Kidman Wedding Ceremony Over

A beaming Nicole Kidman arrived in a clifftop church for her wedding to Keith Urban dressed in a flowing white gown and veil and clutching a posy of white roses. Church bells rang out 90 minutes later, indicating the ceremony was over.

There was no immediate confirmation that the couple had exchanged vows.

A crowd of cheering people swarmed into the street leading to the church compound as Kidman's Rolls Royce limousine passed, forced it to slow down. Police moved in to clear a path.

Helicopters buzzed overhead and hundreds of people - including a throng of media cameras - lined the streets near the church in Sydney's beachside suburb of Manly as guests arrived in luxury sedans and minibuses.

Some people climbed trees and the stone wall outside the compound trying to catch a glimpse of activity inside. Police, black-suited private security guards and a high wire fence kept out unwanted guests. Details were closely guarded, and no general media coverage was allowed.

Kidman, accompanied by father Antony, arrived in a cream limousine after driving from her harborside mansion in another part of the city — followed all the way by media helicopters.

She held a posy and wore drop pearl earrings and a willowy veil

in keeping with the traditional theme that had been expected for the Catholic service. Her blonde hair hung around her shoulders. Australian Associated Press reported the gown was designed by Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga.

The imposing gothic-style St. Patrick's College building was dramatically floodlit for the evening ceremony in a small chapel on the compound. A marquee was erected on the grounds for the reception.

Kidman's adopted daughter with ex-husband Tom Cruise, Isabella, 13, sister Antiona arrived in a separate car. Cruise and Kidman's adopted son Connor, 11, was also expected to take part in the ceremony.

Australian action star Hugh Jackman was the first 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 winding 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. Australian Hollywood starts Naomi Watts and Russell Crowe were also expected.

Kidman, 39, was born in Hawaii but raised in Australia, and Urban, 38, was born in New Zealand but raised in Australia's rural Queensland state.

The priest expected to marry the couple, Father Paul Coleman, said 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."

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

Urban, who won a Grammy this year for best male country vocalist, was expected to serenade his bride.

It is Urban's first marriage, and the second for Kidman, who won an Oscar for her role as Virginia Woolf in the 2002 film "The Hours." Her 10-year marriage to Cruise ended in 2001.
By MERAIAH FOLEY