Wayne and Coleen tie the knot

Jun 13 2008 by Laura Sharpe, Liverpool Daily Post

WAYNE ROONEY and Coleen McLoughlin began life as man and wife yesterday, after marrying amid tight security and heavy showers on the Italian Riviera.

The Croxteth childhood sweethearts tied the knot in a short ceremony at the Villa Durazzo in the resort of Santa Margherita Ligure, around 25 miles east of Genoa.

A cavalcade of vehicles with blacked-out windows whisked the wedding party into the Villa Durazzo, a 17th-century palace overlooking the Mediterranean, for the exchange of vows.

Heavy rain forced McLoughlin to accessorise her white Marchesa wedding gown – believed to have cost £200,000 – with a large black umbrella, but she can take comfort in the Italian saying: “A wet bride is a happy bride”.

Rooney and McLoughlin became Rooney and Rooney beneath a Louis XVI chandelier in the Salone Degli Stucchi at the Villa Durazzo, surrounded by about 15 of their close family and friends.

Gianni Costa, the deputy mayor of Santa Margherita who conducted the 20-minute ceremony, said afterwards: “The bride looked lovely in white, and the groom wore a brown suit with no tie.

“No rings were exchanged, and the ceremony was very simple.”

The couple were escorted by police – and a number of paparazzi on motorbikes – on the short journey to La Cervara for the reception.

People carriers ferried guests to the cliff-top venue for the evening celebration – the piece de resistance for a romance that supposedly began in a Croxteth chip shop.

The 22-year-olds are rumoured to have shelled out £5m for their nuptials, and with glossy magazine OK! reported to be meeting half that cost, security at both venues was watertight.

Burly guards were on hand to keep out scores of photographers, TV crews and reporters, all desperate to snatch a picture of the Manchester United and England star’s new wife in her wedding finery.

According to the tabloids, OK! had ordered Coleen to pay £25,000 to buy suitable wedding clothes for her friends and family so they didn’t look “chavvy”.

It’s also rumoured she set up an account at Liverpool’s favourite WAG boutique, Cricket, where guests could buy clothes, bags and shoes.

West Derby MP Bob Wareing said people in Croxteth would be unanimous in wishing the couple well.

He said: “Wayne was born with a tremendous talent and his commitment to football has taken him to the top of the game.

“Of course, they are role models. They came from humble, working- class beginnings and now they have the world at their feet.”

Croxteth shop owner Phil Moffatt said: “When you tell people you’re from Croxteth, they either ask about gangs or they ask about Wayne.

“People here are proud of Wayne and Coleen. They may be having the showbiz wedding of the year in Italy, but I think people see them returning to see friends and family very often.”