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The marriage of Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas took place in New York's Plaza Hotel last night. Security was tight at the star-studded event.
Unsurprisingly for such a showbiz wedding the guest list read like a who's who of Hollywood's greatest. Among the guests were Jack Nicholson and girlfriend Lara Flynn Boyle were joined by Goldie Hawn, Danny Devito with wife Rhea Pearlman, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Reeve, James Woods and Art Garfunkel. UN Secretary General Koffi Annan was also present along with director Oliver Stone, Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan.
Catherine was 10 minutes late for her wedding. Because of the one million pound photo deal with OK magazine great lengths were taken to ensure that no unaurthorised pictures were taken. Catherine was made to wait outside the Hotel's Terrace Room as the final security sweeps were completed.
At 7:25pm Catherine finally walked down the candlelit aisle on the arm of her father Dai. In a break with tradition a Welsh choir sang a hymn as Catherine made her way to Michael was standing. The service was conducted under an altar of white roses and tulips.
Catherine looked stunning with her dark hair swept up and adorned with an ornate tiara. Her ivory satin gown, designed by David Emanuel, was encrusted with gems with a long and the train made from antique lace. The official Michael Douglas website also revealed that the matching bridesmaids' dresses and mother of the bride's outfit were made by top designer Christian Lacroix.
Initially Michael seemed nervous. A guest later said, "He had looked really nervous when they first stood at the altar and he was sweating."
He finally seemed to relax when he and his lovely bride turned to face each other for the exchange of vows, tenderly holding each other's hands.
"It was a lovely moment because you could suddenly see some of the tension draining out of Michael's face. But when they started to say the vows and he turned and looked at Catherine they both just looked radiant. They were both smiling and holding hands. It was very touching and everyone there shed a tear."
Catherine's mum Pat held the couple's baby son Dylan throughout the ceremony. Dressed in a blue pinstriped romper suit, the three-month-old child stayed quiet during the event. 85-year-old gran Zeta Jones - from whom Catherine got her famous middle name - wept with joy. She had said earlier, "I'm so excited. I've been waiting for this day."
The best man at the star-studded wedding was Douglas's 21-year-old son Cameron, from his first marriage. Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas - the groom's dad - watched from a front row with wife Anne.
The actress's ring, which includes a Celtic motif, was bought by Michael from a tiny family jeweller in the west Wales coastal town of Aberystwyth.
And as soon as they were pronounced man and wife Catherine threw her arms around her husband. Celebrity guests clapped, cheered and stomped their feet as the newlyweds shared a Hollywood-style kiss that looked like something straight off the big screen.
The reception after the ceremony was an equally lavish affair. Guests dined on a seven-course meal, reported to have cost £500 a head. The starter was Roasted Maine Lobster with a tarragon sauce. Then it was on to Roasted Rack of Colorado Lamb with a potato basket for the main course. Dessert was a chocolate caramel "decadence" with sorbets, or a chocolate pyramid with ice-cream and a orange ginger sauce.
And to finish off with was the magnificent wedding cake. Standing at 4ft high, the five tier monster cost £7,000.
After the meal came the wedding party. Michael danced with Catherine - still in her wedding dress - for the opening number.
The singers who performed at the bash gave it a dated feel. It was kicked off by Gladys Knight and the Pips, who sang their 1975 ballad 'Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me.' Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler sang her hit 'Total Eclipse' in response to a personal request from Catherine. The singer said: "Catherine has always loved the song. I was very honoured to perform it."
And husband and wife duo Ashford and Simpson had guests joining in as they performed their 1985 number 'Solid'. Other songs played included Kool and the Gang's Celebration The pace was picked up later by a live soul band.
Michael spent some time hanging out with his friend Jack Nicholson smoking cigars and supping champagne.
Catherine caused a flutter of intrigue by enjoying a smoochy dance with an old flame, Simply Red's Mick Hucknall.
Catherine's gran Zeta was thrilled to meet her screen idol, Michael's dad Kirk - now 81 and frail. She said: "He is still so handsome."
Many of the big name celebrity guests at the wedding stayed out of sight too for several hours after the ceremony. They were thought to be taking advantage of the 130 rooms booked by the wedding party. Some guests did appear on Sunday, many hiding their bleary eyes behind dark glasses or still in their clothes worn for the event.
Although the location of Michael and Catherine's wedding has been known for months, the exact date was still a secret .. until now. The couple will marry in the Plaza Hotel, New York on Saturday 18th November. The lavish ceremony will take place in the Hotel's Grand Ballroom. A reported cost of the wedding is between 1.2 and 1.5 million pounds (1.8-2.3m.usd). Decoration of the Ballroom alone is said to be 120,000 pounds.
With the wedding being such a big big event and being between two such famous stars it was inevitable that there would be several celebrity invitations. Tom Jones, Danny DeVito, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Gwyneth Paltrowand even Bill Clinton are rumoured to have been invited. In addition, Catherine's entire family are being flown in from Wales in a private jet. During the service, baby Dylan will watch from the arms of his grandmother, Diana Douglas, Meanwhile, Michael's 21-year-old son Cameron, from his first marriage, will be the best man.
One big secret yet to be reveiled is Catherine's wedding dress. For that we will have to the wedding day itself. Designed by David Emanuel (co-creator of Princess Diana's wedding gown), the dress is rumoured to have cost in excess of 100,000 pounds (150,000 dollars).
If you missed out on an invite to the wedding you will be able to see exclusive pictures of it in OK! magazine. The celebrity publication has paid one million pounds for the exclusive rights to the wedding. I secured the deal after winning a bidding war with rival mag Hello!.
Finally the guessing and speculation is over. It has been confirmed that Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas will marry in New York. Although the exact date is still unknown it has been confirmed that the wedding will take place in November. The city's Plaza Hotel has been booked for the ceremony.
Since the announcement of their engagement in January of this year speculation on the venue for the wedding has been rife. Locations such as California, Majorca and Wales have all been seen as options at one time or another I spokesperson for Michael said, "The Plaza in New York has been booked for months and there has never been any question of the couple holding their ceremony anywhere else." He went on to say, "It is a fantastic venue which will provide the perfect backdrop for their big day."
Early this morning Catherine Zeta Jones gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Catherine's husband-to-be, Michael Douglas, held her hand throughout the labour. The couple are said to be 'ecstatic'. The child has been named as Dylan Michael Douglas. Dylan after the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. A spokesperson for the hospital reported that baby Dylan weighs a healthy 7lb 7oz, is 21.5" long and has all the correct number of fingers and toes.
More news on Dylan and Catherine as and when I recieve it.
The Complete Catherine Zeta Jones - First with the top Catherine News
Catherine is in hospital tonight having her baby induced. With the baby a week overdue Doctors decided that the child requires some persuasion. Both Michael and Catherine's mother Pat are with her at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. The induction precedure can take as long as 48 hours.
As a result of the late birth, Catherine has decided to pospone her wedding plans. As reported earlier, Catherine and Michael were planning to get married on 25th September, their joint birthday, on the Spanish island of Majorca. However, Catherine has decided to delay this to allow her more time to recover from the pregnancy.
And as a final interesting note: Friends of Catherine's have started taking bets on whether or not she gives birth to twins!
One said, "Every day she seems to look more and more huge!"
There seems to have been a lot of confusion on the internet over the exact date that Catherine's child is due. Early reports stated that the baby was to be born at the end of June. However, it is now the end of July and there has been no word. More recent reports suggest that Catherine will give birth the first week in August. Whatever the date, I'm sure everyone joins me in wishing Catherine all the very best!
Catherine Zeta-Jones announced today that she is pregnant with fiance Michael Douglas's baby.
Although 3 months pregnant, Catherine only broke the new to her family last week. The baby is due in June or early July of this year. It is reported that Catherine is thrilled at the prospects of becoming a mother.
The downside of her pregnancy is that she has had to pull out of the Kevin Costner movie 'Beyond Borders' due to the filming schedule clashing with her pregnancy. She also cancelled her appearance at the Golden Globe awards ceremony because of morning sickness.
Fiance Michael has one son, Cameron, to estranged wife.
Catherine's parents Pat and Dai are flying out to LA to support their daughter.
I am sure that I speak for all her fan's when I send her my congratulations on this wonderful news.
It's official. Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas are engaged.
Michael proposed just after 2am on New Year's Day at his Aspen Home. The public announcement was made by Michael on his website: www.michaeldouglas.com. He said simply, 'I am very happy to announce that I am engaged to Catherine Zeta Jones'
The couple met at the Deauville Film Festival in France in August of 1998 and have been dating since March of last year. Michael present Catherine with a 1920's antique engagement ring. It's centrepiece is a 10-carat diamond surrounded by 28 smaller stones. For those who are interested, the estimated value of the ring is around 2 million UK pounds.
Although no firm date had been set for the wedding the date of September 25th this year has been speculated. This is both Catherine and Michael's birthday. This will also allow time for the details of Michael's divorce to wife Diandra to be finalised. Michael and Diandra have been separated since 1997 after a 22 year marriage. A settlement of 40 million dollars has been estimated.
Perhaps prompted by this divorce settlement, Michael has asked Catherine to sign a pre-nuptial agreement.
The other big question is: where will the wedding take place? Los Angeles, Majorca (Spain) and Clyne Chapel (South Wales) have all been speculated. Apparently Catherine changes her mind every 30 mins.
Michael's brother Eric said,
"It's driving her mad trying to decide. Her family and friends are in Wales, but Michael's are scattered around the US"
he went on to say:
"Catherine wants to please everyone but it sounds like she's leaning towards a wedding in her home town."
He said one of the things worrying the Mask of Zorro actress was the prospect of having to fly her whole family to America - especially her frail 84-year-old grandmother, Zeta.
Clyne Chapel is set on the coast overlooking Swansea Bay near to Catherine's home town of Mumbles. Built in the 1900s, the chapel can seat around 200 people. This would limit the size of the wedding.
During a Christmas holiday in Wales, Miss Jones and Mr Douglas were seen sitting in a car outside the Chapel.
But the local parson, the Rev George Bennett, said: "I am sure there is a lot of speculation, but there is no news at the moment about where the wedding would be.
"I have not had any approaches from the couple but, of course, I will be happy to talk to them if they so wish."
Catherine's father Dai declined to comment on the news. The 53-year-old former sweet wholesaler now helps manage his daughter's career.
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