Melanie Brown has her sights set on a "week of celebrations" for her third wedding with fiancé Rory McPhee. In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, the Spice Girls star revealed she is enlisting the help of her fellow bandmate turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham to create one of her "many" different wedding dresses.
"Victoria [Beckham] did say she’d be happy to make me a dress," she said when asked what she plans to wear. "But I don’t want just one; I want to have many different dresses for that day or a week of celebrations," added Scary Spice, who has teamed up with daughter Phoenix to launch her latest edition of fashion brand Pour Moi's Own Your Confidence campaign.
"I’ve been married twice before. So third time lucky," said Mel. The singer was married to backing dancer Jimmy Gulzar from 1998 to 2000, during which time she welcomed Phoenix. She then tied the knot with US film producer Stephen Belafonte, with whom she shares Madison, in 2007 but they split ten years later.
© JAY MAWSON FOR POUR MOIMel B's wedding with Rory is set to be a show-stopping affair since she hopes to host it in London landmark St Paul’s Cathedral, where King Charles and Princess Diana exchanged vows in 1981.
"We’ve put in all the paperwork so we’re waiting for them to get back with available dates," said Mel, who is one of the few privileged people allowed to host their wedding there after being awarded an MBE in 2022 for her commitment to helping survivors of domestic abuse.
© InstagramThe couple started dating in 2018 and they announced their engagement in November 2022. The 48-year-old told HELLO! that "beautiful, honest" Rory popped the question at five-star country house Cliveden House in Berkshire.
"We went for a walk around the grounds with the dogs before dinner and on the way back, Rory suddenly said, 'I'm going to go back to the room and put the fire on'. I didn't think anything of it, but I did get this funny feeling in my stomach. Then, as I walked through the door, he got down on one knee," the Wannabe hitmaker said.
On Gogglebox's Stand Up To Cancer special, Mel elaborated on the "very romantic" setting, which included rose petals and a log fire.
© InstagramRory admitted he was "so nervous" that he "babbled" through the proposal, before presenting his bride-to-be with a stunning pear-shaped diamond estimated to be worth up to £100k. Mel gushed about his sweet speech, telling her fiancé: "Oh no, it was lovely, what you said."
"He told me he loved me, that I was his best friend and that he wanted to be with me for the rest of our lives," continued Mel, who sweetly confessed her confidence and happiness is due in no small part to the entrepreneur and hairdresser while referring to the Pour Moi campaign.
© Getty ImagesRory had already got her Spice Girls co-stars' seal of approval, with Mel joking they were encouraging a romantic relationship to develop when they were just friends. Speaking of their reaction after hearing of their engagement, Mel recalled: "Emma [Bunton] cried, so did Mel C.
"All of them were delighted for us and said, 'We love Rory, he's amazing' and they've all sent congratulations cards. I do care about their opinion and it's really special to me that they like Rory so much, because they've never liked any of my boyfriends and they've been quite clear about that."
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To shop the new campaign, visit pourmoi.co.uk/own-your-confidence. To read the full article, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale now. Subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
