Twenty five years ago today Spice Girl Victoria Adams and Manchester United star David Beckham tied-the-knot with a wedding fit for the king and queen of football and pop.
From the dress to the first public appearance of baby Brooklyn, the Spice Girl guests and yes, those thrones for the bride and groom, when the most stylish pop star of the 90s and Britain’s hottest footballer married, every aspect of the day was spectacular.
On July 4 1999, nearly 300 of the couple’s closest friends and family gathered at Luttrellstown Castle, a magnificent venue near Dublin, set within a 560-acre estate with its own golf course, surrounded by a high stone wall to keep the paparazzi out.
A flag bearing the initials VDB fluttered from the top of the castle in the breeze.
Society wedding planner Peregrine Armstrong-Jones organised the event, which was covered exclusively by the glossy magazine OK !.
“Victoria and David had huge input right from the beginning,” he said. “The wedding had been 14 and a half months in the planning, during which time the couple had been all over the world. Wherever they were, I would get samples, fabrics and plans to them, and Victoria would often ring me five times a day with ideas and questions.”
Every tiny detail had been considered. Fresh apples had been sewn into an ivy arrangement along the bannisters of the castle's master staircase – painstakingly pierced to release their scent through the rooms. A beautiful leafy walkway was created, stretching from the French windows of the library across the finely manicured lawns to a huge marquee where the reception and dancing were held later.
David’s dad, Ted, said of the wedding: “It’s just something special – a fairy-tale. Victoria’s an absolutely lovely girl and I feel very proud of the pair of them.”
Victoria’s father, Tony, said: “When I went into the marquee with Victoria earlier, the orchestra was rehearsing Goodbye (a special version of the Spic e Girls’ hit) and I got so emotional that we had to have a little bit of a cuddle, In fact, I got so emotional that I had to take a bike out and cycle round the golf course to get over it! I can be hard as nails at times, but today… I mean, this whole thing has been on the drawing board for so long, and to see it come together so beautifully is very, very moving.”
The three bridesmaids – Victoria’s sister Louise, then 22, wearing a Stella McCartney for Chloe dress, her baby daughter Liberty, plus David’s little niece Georgina – made their first appearance soon after. The two little girls were dressed as woodland flower fairies, with gossamer wings and coronets decorated with ivy and twigs.
Next saw the arrival of the other Spice Girls – Emma Bunton, Mel C and Mel B, plus her then-husband Jimmy Gulzar and baby Phoenix Chi – completing the exclusive list of just 29 guests who had been invited to attend the actual ceremony at the ivy-covered folly chapel.
Perched above a stream some 500 metres from the main castle, it was the first time a wedding had ever been performed at this location. Previously occupied by a hermit, the folly had to be rebuilt before they could use it.
Victoria said: “It was overgrown, half the floor was missing and there were big holes in the walls – it was like walking into a garden shed. But we just looked at each other and said, ‘This is the place.’ It was just big enough for our closest family and friends. I wanted the ceremony to be as private as possible.”
Just after 4pm, the Bishop of Cork, the Right Reverend Paul Colton, married the couple, whose guests were treated to their first sight of Victoria’s stunning champagne coloured, strapless Vera Wang wedding gown, with a petticoat made from 50 metres of tulle, stiffened with horse hair. Instead of a traditional bridal bouquet, she had a natural selection of green berries, apples, ivy, blackberries and brambles.
Victoria also wore a beautiful diamond and gold coronet by Slim Barrett, a jeweller who had made pieces for the late Princess of Wales, while around her neck was a spectacular diamond crucifix that David bought her for Christmas the previous year.
Slim said: “Victoria arrived at my studio with her mum, Jackie, holding her new born baby, Brooklyn.
“Victoria said she would like me to design a crown to wear on her wedding day to compliment her wedding gown – she wanted something reminiscent of a fairy-tale. She had a lot of fun trying on the tiaras and crowns in the studio, with her mum taking photographs as reference.
“On one appointment Victoria arrived with her fiancé, David Beckham and their baby, Brooklyn, straight off a flight from New York. It was nice to see David taking charge of the situation looking after the baby, sitting patiently holding Brooklyn on his knee while Victoria had her fitting. “
And Victoria did not upstage her beau on the big day.
David looked strikingly handsome, as he waited in the folly for his bride, with his best man, Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville.
He wore a cream suit by English designer Timothy Everett, with a gold and cream waistcoat, cream shirt and cravat, cream top hat and cream boots by Manolo Blahnik. He also wore a dazzling Cartier diamond bracelet - a gift from Victoria.
To a trumpet fanfare, followed by the strings of an assembled orchestra playing the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin by Wagner, Victoria and her emotional father made their way up the aisle as David cradled baby Brooklyn, who was dressed in cream-coloured combat trousers and a shirt with his name embroidered on the back.
As their vows were exchanged and readings completed, the Bishop declared them husband and wife, and David leaned across and tenderly placed a kiss on Victoria’s right shoulder.
At just before 5pm, the orchestra struck up Mendelssohn’s Wedding March and the newlyweds walked back up the aisle together. “It was very lovely,” said Victoria’s younger sister, Louise, after the ceremony. “It was so emotional,” added David’s sister, Joanne. “All of us were in tears, including Victoria and David.”
Received by their guests back at the castle, the beaming bride and groom made their spectacular entrance down its ornate staircase as a pianist played the theme tune from Beauty And The Beast . “No doubt people will be wondering which one of us is Beauty and which one the Beast,” laughed Victoria.
Even the burgundy, green and purple flower arrangements in the marquee were spectacular. And the walls were covered with birch trees and foliage to make it look like the waiters were coming out of a forest – in keeping with their Robin Hood-style theme for the day.
The newlyweds changed into purple outfits and sat on thrones in a raised “bridal alcove”, accompanied by a sleepy Brooklyn. His swinging chair, which had been decorated with burgundy velvet and gold ribbon, was nearby.
“Some people will say it’s over the top. But then if we’d had a small wedding they would have said, ‘Couldn’t they have done something bigger?’” said Victoria.
Among the pudding choices, topping off a wedding menu featuring delights like roasted red pepper and tomato soup served in hollowed-out pumpkin halves and corn-fed chicken with English asparagus - as well as veggie options - was a classic sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch.
Hilarious speeches included Victoria’s dad recounting the story of how David had seen a member of an all-girl group on television and had said, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.” “Unfortunately,” joked Tony, “he was talking about Louise from Eternal, and Jamie Redknapp got there first!”
Best man Gary Neville brought the house down by making his entrance in a Beckham-style sarong.
A second marquee, decorated in the style of a lavish Moroccan boudoir, was soon full of guests ready to party on the sunken dance floor to the sounds of a live 70s band and disco.
An ear infection meant the couple’s best friend, Elton John, was due to sing at the after party, couldn’t attend.
A four-minute firework display, accompanied by Björk’s It’s Oh So Quiet , drew a close to the celebrations.
Reflecting on the day, Victoria said: “We chose surroundings that weren’t intimidating.
“I’ve seen a lot of weddings where there are all these famous, glamorous people walking around, but we didn’t want a wedding like that. People aren’t there because of who they are or what they do – they’re all there because they’re friends.”
- These words have been taken from OK!'s David and Victoria Beckham Special Collector's Edition, available in store now or online here for £9.99.