Kidman Weds Urban in Intimate Ceremony

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Kidman Weds Urban in Intimate Ceremony

SYDNEY, Australia (June 25) - Nicole Kidman married country music star Keith Urban at an Australian clifftop chapel Sunday in an intimate ceremony attended by close family and a smattering of A-list stars.

The beaming Oscar-winning actress arrived at the Roman Catholic church in flowing white Balenciaga gown and veil, clutching a bouquet of white roses. Church bells pealed 90 minutes later, indicating the service was over.

The couple released a photograph of Kidman in her gown and Urban in a black suit, white vest and black necktie with a white rose on his lapel, both smiling.

"We just want to thank everyone in Australia and around the world who have sent us their warm wishes," the couple said in a brief statement released with the photo.

A beaming Kidman, accompanied by her father, Antony, arrived at the church in Manly in a cream Rolls Royce limousine after driving from her harborside mansion across the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge -- followed all the way by media helicopters.

She held a bouquet and wore drop pearl earrings, her face partly obscured by a willowy veil -- in keeping with the traditional theme expected. She smiled and waved to well-wishers gathered outside the venue and her house.

Her blonde hair hung around her shoulders. Australian Associated Press reported the gown was designed by Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga.

The Gothic-style St. Patrick's College building was dramatically floodlit for the dusk-to-evening ceremony, held in a small chapel on the compound. The guests then moved to a marquee erected on the grounds for the reception.

Kidman's adopted daughter with ex-husband Tom Cruise , Isabella, 13, and sister Antonia arrived in a separate limousine dressed as bridesmaids. Cruise and Kidman's adopted son, Connor, 11, also was expected to participate in the ceremony.

Urban, who was not seen arriving at the church, reportedly was attended by his brother Shane and friend Marlon Holden.

The event was in contrast to Kidman and Cruise's marriage ceremony, which was held in private according to the rites of the Church of Scientology to which Cruise belongs. The couple divorced in 2001 after 10 years of marriage.

It is Urban's first marriage.

Helicopters buzzed overhead and hundreds of people -- including a throng of paparazzi -- lined the streets outside the compound in the beachside suburb as guests arrived in black luxury sedans and minibuses.

Some onlookers climbed trees and a stone wall trying to catch a glimpse of the activities inside the compound. Police, black-suited private security guards and a high fence kept out unwanted guests.

Australian movie star Hugh Jackman was the first guest to arrive, though his black European sedan almost missed the entrance. The car stopped and reversed back to enter the venue.

Kidman's mother, Janelle, was next, stopping briefly and rolling down her car's window to smile for photographers. White minibuses and a fleet of black luxury sedans brought other guests, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch and wife Wendi Deng. Australians Russell Crowe and Naomi Watts were expected to attend.

Other guests flew in from Maroochydore, the Outback town in Queensland state where Urban's family live. The bulk of the 230 or so guests were reportedly Australian friends and family.

Kidman was born in Hawaii but raised in Australia, and Urban was born in New Zealand but raised in Queensland. She held low-key celebrations in Sydney this week marking her 39th birthday. He is 38.

Reports Sunday suggested the couple recently signed a prenuptial agreement which allegedly includes an escape clause for Kidman should Urban revert to excessive drug or alcohol abuse. Details of the alleged agreement could not be confirmed.

Urban, who won a Grammy this year for best male country vocalist, has publicly acknowledged his former cocaine addiction.

The Kidman family priest who conducted the ceremony, the Rev. Paul Coleman, said beforehand that Kidman and Urban were "totally focused on their commitment."

"It's the priority in their lives," The Sunday Telegraph newspaper quoted him as saying. "It is an uplifting occasion for the community -- to see people of this profile making this commitment in Australia."

Urban's manager, Rob Potts, said Saturday the couple wanted a "normal wedding."

Media have predicted that "Moulin Rouge" director Baz Luhrmann would have a hand in the wedding video. A quartet from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was expected to perform, as is Jackman, who sprang to fame in the Broadway musical "The Boy from Oz" before striking success in Hollywood as Wolverine in the "X-Men" series.

Urban was expected to serenade his bride. He won a Grammy this year for best male country vocalist and was named top male vocalist for the second year in a row by the Academy of Country Music.

A Country Weekly magazine reader poll this year named him country music's sexiest man.

Posted 6/25/06 9:52 AM