Nicole Kidman Marries Country Singer Keith Urban

On Sunday, Nicole Kidman officially married country singer Keith Urban and beat Tom Cruise in the race to the altar. The setting was idyllic, breathtaking, intimate and private for both Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. The traditional Catholic wedding took place at a cliff-top sandstone chapel, which overlooked Sydney Harbor and beyond to the Pacific Ocean. The wedding Kidman - Urban ceremony took place just after sunset, filling Australia's twilight hours with the star-studded affair.

But despite a plea from Nicole Kidman for a normal wedding, Reuters reports that the wedding was anything but conventional, "Police and security guards held back hundreds of well-wishers and international media as Kidman arrived at twilight for the ceremony," adding later that "Helicopters buzzed overhead as Kidman drove from her ritzy Sydney harborside home. Well-wishers and photographers got within arms-reach of her car as she arrived for the wedding."

As the CBC reported on the marriage between Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, "Police and private security guards kept outsiders at bay as stars such as actors Naomi Watts, [Hugh] Jackman, [Russell] Crowe and [Renee] Zellweger, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch arrived for the nuptials at the Gothic-style former seminary overlooking Manly Beach. Guests were banned from bringing cameras or cellphones, and asked to give gifts to charity" Don't forget Isabella, 13, and Connor, 11, Nicole Kidman's adopted children from her marriage to Tom Cruise.

As for the inside details, which every bride-to-be wants to know, ABC News reveals what Nicole Kidman wore for her (second) marriage, "She held a bouquet and wore drop pearl earrings, her face partly obscured by a willowy veil in keeping with the traditional theme expected. She smiled and waved to well-wishers gathered outside the venue and her house. Her blonde hair hung around her shoulders. Australian Associated Press reported the gown was designed by Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga." With Angelina Jolie and Brad Bitt having no plans to marry anytime soon, Nicole Kidman is definitely the bride of 2006. Unless, of course, her ex-husband Tom Cruise throws an even bigger wedding bash for himself and Katie Holmes.

Since they were shutting the paparazzi out, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban had to throw a nugget to the press. They weren't trying to charge $4.1 million for photos that would get leaked on the Internet. Instead, they went the route of a press release. CBS News quoted the release, which was accompanied by a single wedding photo and a personal heartfelt message, "We just want to thank everyone in Australia and around the world who have sent us their warm wishes."

At the ceremony, Nicole Kidman's sister, Antonia, was her matron of honor, whereas Keith Urban was attended by his brother, Shane, and his friend, Marlon Holden. The wedding follows a quiet 39th birthday for the actress of such films as Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge, and The Others. Nicole Kidman's prefect day was topped off by a song, as ABC News reports , "Urban was expected to serenade his bride. He won a Grammy this year for best male country vocalist and was named top male vocalist for the second year in a row by the Academy of Country Music."

Hollywood's hottest couple of 2006 is married, but for now, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are going to Fiji to enjoy their well-deserved honeymoon.

[Additional Sources: Reuters, CBC, ABC News, CBS News]