Tom Cruise Wedding: Chaos And Control

Tom Cruise has been married three times. His first wedding to Mimi Rogers in 1987 lasted three years. He then married Nicole Kidman in 1990, and they divorced in 2001. His third wedding was to Katie Holmes in 2006, and they divorced in 2012.

Cruise's wedding to Holmes was held at Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy. The ceremony was a Scientology double ring ritual, and the reception included a performance by Andrea Bocelli, a dance to Fleetwood Mac's Songbird, and a rendition of You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling by Cruise himself.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's wedding ceremony

The star-studded guest list included celebrity couples Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, and David and Victoria Beckham. Holmes's sister, Nancy Blaylock, was the maid of honour, while Cruise chose Scientology leader David Miscavige as his best man.

The couple's relationship began in 2005, and within a year, they were engaged and expecting their first child together, Suri, who was born in April 2006. Their wedding took place shortly after Suri's birth, and the couple brought their newborn daughter to their starry nuptials.

The ceremony was a fairytale-like event, befitting the whirlwind romance that preceded it. The couple's engagement, just months after they met, sparked speculation that the Church of Scientology had played a role in their pairing, with Holmes confirming she would convert to the religion. Despite the joy of their wedding day, the marriage ultimately ended in divorce in 2012, with Holmes reportedly motivated by a desire to free her daughter from the constraints of Scientology.

The wedding's guest list

The guest list for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's wedding was a paparazzo's dream, with the couple inviting a host of A-list celebrities to witness their nuptials. The wedding, which took place at Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy, in November 2006, was attended by around 150 guests.

The star-studded guest list included the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, David and Victoria Beckham, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Brooke Shields and her husband Chris Henchy, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, and Tom's children from his previous marriage to Nicole Kidman, Isabella and Connor.

The couple's photographer, Robert Evans, who took about 5,000 snaps of the A-list occasion, said of the guest list: "Obviously, I'm not thinking about that [while I'm working], but you are observing and you see it. But then the pictures reflect it. I guess they're actors. They could have been faking it. But I just go there and do my job and shoot what I see."

Katie Holmes's wedding dress

Katie Holmes wore not one but two wedding dresses on her big day. Both gowns were designed by Giorgio Armani, who was also a guest at the wedding. The first dress was an off-the-shoulder silk and lace design adorned with Swarovski crystals. The crystals alone took 350 hours to place. The second was a one-shoulder off-white silk organza number, also embellished with Swarovski crystals.

Holmes described her dream wedding dress in an interview with Seventeen in 2004, saying, "I wanted a simple, elegant dress." Armani also commented on the dress, saying, "I wanted to make it modern but at the same time complement the sweetness and energy she conveys."

Holmes' wedding look also included "something old" gifted to her by Brooke Shields, who was a guest at the wedding. Shields gave Holmes an antique enamel compact after the two bonded over their experiences with postpartum depression.

The wedding's location

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy. The 15th-century castle was the setting for one of the most significant wedding ceremonies in Hollywood history, with a price tag of over $3 million. The castle's armory doors opened to welcome guests, who were greeted by flag bearers in traditional Renaissance attire. The wedding ceremony was conducted according to Scientology's traditions, with a "double ring" exchange and a kiss to seal the deal.

The bride, Katie Holmes, wore not one but two gowns designed by Giorgio Armani, who was also a wedding guest. The first dress was an off-the-shoulder silk and lace design adorned with Swarovski crystals, which took 350 hours to place. The second gown was a one-shoulder off-white silk organza number, also embellished with Swarovski crystals. The groom and wedding party, including the best man, Scientology leader David Miscavige, wore Armani as well.

The wedding celebration continued throughout the castle, with toasts, dancing, and music. The bride and her father, Martin Holmes, danced to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," and the newlyweds shared their first dance to Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird." The festivities also included a serenade by Andrea Bocelli, a performance by Jennifer Lopez, and a nostalgic moment when Tom Cruise sang "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" to his bride, reminiscent of his iconic performance in "Top Gun."

The wedding's entertainment

The wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes was a grand affair, with a guest list that read like a who's who of Hollywood. The couple's nuptials took place in Italy's 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, with the ceremony held in the castle's armory. The bride, groom, and wedding party were dressed in Armani, with Holmes wearing two gowns designed by the man himself, Giorgio Armani. The first was an off-the-shoulder silk and lace design adorned with Swarovski crystals, which took 350 hours to place. The second was a one-shoulder off-white silk organza number, also embellished with Swarovski crystals.

The wedding was a traditional Scientology ceremony, with the couple taking part in the church's "double ring" ritual. The bride was walked down the aisle by her father, Martin Holmes, and the groom's best man was Scientology leader David Miscavige. The ceremony was followed by a round of toasts and then the traditional father-daughter dance, with Holmes and her father dancing to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World". The newlyweds then shared their first dance as a married couple to Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird".

The wedding celebrations continued with a performance by music producer Mark Ronson, who spun tunes for the guests. There was also a surprise live performance by Jennifer Lopez when one of her songs came on. In a nod to his iconic role in Top Gun, Cruise serenaded his bride with The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".

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