British soccer player Wayne Rooney has made headlines for both his relationship and his soccer skills, but where did he get married?
Wayne Rooney married Coleen McLoughlin in Santa Margherita Ligure on the Italian Riviera, in June 2008. The couple made their vows in a ceremony at the Villa Durazzo, whilst they had their reception at La Cervara, a 14th-century former abbey on the coast.
Read on to learn more about the venues where the couple chose to tie the knot, and about their teenage romance.
Villa Durazzo
Complete with a surprise performance from Westlife, Wayne Rooney’s wedding to Coleen was most definitely a day he’ll remember for the rest of his life.
Wayne and Coleen had a civil ceremony in Cheshire prior to the real wedding celebrations. Their more extravagant wedding reportedly cost a massive £5 million and took place in Italy, with close friends and family.
They chose the Italian Riviera as the location, in Northern Italy. The Mediterranean resort of Santa Margherita Ligure was the exact location which, according to Lonely Planet, “materialises like a calm Impressionist painting”.
The panoramic seaside resort is a popular location for weddings and is nextdoor to Portofino, which is popular with celebrities and high-profile guests. For their candlelit ceremony, where the couple exchanged vows, the Villa Durazzo was the chosen venue.
The hidden palace, tucked away on the hill, overlooks the Gulf of Tigullio with stunning views, and was originally built in 1678 by the Durazzo family as a summer house.
The glamorous building is complemented by a park that is recognized as one of the Great Italian Gardens. According to The Guardian, the couple were accompanied by no more than a dozen people for the ceremony, and it was a low-key affair.
La Cervara
As would be expected from the most highly anticipated British wedding of the year, the couple moved on to a second location for the rest of the wedding proceedings.
The ceremony was reportedly held at 10:30, and cars left the Villa Durazzo at 11:05am, heading to the secondary location.
The wedding reception was held at the exclusive La Cervara, a little further along the coast. The venue is considered to be “one of the most enchanting seaside spots of Northern Italy” and has a rich history.
La Cervara is a former abbey, which began to be built in 1361, as a monastery. The site is adorned with gardens which look directly over the sea and the site is privately owned.
The couple’s glamorous affair was captured by OK Magazine, with whom they had an exclusive deal. According to the magazine, the venue was “decorated with white roses, fairy lights and candles to give the setting a real romantic feel” and was followed by a huge fireworks display.
In addition to Wayne and Coleen Rooney, Rod Stewart married his bride Penny Lancaster at the venue. According to a local waiter, “every year, some celebrity or other comes here to get married. Of course it makes us proud but this is the Pearl of Liguria and we’ve grown accustomed to it”.
Learn more about the couple’s wedding in the YouTube video below.
Teen Romance
Though Wayne Rooney and Coleen met when Coleen was only 12 years old, and grew up on the same estate, their relationship didn’t begin until the pair were 16 years old.
Young and in love, Rooney proposed when he was just 17, in a whirlwind romance. According to The Sunday Times, Coleen said “people think we are too young, but I don’t think we are. He is the person I love and want to stay with for the rest of my life”.
True to her word, Coleen married her teen romance, and where better to do so than the Italian Riviera.
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