Another star getting married in Portofino
Posted in Events on Jun 11th, 2008 No Comments »
Manchaster United star Wayne Rooney and his girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin are planning their wedding in the most chic Riviera area Santa Margherita Ligure, near Portofino . Located in the province of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera, its small harbor is considered to be among the most beautiful of Mediterranean ports.
The ceremony is scheduled this Thursday in Villa Durazzo, Santa Margherita Ligure, where also Rod Stewart and his new wife Penny Lancaster got married.
The celebrity couple chose two of the most outstanding gardens of Liguria as venues for their civil ceremony, Villa Durazzo and the religious blessing, La Cervara Abbey ( dating back to 1300) on top of a cliff with a breathtaking view of the sea .
La Cervara Abbey was founded by Benedictine monks in 1361 and it houses one of the rare monumental gardens in Liguria with pergolas and terraces built perpendicularly to the sea of Portofino. Among the botanic rarities there are a secular pepper tree and a purple wisteria which are several centuries old.
Villa Durazzo is a 17th century residence built by the Durazzo Marquises and it is set in the midst of a 19th century Romantic park with Mediterranean and exotic plants and a gracious formal garden recently rediscovered and promoted. One of the most outstanding features of this villa and garden is the terrace which displays decorations and arabesques in white and black stones and a great collection of palm trees and cycas.
Both gardens together with 24 other magnificent gardens are now part of a new initiative “A sea of gardens” recently launched by the Councillor for Tourism of the Liguria Region, Ms Margherita Bozzano. This is the first regional circuit of historical and modern, public and private gardens which can be visited and that will no doubt increase interest in this lovely part of Italy already known for its world famous seaside resorts and impeccable standards of hospitality.
The mega yacht ” Alysia ” has been chartered for the 3 days celebration and the couple has organized 5 private jets to take the 64 guests from the UK to Nice and then, on the yacht, to Portofino .
The choice of venue and other details have been kept secret, but some details have leaked out. The cost of the wedding is estimated to be in the region of £5m.
Guests will be given a box containing a butterfly to release at the wedding.The British-born designer Georgina Chapman owns the Marchesa designer label which has designed the wedding gown. Costing up to £200,000, the dress is thought to include pearls and crystals.The bride made six trips with her mother to the city for wedding dress fittings.
Coleen and Wayne are both staunch Catholics. Coleen has chosen to fly her local parish priest out from Croxteth, Liverpool, to oversee the ceremony.