The Immaculate Connection?

In the early evening of December 22, Madonna Louise Ciccone, 42, married fresh-faced British director Guy Ritchie, 32, amid the skirls of a bagpiper and among her family and celebrity pals, including a kilted Sting.

The bride’s preschooler, Lourdes, started the ceremony by throwing red rose petals from a basket, reportedly sending the whole congregation into a joyful crying jag. Meanwhile, the bridegroom appeared in a striking ensemble that included the colors of the ancient Mackintosh clan of Scotland. The couple’s 4-month-old son, Rocco, wore an outfit that matched his father’s.

This, according to the gossip press, was Madonna’s dream wedding. Not the helicopters-flying-overhead chaos of her 1985 marriage to actor/director Sean Penn, which ended in a 1989 divorce. Although the media descended on Skibo Castle and the town of Dornoch, Scotland, like a swarm of locusts, the entire affair appeared to be relatively controlled.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie were introduced, as the story goes, by Sting’s wife, Trudie, when she invited them both to lunch. Sting and Trudie had become friendly with Ritchie during the filming of the 1998 British dark comedy Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Madonna and Sting forged a friendship that was evidenced by her long visits to Sting’s Tuscan home prior to the release of his most successful solo effort, Brand New Day.

Back at Skibo Castle, prenuptial reports indicated that Madonna, Ritchie, and their guests enjoyed an aristocratic weekend. A group of men, including Ritchie, spend their time duck hunting while Madonna, her maid of honor Stella McCartney (daughter of Paul and the late Lynda Eastman McCartney), Styler, and others “watched displays of falconry from the castle windows.” Then, of course, there was much time spent strolling the castle grounds and practicing yoga—another common thread between Madonna and Sting.

The day before the wedding, Sting paid tribute at the baby Rocco’s christening by singing “Ave Maria” after Trudie, as Rocco’s godmother, read a lengthy hymn amid attendees at Dornoch Cathedral, about five miles from Skibo Castle.

After the wedding, Madonna and her family retired to Lake House, Sting’s sprawling estate near Stonehenge, where they celebrated Christmas together.

Despite the age difference, Madonna and Guy Ritchie have reportedly enjoyed a “grown up sort of love.” Madonna grown up at 42? Better late than never.

Resources

Check out the Madonna Wedding Cam for all the wedding details, press coverage, the town of Dornoch, Skibo Castle, and more.

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