Birthday Boy Crowe Flies Into Marriage
"Gladiator" star Russell Crowe married girlfriend Danielle Spencer in a lavish ceremony in the family chapel at his country ranch on Monday, his 39th birthday.
Spencer, in a gown custom-made for her by Italian fashion supremo Giorgio Armani, was whisked to the ceremony in a motorcade of two black Mercedes, a black pickup truck and two police cars, led by three burly motorcyclists in their wedding best. Armani, also a wedding guest, had dressed the bridal party, including Crowe.
The nuptials capped an event-filled weekend Crowe had planned for his guests, which included a cricket match starring Australian cricketer Shane Warne, as well as musical performances.
Despite the couple's best efforts, scores of media groups clambered to cover the nuptials, hiring out all available local helicopters and staking out the entrance to Nana Glen, Crowe's property in the lush hills near Coffs Harbor, a resort town halfway between east coast cities Sydney and Brisbane.
Crowe's publicist Wendy Day had earlier warned news crews against outdoing each other to get the scoop, and promised to release pictures of the event later. (Internet sites, magazines and television stations, however, were prohibited from running the pictures.) Tents and marquees were erected to protect guests from the prying eyes of the media, and security guards stood at the ranch's entrance to block any uninvited visitors.
Day said the wedding would include about 80 close friends and family members, but no Hollywood stars.
In a press release, Armani described Spencer's bridal gown as a "floor-length figure-hugging satin dress with a plunging back and tiny straps embroidered with small stones.
"The dress is entirely covered by cream-colored Valencien lace embroidered with ivory and silver pearls and paillettes," Armani said. "Completing the look is a translucent organza veil and satin sandals."
Crowe wore a morning suit consisting of a "light black wool jacket, black single-breasted waistcoat with five buttons, white shirt and black bow tie," the release added.
Australia's media was abuzz in the run-up to the wedding.
Several newspapers on Monday splashed snapshots of guests arriving and pictures of a cricket match between the Crowes and the Spencers and their friends, while television channels beamed out hourly updates as the sunset ceremony approached. Some media reports had put the cost of the wedding at $600,000.