Madonna Marries Guy Ritchie in Scotland
Dec. 23, 2000 -- It’s finally official: The “Material Girl” and her beau are officially hitched.
“It did happen,” Susan Brown, the Church of Scotlandminister told reporters outside her house in the Scottish village of Dornoch.
The confirmation followed an agonizing 12 hour wait for theworld’s media who were unsure whether the ceremony, held in Dornoch’s secluded Skibo Castle, had actuallytaken place.
The 42-year-old Madonna confessed that she went “wobblybonkers” when she met the man 10 years her junior. Ritchie,famed for his gangster movies, fondly calls her “The Missus” and“Madge” in the London house they share.
For the big day, the couple went for opulence and intimacy,taking over the castle for just a small group of showbusinessfriends and family — Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow, dressdesigner Stella McCartney and actor Rupert Everett.
The couple’s big day was strictly off limits for the press.Three security teams with thermal heat-seeking equipment prowledthe pine forests in search of intruders around Skibo Castle.Sting in a Kilt
The Material Girl has sent Scotland into a whirl for a weekas Hollywood High Society descended, first for Thursday’sbaptism of the couple’s son Rocco Ritchie in nearby Dornoch’s 13th century cathedral and then thewedding.
The setting could not have been more romantic — a castlewhere pampered guests can fish for salmon in the private lochand Ritchie, famed for his gun-toting films, could shoot deer orgrouse on the heather-clad moors.
While the journalists were closed out, a veritable who’s-who in show business descended upon the remote town. The star-studded guest list included Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Robin Williams and Sting — who played Cupid by first introducing the bride and groom.
And it was a midafternoon sighting of Sting, clad in a kilt and gliding through the castle gates in a limousine, that signaled to the assembled photographers and reporters that the rites apparently were about to begin.
It wasn’t the first trip down the aisle for Madonna — her stormy marriage to actor Sean Penn ended in divorce — but the Material Girl apparently didn’t skimp on any of the details.
London jeweler Susy Lauder said the star’s accessories include an antique French bracelet studded with 19 carats of diamonds.
Lauder said designer Stella McCartney, daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, helped select the $72,000 bracelet. McCartney reportedly designed Madonna’s wedding dress and accompanied her on a shopping trip.
The groom was to be dressed in tweed. The Alfred Dunhill luxury goods company said Ritchie would wear a green tweed jacket with matching tie and socks — and a plain white cotton shirt.
The ensemble was expected to include a Mackintosh tartan kilt. It wasn’t clear whether Ritchie would follow the Scottish tradition of wearing nothing underneath.
The ceremony was to be performed by Minister Susan Brown, who presided Thursday over the baptism of Rocco Ritchie, the couple’s 4-month-old son. Madonna also has a 4-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship, but it wasn’t known if either child attended the wedding.
Brown is affectionately known to parishioners as “Holy Spice” for her progressive attitudes, which may have been helpful in dealing with an interfaith couple. Madonna, 42, is a divorced Catholic and Ritchie, 32, is a Protestant.
A Steel Baron’s Hideaway
Skibo Castle was rebuilt a century ago as steel baron Andrew Carnegie’s palatial holiday hideaway.
It’s secluded and well known for its privacy, and no effort was spared to ensure that it remained so for the wedding.
“ I think it’s a wonderful setting for her wedding,” William Thompson, Carnegie’s great-grandson, told ABCNEWS. “It’s set on the edge of the shores of the Dornoch Firth in the most beautiful grounds. It’s also very private and she values her privacy for her wedding and I think it’s a perfect place for that.”
Security was out in force around the grounds of the estate. The castle was out of bounds for the world’s press, who have been camped in Dornoch now for most of the week. On Thursday, police arrested a man after he was discovered inside Dornoch Cathedral following baby Rocco’s baptism.
ABC’s Adaora Udoji, ABCNEWS.com’s Buck Wolf and Reuters contributed to this story.