeared to have connected on a deeper level when they collaborated on the video for Carey’s single “Bye Bye.”

After work began on the video, the couple was seen dating and Carey was frequently seen sporting a 17-carat diamond ring. Rumors quickly surfaced that this was the same ring Cannon gave to his ex-fiancée Selita Ebanks, but Ebanks’ representative debunked these rumors.

In a stunning off-shoulder Armani gown, Katie Holmes walked down the aisle of the Odescalchi Castle in Lake Bracciano, Italy where she married Mission Impossible superstar Tom Cruise in November 2006. Katie, who was escorted by her father Martin, looked fabulous in her Swarovski beaded gown. Tom, on the other hand, was dashing in his navy blue Giorgio Armani tuxedo. The couple’s 7-month old daughter, Suri, wore an organza and chiffon Armani baby dress which, according to the famous designer, was inspired by Katie’s bridal gown.

The wedding entourage included Tom’s adopted children, Isabella and Connor, plus the Church of Scientology’s big man David Miscavige who was Best Man, and Katie’s Matron of Honor, her sister Nancy Blaylock. It was a romantic candlelit ceremony.

Despite the rain that poured earlier, selected celebrities and friends celebrated the meaningful event with the newlyweds and their families. At the reception, where Katie changed into another Armani creation (a beautiful champagne evening gown), guests enjoyed cocktails before being served Italian hors d’oeuvres and a sumptuous multi-course meal.

One of the party’s attractions was the couple’s five-tiered chocolate wedding cake which was elaborately decorated with marzipan roses and white chocolate chips.

Will and Jada Smith, one of the couple’s closest friends, were present to celebrate the joyous occasion. Other A-list celebrity guests were Victoria Beckham, Brooke Shields and husband Chris Henchy, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy.

When the song “What a Wonderful World” was played, Katie danced with her father and by the time Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” was playing, Katie was already swaying in the arms of her husband.

Italian singer extraordinaire Tom and Katie’s Wedding to Remember.