Kidman gets married in Sydney

Actress Nicole Kidman’s celebrity wedding to country singer Keith Urban got under way today, with the Hollywood star arriving at the clifftop church in Sydney dressed in a flowing white gown and veil and clutching a posy of white roses.

A crowd of cheering people swarmed into the street leading to the church compound when Kidman’s Rolls-Royce limousine came past. Police moved in to clear a path for the car.

Helicopters buzzed overhead and hundreds of people lined the streets outside the compound in the beachside suburb of Manly as guests arrived in luxury sedans and minibuses.

Some climbed trees and the stone wall outside the compound trying to catch a glimpse of activity inside. Police, private security guards and a high wire fence kept out onlookers.

Kidman, accompanied by father Antony, arrived in a cream limousine after driving from her harbourside mansion in another part of the city – followed all the way by media helicopters.

She held a long-stemmed posy and wore drop pearl earrings and a willowy veil - in keeping with the traditional theme that had been expected for the Catholic service. Her hair was down.

The imposing gothic-style St Patrick's College building was dramatically floodlit for the dusk-to-evening ceremony, which was held in the a small chapel on the compound before moving to a marquee erected on the grounds for the reception.

Kidman’s adopted daughter with Tom Cruise, Isabella, 13, sister Antiona and a third flowergirl who’s identity wasn’t immediately clear, arrived in a separate car. Cruise and Kidman’s adopted son Connor, 11, was also expected to take part in the ceremony.

Australian action star Hugh Jackman was the first to arrive, Kidman’s mother Janelle was next, stopping briefly and winding down her car’s window to smile for photographers. White minibuses and a fleet of black luxury sedans brought other guests, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch and wife Wendi Deng. Australian Hollywood stars Naomi Watts and Russell Crowe were expected to be among them.

Kidman was born in Hawaii but raised in Australia, and Urban was born in New Zealand but raised in Australia’s rural Queensland state. She held low-key celebrations in Sydney this week marking her 39th birthday. He is 38.

Reports today suggested the couple recently signed a prenuptial agreement which allegedly includes an escape clause for Kidman should Urban revert to excessive drug or alcohol abuse.

Details of the alleged agreement could not be confirmed.

Urban, who won a Grammy this year for best male country vocalist, has publicly acknowledged his former cocaine addiction, but now reportedly refrains from alcohol and drugs.

The priest expected to marry the couple, Father Paul Coleman, said Kidman and Urban were “totally focused on their commitment.”

“It’s the priority in their lives,” he said. “It is an uplifting occasion for the community – to see people of this profile making this commitment in Australia.”

Urban’s manager Rob Potts said the couple wanted a “normal wedding.”

Media have predicted that “Moulin Rouge” director Baz Luhrmann will have a hand in the wedding video. A quartet from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra is expected to perform, as is Jackman, who sprang to fame in the Broadway musical ”The Boy from Oz” before striking success in Hollywood.

Urban was expected to serenade his bride.

It is Urban’s first marriage, and Kidman’s second. Her 10-year marriage to Cruise ended in 2001.