Madonna and Guy Ritchie Wedding
Madonna and Guy Ritchie Wedding
December 22, 2000
Skibo Castle
Madonna and Guy Ritchie were married on December 22, 2000 at the 19th-century Skibo Castle in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. The 55 guests in attendance included Gwyneth Paltrow, Sting, George Clooney, Robin Williams and Brad Pitt.
French pianist Katia Labèque played organ during the processional, which began when Madonna’s four-year-old daughter, Lourdes Leon, entered the Great Hall barefoot and draped in a long ivory dress. She tossed handfuls of red rose petals from a basket, and then sat in the front row in her nanny’s lap. The couple’s four-month-old son, Rocco Richie, wore a kilt to match his father and sat with a nanny as well.
The bride wore an ivory silk gown by Stella McCartney , with fitted corset bodice and long train. Her face was covered with an antique veil embroidered with 19th-century lace and attached to an Edwardian diamond tiara by Asprey & Garrard of London. She held a lily of the valley bouquet. The groom wore a teal blazer by Alfred Dunhill and a Mackintosh tartan kilt by Scotch House of London.
The 20-minute ceremony was officiated by Reverend Susan Brown and included the Church of Scotland’s nine-part wedding sequence. Prior to the vows, Trudie Styler read the “Lorica” hymn, and Sting sang “Ave Maria.” Rob Ellis also wrote and performed a special song for the occasion called “All I Ever Needed.” The personal vows took place in front of a bay window of century-old stained-glass panels.
Following the ceremony, a reception was held in the drawing room, where guests enjoyed champagne and toasted the newlyweds. Dinner was served in the oak-paneled dining room, where a traditional four-piece Scottish band performed. The menu included langoustine, salmon, mussels, Aberdeen Angus beef, roast potatoes and red cabbage. Dessert was a caramelized profiterole cake baked in London and flown in for the occasion.
After dinner, Madonna changed into a white ivory pantsuit by Stella McCartney in preparation for a disco party held in the castle’s basement. Miami DJ Tracy Young spun tunes, and guests danced all night.
The couple booked all 51 bedrooms at the 7,000-acre estate and stayed at the property with guests for five days leading up to the ceremony.
The newlyweds celebrated Christmas with Sting and Trudie Styler at their castle in Wiltshire, England.