Fairytale wedding for Kidman

Nicole Kidman has married country singer Keith Urban, shunning Hollywood glitz for a fairytale ceremony in her hometown of Sydney attended by close family and just a smattering of A-list stars.

The beaming bride wore a flowing white Balenciaga gown and pearl drop earrings. Her cream Rolls-Royce limousine drove from her waterfront mansion across the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, through streets lined with cheering fans.

Kidman, accompanied by her father, smiled and waved to well-wishers outside the Gothic-style St Patrick’s College, which was dramatically floodlit for the evening ceremony.

The guest list included Australian movie stars Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

The nuptials were held in a small chapel in the compound on top of cliffs overlooking a beach.

Urban, a Grammy-winning country music star, wore a black suit with a white rose in his lapel matching a bouquet clutched by Kidman.

The ceremony was private, amid intense public interest and speculation about the details. The pastor said the Oscar-winning actress and US-based singer would have a traditional Roman Catholic service.

It was Urban’s first marriage. Kidman and Tom Cruise divorced in 2001 after 10 years of marriage.

The couple released an official photograph showing them smiling and holding hands.

“We just want to thank everyone in Australia and around the world who have sent us their warm wishes,” the newlyweds said in a brief statement accompanying the photo.

They were expected to spend their wedding night in Sydney before leaving for what local media said would be a Fiji resort honeymoon.

Urban’s manager said earlier the couple had wanted a ”normal” wedding.

Some onlookers climbed trees and the stone wall outside the compound trying to glimpse the activity inside.

Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann had been expected to be in charge of the wedding video.

Kidman’s sister, Antonia, and daughter, Isabella, 13, arrived dressed as bridesmaids in a separate limousine. Her son, Connor, 11, also was expected to participate in the ceremony.

The actress, 39, won the best actress Oscar in 2002 for The Hours.

Kidman has said she and Urban will set up home in Nashville when they return to the US.

“I’ve moved to Tennessee for my personal life,” she told reporters in Shanghai last week. “It’s nice.”

Kidman is a heroine in Sydney, where her Australian parents raised her. She was born in Hawaii.

Urban, 38, was born in Whangarei, New Zealand, and raised in Queensland. He moved to Nashville in 1992 and has acknowledged struggling with cocaine abuse.

Kidman and Urban wiped away tears as they read their vows, The Sydney Morning Herald reported today.

“I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health,” Kidman reportedly told the groom. ”I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.”

After the wedding Urban serenaded Kidman with an acoustic rendition of his song, Making Memories of Us, which reportedly brought more tears to the actress’s eyes.

“Everyone was sitting round at their tables and he just walked up onto the stage unannounced and pulled out his guitar and sang this beautiful song,” guest Jessica Rowe told the Nine network today.

“I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. She cried, everyone cried.”