Bracciano, Italy – In a fairy-tale setting, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes exchanged wedding vows Saturday in a glowing 15th-century castle in this medieval lakeside town.
The evening ceremony was performed by a Scientology minister in front of more than 150 relatives and friends, the couple’s publicists said.
Oil-fed torches and tiny candles flickered from the battlements and windows of the Odescalchi castle as the couple and fellow celebrities gathered for the ceremony in the town, about 27 miles northwest of Rome.
One guest was the couple’s daughter, 7-month-old Suri, who was dressed in white and arrived in her mother’s arms.
The wedding party included Cruise’s two children, Isabella and Connor, from his previous marriage to Nicole Kidman, the publicists said in a statement. The best man was Cruise’s best friend, David Miscavige, and the matron of honor was Holmes’ sister Nancy Blaylock.
Holmes wore an off-the-shoulder ivory silk gown designed by Giorgio Armani. Her father, Martin Holmes, walked her down the aisle, and she carried a bouquet of flowers, including calla lilies, made by Armani.
Cruise wore a single-breasted navy blue Armani handmade suit, with an ivory silk French collar shirt of the same fabric as the bride’s gown.
Armani, who was among the guests, told The Associated Press that Cruise, then Holmes, walked down a stone ramp lined with flag bearers in medieval costumes.
They exchanged vows in a former stable decorated simply with white flowers.
“For the Americans this was very special, because Americans do not have this kind of thing back home,” Armani said.
Other famous guests included Brooke Shields, Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Jim Carrey and Victoria Beckham.
Hundreds of the town’s 14,000 residents braved rain to catch a glimpse of the arrivals.
“I want to see at least one of them – even if it’s not Tom Cruise,” said Erica Bandiera, 15.
Italian singer Andrea Bocelli serenaded the couple at their reception, where the bride and groom cut a five-tiered white chocolate wedding cake.
