On the surface, Madonna and Guy Ritchie's Dec. 22, 2000 nuptials looked like just any fairytale wedding: romantic setting, handsome groom, glowing bride, fabulous dress, beautiful bridesmaids, impressive guest list.
But dig a bit deeper and you'll realize the occasion was vintage Madonna: she married a kilt-wearing man 10 years her junior the day after christening their 4-month-old son.
The dress she wore was from a red-hot designer who is the daughter of an even more famous singer.
And when the world's most famous pop star walked down the aisle in a Scottish castle, accompanied by her 4-year-old flower girl daughter who has a different father, the bride and groom's baby son sat nearby in a miniature kilt that matched his daddy's.
Nobody ever said then 42-year-old Madonna Louise Ciccone was ordinary and her wedding to then 32-year-old Guy Ritchie certainly wasn't either
The rumors about the wedding of the year were flying and with some of the actual facts of the occasion so odd, it is still tough to separate the gossip from the facts (example: Madonna first wanted to use Princess Diana's estate for the setting, but was turned down).
In keeping with the princess theme, it was widely reported ahead of the ceremony that she'd wear a Cartier diamond-encrusted tiara that Princess Grace once wore. In the end, she chose a quarter-million-dollar 1910 diamond tiara loaned to her by Asprey & Garrard, according to the Daily Telegraph.
It was pretty much common knowledge that Madonna's good friend, Chloé designer Stella McCartney (daughter of Beatle Paul McCartney) designed the wedding dress, but the big surprise was that McCartney, not Gwyneth Paltrow as earlier reported, was the maid of honor.
The details about the wedding dress itself are sketchy, but the latest report from the Jan. 8 People magazine say the dress was a strapless ivory silk number with a long train. Madonna wore an antique lace veil, a huge (37 carats!) diamond cross necklace, and diamond and pearl bracelets.
It was estimated in some reports that the dress cost $50,000. Some major news sources also reported that Madonna did wear a tartan plaid sash as an accent.
She accessorized with the $72,000 antique French bracelet studded with 19 carats of diamonds that Ritchie gave her as a wedding gift, according to The Mail. (Altough other news sources said this bauble was merely borrowed). The singer, worth $200 million, gave her hubby-to-be a plastic toy watch, the newspaper said.
In the end, Madonna skipped the diamond-encrusted cowboy boots that news sources rumored she had chosen, and went with a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes.
Then, for dinner, Madonna reportedly changed into a another dress by designer Jean-Paul Gaultier (who was responsible for Madonna's pointy bras earlier in her career).
For dancing, the bride changed into a Versace dress, designed by good friend and wedding guest Donatella Versace.
According the Washington Post, the groom wore a lovat green jacket of Shetland wool from Alfred Dunhill with matching tie and socks and a plain white shirt with a 1930s straight collar. The outfit included a kilt (which is traditionally worn with nothing underneath) in a Macintosh plaid. People magazine reported that Ritchie also sported antique diamond cufflinks, which were gifts from the bride.
Madonna is said to have nixed hats at the wedding as being "too old-fashioned," but from the looks of attendees at the christening (Stella McCartney in an adorable pillbox from Spring 2001 collection) that was just another rumor. Madonna wore a veil at the christening and a cream, double-breasted coat.
Ritchie gave Madonna a large wedding ring back in August 16 (her birthday) after the birth of their son, Rocco (who was christened in Scotland on Dec. 21). According to US Weekly, Ritchie put the rock in a paper bag on the nightstand next to the breastpump.
The wedding ceremony took place at Skibo Castle, the 200-room estate formerly owned by Andrew Carnegie (interestingly, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones decided to change from that venue because the media was tipped off before their wedding last month).
Guests at the wedding included Sting and wife Trudie Styler, who introduced Ritchie and Madonna at a dinner party, Rupert Everett and Gwyneth Paltrow.
