Next month, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes would have marked their eleventh wedding anniversary. The couple's fairy tale sadly ended in 2012 with their divorce, but their love story certainly started on a high with a star-studded wedding in Italy in 2006. "This was a world exclusive and one of HELLO!'s biggest Hollywood scoops," recalls HELLO!'s international managing editor, Juliet Herd.
"They were the photos everyone wanted but Tom personally decided to give his wedding pictures only to HELLO!. Once he'd made that decision, suddenly the floodgates opened and we were inundated with hundreds of stunning images of the couple's nuptials at the beautiful Castello Odescalchi outside Rome. There were almost too many to choose from – and they kept coming in as we worked through the night to put together that week's issue."
Katie and Tom married in November 2006
Juliet added: "There was a real sense of excitement seeing inside the wedding of one of Hollywood's biggest stars and the photos didn't disappoint. They documented every stage of the festivities, from the rehearsal dinner when Katie wore an exquisite pearl-coloured Armani gown, to her arrival at the castle on the wedding day carrying little Suri, who was only seven months old at the time, and the actual ceremony itself in a converted stable. The actress wore two Armani Prive wedding gowns and Mr Armani, himself, was on hand to make sure everything went smoothly.
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The couple gave their wedding photos exclusively to HELLO!
"You could also glimpse guest Victoria Beckham as Katie made her way down the aisle and, in another memorable photo, Jada Pinkett Smith admired Tom's wedding ring while her husband Will Smith looked on. Tom's children Connor and Isabella by his previous marriage to Nicole Kidman were also there and helped to make it very much a family affair, despite being so high profile.
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"Tom was clearly over the moon and had a big smile on his face throughout, so it was incredibly sad when the fairy tale ended and the couple divorced six years later in 2012."