ITALY: Tom Cruise and his bride Katie Holmes as well as guests including the Beckhams and Jennifer Lopez arrives at castle for wedding

Actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married in a medieval castle near Rome on Saturday (November 18) in a much-anticipated ceremony attended by some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Frenzied excitement in the run-up to the wedding gave away to disappointment among throngs of onlookers and paparazzi waiting outside the lakeside venue once word spread that the wedding was over. Many left without a glimpse of the stars after braving rain in Bracciano, leaving behind bottles and litter in a square that was teeming with hopeful fans earlier in the day. Earlier, Tom Cruise arrived at the Odescalchi castle in Bracciano, waving briefly to crowds as he passed by in the car. Katie Holmes had arrived several hours earlier - needing maybe a bit more time to get ready than her husband-to-be to prepare for the big day. Holmes's mother was seen peering from a window checking on the weather. But even a light downpour wasn't going to put off the hundreds of onlookers waiting to catch a glimpse of the happy couple. In Rome, even a slight downpour could not cool down the excitement of catching a glimpse of the A-list guest , while they ledft heir hotel to attend the wedding. It was a like a surreal fashion parade of top Hollywood names as each one came out in stunning evening wear before the world's media. Victoria Beckham wore a tight strapless black dress with a large slanted hat. Jennifer Lopez dazzled in a dusty pink floor-sweeping gown and white fur wrap when she left on the arm of husband Marc Anthony. A smiling Will Smith and wife of Jada Pinkett Smith also left with Smith joking to reporters saying: 'We're going to give it to them right now' in a joking aggressive fashion. Other guests attending include Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy and "Mission: Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams. John Travolta, who shares Cruise's belief in Scientology, was also expected to attend. Several minivans with tinted windows drove up at a side entrance at the frescoed castle. Fans started gathering in the main square facing the Odescalchi castle early in the day. Residents looked out from their balconies, some of them decorated with the American flag. Photographers with long lenses stood perilously on window ledges at the top of a building overlooking the castle. But much of the action will be hidden from public view inside the fortress, surrounded by a 10-metre (yard) high wall and manned by snipers and bodyguards. Scientologist weddings are similar to others, with rings, music and flowers. The bride wears white and the groom a dark suit. The cost of the event is estimated at over 2 million euros ($2.5 million). The pair's outfits were designed by Giorgio Armani, who also created the bride's bouquet. But, by evening, the mood of Bracciano's residents was rather sour after spending the whole day waiting for a chance to see Holmes and Cruise and instead being treated to a stream of cars with darkened windows whizzing past them. As the night hours ticked past people were still planning to remain on the streets contenting themselves that it was worth staying for a firework display that had been promised.

ITN Source | November 23, 2006

Tags:. .victoria. .marc. .estimated. .lopez. .decorated