The Wedding - July 21, 2005

[Ida]

Here is all the articles from Bec and Lleytons wedding day.

[Ida]

Love match for Cartwright, Hewitt
July 21, 2005
From: AAP

CELEBRITY couple Bec Cartwright and Lleyton Hewitt will marry today at a secret Sydney location watched by Australia's sporting elite and television personalities.

A pregnant Cartwright has spent this week working on the final touches for her white baby doll dress with designer Alex Perry and staying with family at Sydney's InterContinental Hotel.
The 21-year-old is believed to have spent yesterday indulging in a marathon beauty treatment while Hewitt drank beers at his bucks day.

Details about the wedding are being kept quiet but it is believed that around 180 guests will spend the night at the InterContinental Hotel for the early afternoon wedding.

Guests are believed to have been asked to gather for pre-wedding drinks at a reception on the hotel's 32nd floor at around 2pm (AEST).

Guests are expected to include Cartwright's Home and Away castmates Kate Ritchie, Ada Nicodemou, Tammin Sursok, Ray Meagher, Kip Gamblin and Lynne McGranger.

Hewitt's guestlist will read like a who's who of Australian tennis including Tony Roche, John Newcombe, Mark Woodford and Todd Woodbridge. Mark Philippoussis is believed to be out of the country.

Newspaper reports this week have suggested Hewitt's coach Roger Rasheed will be groomsman and the couple will be married by Pastor Brandon Chaplin, the Port Adelaide football club chaplin based at the Bellevue Heights Baptist Church in Adelaide.

Cartwright's sister Kristy is head bridesmaid, with Home and Away publicist Victoria Supple and Hewitt's sister Jaslyn also bridesmaids.

There has been much speculation as to the location of the civil service with several venues rumoured as possibilities including the northern foyer of the Sydney Opera House and the Taronga Zoo.

All guests and people working on the event have been forced to sign strict confidentiality agreements and it is likely the couple have sold the rights to the event to women's mag New Idea, as they did with their engagement and pregnancy announcement.

After the ceremony, it is believed guests will take a thingytail cruise of Sydney Harbour.

Cartwright and Hewitt met five years ago at a Starlight Foundation charity tennis day.

The couple became engaged in late January, only six weeks after they began dating.

Hewitt proposed on the night of his loss in the final of the Australian Open.

[Ida]

Hewitt, Cartwright marry
By Jonathon Moran and Amy Fallon
July 21, 2005
From: AAP

HUNDREDS of fans gathered outside the Sydney Opera House today as tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt married soap star Bec Cartwright.

But the waiting fans and media were disappointed as Hewitt and Cartwright, arriving separately, drove straight into the Opera House's underground car park before the 3pm (AEST) civil service, avoiding the cameras.
Secrecy surrounded the wedding ceremony, held in the Opera House's harbourside northern foyer behind protective white sheets.

Outside, security guards and police patrolled the landmark building.

Overhead, media helicopters tried to get a glimpse of the ceremony.

The glamour couple have sold exclusive pictures of their great day to a magazine, and guests were forced to sign confidentiality agreements, and told they risked ejection if found with cameras or mobile phones.

The wedding of the world number-two tennis player and the pregnant soap star was attended by up to 180 guests, including television personalities and members of Australia's sporting elite.

Guests were taken in seven minibuses to the Opera House from the nearby InterContinental Hotel.

"We're on a magical mystery tour – it's fantastic and we wish them all the best," said Cartwright's former Home and Away co-star Lynne McGranger.

Hewitt's grandfather Max said the wedding was "terrific", while his wife Dawn said it was "a very happy day" for the family.

Tennis stars of past and present were scattered among the guests, and predicted a "big test" for Hewitt.

"After what he's been through, he can handle most things, but this is a completely different ball game," said former Davis Cup coach and Hewitt mentor Tony Roche.

"It's a big test but I'm sure he's looking forward to it."

Former Davis Cup captain John Newcombe said he was kept in the dark about the details of the day.

"I don't ask questions – if you don't know anything you can't say anything."

Also attending were tennis stars Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs.

Watched by police and security guards, fans strained for a glimpse of the young couple.

"It's true love," said Lisa Edwards, a 32-year-old Sydney sales representative.

"It's a bit of a fairytale love story," added Mark Schilton, 32, on holiday with his partner from Hewitt's home state of South Australia.

After the wedding, the wedding party will take a cruise across the harbour to Sydney's picturesque Taronga Zoo, where the reception tonight will climax with a performance by singer John Farnham.

Hewitt, 24, and Cartwright, 21, met five years ago at a Starlight Foundation charity tennis day.

But they began dating only late last year and became engaged six weeks later, in late January.

Hewitt popped the question on the night of his loss in the final of the Australian Open.

In May came the news they were expecting a baby.

[Ida]

Too busy to pick up grandparents
By Fiona Connolly
July 21, 2005
From: The Daily Telegraph

Bec Cartwright was glowing after a beauty salon visit yesterday, while Lleyton Hewitt and his mates shared a few beers / Ross Hodgson

AS Lleyton Hewitt sank beers with his groomsmen yesterday, there was one aspect of his wedding today he appeared to have forgotten - his grandparents.

His Adelaide-based Nan and Pop, Dawn and Max Hewitt, flew into Sydney yesterday but the only one there to meet them was Confidential.
With not a Hewitt in sight, our crew met them at the gate, helped them take their luggage off the carousel - and then shared and paid for a taxi to the city.

The tennis ace apparently gave them instructions to simply catch a taxi to the Intercontinental Hotel - despite it being their first trip to Sydney in 40 years.

They said they spoke to Lleyton on Monday night, but he was very cagey about the wedding plans.

"You seem to know more than me," Dawn Hewitt told Confidential.

"He kept telling me I'd have to wait and see and that it was a surprise."

As for the bride to be, it was a day of indulgence as Bec Cartwright spent four hours at the Facial Impression beauty salon at Avalon.

Cartwright experienced "the works", with a pre-wedding buff and polish including a manicure and pedicure, a salon spokeswoman said.

Clearly busy with last-minute arrangements, Cartwright emerged from her marathon treatment carrying a diary, phone and a pre-wedding glow.

She was expected to return to the Intercontinental Hotel last night to spend her last hours as a single woman with her mother and bridesmaids, including her sister Kristy, Hewitt's sister Jaslyn and former Home & Away publicist Victoria Supple.

The couple will tie the knot early this afternoon among 200 family and friends in the northern foyer of the Sydney Opera House, followed by a reception at a secret harbourside location, believed to be Taronga Zoo.

The groom spent the afternoon cruising the Northern Beaches - not in his $420,000 black Ferrari, but a rented red Commodore - enjoying a last-minute bucks' day with his groomsmen, including his best man, school friend Hayden Eckermann.

The boys indulged in a beer and bowl at the Dee Why tenpin bowling club before heading to the couple's palatial Palm Beach waterfront home, where they met up with Cartwright and her family.

[Ida]

Golden couple tie the knot
With The Daily Telegraph and AAP
July 21, 2005

AUSTRALIA'S wedding of the year was shrouded in secrecy today as golden couple Lleyton Hewitt and Bec Cartwright married at Sydney's Opera House in front of 200 people, mostly family and friends.

The bridesmaids were brightly dressed in a range of vivid colours, while Hewitt's groomsmen wore pink cravats.
Tennis stars Todd Woodbridge, John Newcombe and Wayne Arthurs were among Hewitt's entourage as he tied the knot with his pregnant soapie star belle.

Cartwright's co-stars Ray Meagher and Lynne McGranger, who play Alf and Eileen in Home and Away, were also at the event which, according to Sydney Confidential reporter Fiona Connolly of The Daily Telegraph, was attended by "nowhere near as many celebrity guests as expected".

The Daily Telegraph will tomorrow have full details of the wedding.

Waiting fans and media were disappointed as the lovebirds, arriving separately, drove straight into the Sydney Opera House's underground car park before the 3pm (AEST) civil service, avoiding the cameras.

Secrecy surrounded the wedding ceremony, held in the Opera House's harbourside northern foyer behind protective white sheets.

Outside, security guards and police patrolled the landmark building.

Overhead, media helicopters tried to get a glimpse of the ceremony.

The glamour couple have sold exclusive pictures of their great day to a magazine, and guests were forced to sign confidentiality agreements and told they risked ejection if found with cameras or mobile phones.

The wedding was attended by up to 180 guests, including TV stars and members of Australia's sporting elite.

Guests were taken in seven minibuses to the Opera House from the nearby InterContinental Hotel.

"We're on a magical mystery tour - it's fantastic and we wish them all the best," said McGranger, Cartwright's former Home and Away co-star.

Hewitt's grandfather Max said the wedding was "terrific", while his wife Dawn said it was "a very happy day" for the family.

Tennis stars of past and present were scattered among the guests, and predicted a "big test" for Hewitt.

"After what he's been through, he can handle most things, but this is a completely different ball game," former Davis Cup coach and Hewitt mentor Tony Roche said.

"It's a big test but I'm sure he's looking forward to it."

Former Davis Cup captain John Newcombe said he was kept in the dark about the details of the day.

"I don't ask questions – if you don't know anything you can't say anything."

Watched by police and security guards, fans strained for a glimpse of the young couple.

"It's true love," Lisa Edwards, a 32-year-old Sydney sales representative, said.

"It's a bit of a fairytale love story," Mark Schilton, 32, on holiday with his partner from Hewitt's home state of South Australia, said.

The wedding party will cruise across Sydney Harbour to the picturesque Taronga Zoo, where the reception tonight will climax with a performance by singer John Farnham.

Hewitt, 24, and Cartwright, 21, met five years ago at a Starlight Foundation charity tennis day.

But they began dating only late last year and became engaged six weeks later, in late January.

Their engagement came less than four months after Hewitt's break-up with former world No.1 women's tennis player Kim Clijsters, and followed hot of the heels of Cartwright's four-year romance with Home and Away co-star Beau Brady.

Hewitt popped the question on the night of his loss in the Australian Open final and in May the couple revealed they were expecting a baby.

With Fiona Connolly of The Daily Telegraph and AAP

[Ida]

Guests gather for Hewitt wedding
By Jonathon Moran and Amy Fallon
July 21, 2005
From: AAP

GUESTS have begun gathering in a top Sydney hotel today ahead of the wedding of tennis star Lleyton Hewitt and actress Bec Cartwright.

After their brief courtship, the star couple tie the knot this afternoon in a service at the Sydney Opera House to be attended by television personalities and members of Australia's sporting elite.
The wedding party will then take a cruise across the harbour to Sydney's picturesque Taronga Zoo, where the reception tonight will climax with a performance by singer John Farnham.

While world number two Hewitt breakfasted at a cafe near his luxury home in Palm Beach this morning, his pregnant wife-to-be was believed to have spent the night with her family at Sydney's InterContinental Hotel.

Guests began arriving at the hotel about midday, with tennis stars Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs among those gathering in the hotel's cafes and bars.

After pre-wedding drinks, guests were expected to travel to the nearby Opera House, where flowers were being set up this morning in the northern foyer.

Hewitt, 24, and Cartwright, 21, are trying to keep their wedding ceremony under a shroud of secrecy, and late this morning white sheets were being erected around the Opera House foyer to block prying paparazzi lenses.

After the service, the newlyweds and guests will be ferried across the harbour to a wharf near Taronga Zoo at around 6pm (AEST), where they will board coaches to the zoo's Taronga Centre.

The reception is expected to continue until at least midnight.

Cartwright and Hewitt met five years ago at a Starlight Foundation charity tennis day.

But they began dating only late last year and became engaged six weeks later, in late January.

Hewitt popped the question on the night of his loss in the final of the Australian Open.

In May came the news they were expecting a baby.

Their engagement came less than four months after Hewitt's break-up with former world No.1 women's tennis player Kim Clijsters, and followed Cartwright's four-year romance with Home and Away co-star Beau Brady.

[Ida]

Altar egos
By Anna Hodgekiss and Annabelle McDonald
July 21, 2005
From: The Australian

SECRECY surrounds the details of today's wedding between the pregnant soap star Bec Cartwright and tennis bad boy Lleyton Hewitt, but the guests are likely to number among Australia's sporting elite as well as a who's who of television.

In the finest tradition of celebrity weddings, the couple have attempted to keep the location of the ceremony and reception a mystery, but it will come as no surprise if they are spotted tying the knot in the northern foyer of the Sydney Opera House, with a harbour cruise to follow and a big do at Taronga Zoo.
It is believed there will be pre-ceremony drinks on the 32nd floor of the InterContinental Hotel - where many of Cartwright's family are staying - with buses collecting the 180 guests about 2pm to take them to the Opera House.

Naturally, in keeping with the need to ensure the best possible price for the exclusive wedding pictures, all cameras and mobile phones have been banned from the ceremony and staff at the hotel have had to sign confidentiality agreements. The designer of Cartwright's dress, Alex Perry, said it took four weeks and five fittings to prepare for the big day.

"There were no dramas whatsoever - it was one of the smoothest jobs I've ever done," he said.

While he would not reveal the cost of the dress, he confirmed it was less than his all-time record of $18,000.

Dubbed the nation's aspiring Posh and Becks, the couple began dating only late last year and became engaged six weeks later, in late January.

Hewitt popped the question on the night of his loss in the final of the Australian Open.

Wedding guests are expected to include Cartwright's Home and Away castmates Kate Ritchie, Ada Nicodemou, Tammin Sursok, Ray Meagher, Kip Gamblin and Lynne McGranger.

Hewitt's guest list will read like a who's who of Australian tennis, and is likely to include veterans Tony Roche, John Newcombe, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge.

It is unclear whether Adelaide Crows footballer and close friend Andrew McLeod will make the ceremony.

Newspaper reports this week suggested Hewitt's coach Roger Rasheed would be groomsman, and the couple would be married by pastor Brandon Chaplin, the Port Adelaide football club chaplain.

[Ida]

Advantage Hewitt as city braces for celebrity love match
The Sydney Morning Herald
21 July 2005

Forget for a moment, if you can, the happy wedding of Mary Donaldson and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, the all-too-public romance between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and the supposed "itemisation" of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Today, Sydney belongs to a local celebrity couple, soap star Bec Cartwright and tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, who will marry in what the paparazzi and publicists have guaranteed will be the match of the year.

"It's going to be helicopters, telephoto lenses and chase-boats at 100 paces," said one freelance photographer, under instructions from a women's magazine to "get up close and personal".

That will not be simple. Such has been the secrecy involved in the planning that even guests, who have been asked not to bring cameras or phones with cameras, denied knowledge of the venue.

"We know absolutely nothing, and we won't until we arrive," insisted a spokeswoman for Encompass Management, which represents Cartwright. "It's all being handled by Lleyton's people." And Hewitt's people, led by the former cricket official Rob Aivotaglou, weren't speaking.

What is known, probably, is that Cartwright's wedding dress is by Alex Perry, the celebrant will be Pastor Brandon Chaplin from Hewitt's home town of Adelaide, and 200 guests have been asked to the InterContinental Sydney for pre-reception drinks at 2pm. Speculation about where the ceremony will be held has ranged from the Opera House to Taronga Zoo and even Luna Park.

Hewitt and Cartwright met at a charity tennis day in 2000, and struck up a friendship again late last year after breaking up with long-term partners, tennis star Kim Clijsters and actor Beau Brady, respectively.

Hewitt, 24, proposed to Cartwright, who turns 22 this weekend, on bended knee at the conclusion of the Australian Open in January. Since then the couple has bought a $4.5 million house at Palm Beach, raised funds for an Cambodian orphanage, appeared in Home & Away together, and announced that they are to be parents.

Louisa Hatfield, editorial director of Woman's Day, said: "They are the No. 1 celebrity couple in Australia right now.

"We liked it when [Hewitt] was winning, but we didn't exactly love him. Then he hooks up with Bec and, well, she's perfect."

Hewitt says his career will not be affected by marriage and fatherhood. "Obviously, there's a lot of difference with my life ... but once I step on court it is business as usual," he said.

[Ida]

Two chairs and a wedding
Sydney Morning Herald
21 July 2005

Two white chairs, surrounded by white drapes and bouquets, were set up in the northern foyer of the Opera House this morning, apparently for the Hewitt-Cartwright wedding this afternoon.

A handful of tourists looked on as catering staff busied themselves laying out chairs for the guests.

And it appeared that, in the absence of barriers or blinds this morning, fans might be able to look on when the nuptials begin - reportedly at 1430AEST.

The question is though, was it all a decoy to throw off the media? Will the wedding be at the Opera House ... or the zoo ... or Summer Bay ... or...?

As the minutes ticked down to when Australia's top tennis player Lleyton Hewitt would say: "C'mon, I do" to his pregnant bride, soap star Bec Cartwright, lips were remaining tight about where the knot-tying and reception would be held.

Would the couple just stay on at the Opera House?

Spokeswoman Lisa Bateman told smh.com.au: "Unfortunately we can't confirm it or deny it. It's worth coming down.

"The Opera House is not closed. It's just a normal day. We have functions here all the time."

What about one of the other favoured party places ... Taronga zoo?

"I'm not aware of anything I can tell you," said a spokesman for the function centre. "So I have to leave you to your investigations."

The zoo's media officer Helen Pantenburg said: "The rumours are flying around. We don't really know. It's turning out to be bigger than Ben Hur."

As for a reception at Government House, given its proximity to the Opera House, a spokesman who asked not to be named sounded most put out.

"No. Definitely not. Absolutely, definitely not," he said. "Government House is only used by the governor, the premier and major cultural and charitable organisations.

"We don't hold weddings here, no matter who they're for. We wouldn't even have one for Lleyton and Bec."

Meanwhile the staff at the Intercontinental, where the pre-nuptial reception is expected to be held, were throwing the media off the scent with lines like: "I did hear on the radio that there is a lot of activity outside the Hilton."

And at the Hilton? "I know nothing about any of that."

[Ida]

Posted by Valkyrie at the Back to the Bay forum
Big bucks for Bec's bash
Herald-Sun
19 July 2005

LLEYTON Hewitt and Bec Cartwright are sparing no expense for their wedding on Thursday.

While the golden couple tried to ensure their special day would be shrouded in secrecy, the Hewitt-Cartwright wedding extravaganza has become the worst kept news in Sydney.

More than 200 top names in entertainment and sport will attend the wedding of the tennis ace and former soapie star.

The afternoon service will take place on the 30th floor of Sydney's exclusive InterContinental Hotel. There will be a 90-minute Sydney Harbour cruise aboard a 34m luxury catamaran.

For a total cost of $32,000, guests will feast on Sydney rock oysters and use French champagne to toast the happy couple -- who will be flanked by AFL star and best man Andrew McLeod and bridesmaid Home And Away publicist Victoria Supple.

From 6pm, the party will continue at the Taronga Zoo.

The couple will be married by a celebrant.

About 120 rooms have been booked for guests at the InterContinental, paid for by the happy couple.

[Ida]

Posted by jessica_ruisan at the Back to the Bay forum

Bec and Lleyton's secret vows
By celebrity writer PHILLIP KOCH
Sunday Telegraph
July 17, 2005

TENNIS champion Lleyton Hewitt and fiancee Bec Cartwright spent last week holed up in Sydney's Four Seasons hotel preparing for their wedding this Thursday.

When they weren't at Homebush for the Davis Cup, the golden couple were meeting with party planners and having final bridal party fittings.

But yesterday the couple were separated briefly with Cartwright, 21, meeting fans at Luna Park.

She spent the afternoon signing autographs at Total Girl Magazine's stage school at Luna Park, while her fiance lost his Davis Cup doubles match to Argentina at Homebush.

"I would have loved to do something like this school when I was young," admitted the soap princess, who also confided that she and Hewitt had yet to decide on a name for their baby.

"I have no idea," she said.

The couple, who are expecting their first child in three months, played hide and seek with the media throughout the week, dining at low-key restaurants and slipping in and out of the hotel through a rear exit.

They will tie the knot at a secret location after a harbour cruise on Thursday afternoon with a lavish reception to be held at the InterContinental Hotel that night.

They are understood to have written their own vows for the private civil ceremony which will celebrate their whirlwind seven month romance.

The wedding has been shrouded in secrecy for weeks – with even the 250 guests left in the dark about the exact location of the ceremony.

When the invites went out last month guests were told only to meet in the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel at 2pm. With more than 100 guests expected to stay the night at the hotel, staff were made to sign confidentiality agreements.

The invitation said no cameras or mobile phones were allowed at the ceremony.

The guests, including Davis Cup bosses John Fitzgerald and Wally Masur, will then celebrate at a reception organised by event planner, David Grant.

There will be a Who's Who of Australian sport and entertainment there to celebrate, including Home And Away stars Kate Ritchie, Ada Nicodemou, Tammin Sursok and Kristy Wright.

[Ida]

Posted by Valkyrie at the Back to the Bay forum.b]Pre-nup agreements [/b]
The Sydney Morning Herald
15 July 2005

It is shrouded in more secrecy than Colonel Sanders's 11 herbs and spices but slowly we've been able to piece together a few bare facts about next week's wedding between Bec Cartwright and Lleyton Hewitt, pictured. Spike hears guests are being told to meet at the InterContinental Sydney next Thursday at 2pm where they will be transported to the wedding venue, which will not be within the hotel.

The destination, previously rumoured to have been Taronga Zoo, remains a mystery. However, it has already been reported that the event planner, David Grant, has been hired to "co-ordinate" the reception.

So what can we expect? Grant wasn't returning Spike's phone calls this week. Apparently he, and all others involved in the wedding, including guests, have signed strict confidentiality agreements.

Grant's previous events include last month's Gold Dinner, in which dinner tables were lowered from the ceiling while models strolled around wearing lightshades on their heads. Last year for the Gold Dinner he transformed Hyde Park fountain into a giant dining room under a transparent marquee, though the choice of venue managed to ruffle the feathers of some civic-minded folk.

There are no gift registries under Cartwright or Hewitt at David Jones, Myer or the couple's jewellers of choice, Tiffany & Co.

Nor are we hearing a peep out of the fashion designer Alex Perry, the man reportedly given the task of coming up with the $10,000 wedding dress as well as the bridesmaids' gowns.

[Ida]

Bec pens love poem
25jul05
From: The Courier-Mail

NEWLYWED Bec Cartwright has proved herself to be a keen poet as well as a TV soap star.

The Courier-Mail has learned that Cartwright, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Saturday, two days after her Sydney Opera House wedding to tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, read out a poem to her beau at the reception.

In the 42-line poem, she declared she used to "wish upon a star" for the perfect husband.

The message of love, set to verse, alluded to a romantic time at a Four Seasons hotel and their first date, appropriately a couples tennis match at the Starlight Cup.

It was a case of game, set and match as far as the lovebirds were concerned and their union was cemented by a series of text messages and a restaurant date late last year.

The couple are believed to be honeymooning at romantic Turtle Island, Fiji.


Cartwright kept the poem a secret until the end of the speeches when she took to the microphone to declare her love for her new husband.

And this is what she said:

"I really don't know where to start,
But I definitely know you've captured my heart.
It started that night you called me up,
To see if I'd play in the Starlight Cup.
Way back then, little did we know,
That our love for one another that could grow and grow.

A text message or two is what kept us in touch.
And I want you to know that I love you so much.
It wasn't 'til late in 2004,
That I received another phone call.
When we decided to meet,
We went up the street for something to eat.
From that day on I've been by your side,
And look at me now,
I am here as your bride!
I used to wish upon a star,
That I'd meet the perfect husband – and here you are!
You an inspiration to so many including me,
Anyone whose ever met you can count themselves lucky.

I'm so lucky I've found the one,
Being with you I have nothing but fun.
You are my best friend and my dream come true,
And I'm so glad to be sharing all this with you.
This is only the start of our dream together,
But I promise to love you until forever.
I can't wait to start my life with you,
Just being together, our dreams will come true.
I have no doubt I'm glad to be your wife,
And being with me is now a part of your life.
I admire you for so many reasons,
I mean look at what happened at the Four Seasons!
We're about to experience the miracle of life,
But always remember I'm so proud to be your wife.
Having a family with you makes me so glad,
I know I'll never get sad.

Thanks so much for choosing me,
By sticking together we'll make a great family.
Engaged and then married and now one on the way,
I'll take such good care of you every day.
It's safe to say I'll love you more and more,
And marrying you today, I couldn't be more sure.
Rebecca Hewitt! I'm your wife!
I promise you one thing, stick with me and you'll have a bloody good life!

[Ida]

Glamour but few A-listers
From The Daily Telegraph
July 22, 2005


IF Mr and Mrs Hewitt’s fans were hoping to see a Logies-style red carpet affair outside the Sydney Opera House yesterday, they would have gone home disappointed.

While the Cartwright and Hewitt clan managed to pull plenty of glamours, there was a lack of A-list identities.
Most faces were in the bridal party, with Cartwright’s long-term colleagues and best friends, party favourites Kate Ritchie and Ada Nicodemou leading the bridesmaid crew.

Tennis legends and Hewitt’s favourite footy team, the Adelaide Crows players made up the rest.

Todd Woodbridge and his wife Natasha, Wally Maseur and his wife Susan, John Newcombe and his wife Angie and Tony Roche and his wife Sue were invited on Hewitt’s side.

"They both looked extremely happy and it was a nice ceremony,’’ Woodbridge told Confidential following the ceremony.

"It was beautiful, the harp music was great," Masuer said.

And while Davis Cup legend Tony Roche agreed it was "fantastic" he was more concerned about the bridal waltz, given Hewitt’s well-known two left feet teamed with Cartwright’s Dancing with the Stars prowess.

But perhaps the most notable no-show was Hewitt’s former flatmate and best buddy during their recent break-ups, Crows’ superstar Andrew McLeod.

His wife Rachel was not invited to the wedding thanks to her friendship with Hewitt’s ex Kim Klijsters.

But it was a day to also spare a thought for one particular former Home and Away star, young Beau Brady who was due to marry Cartwright before she broke it off and started seeing Hewitt just over six months ago.

[Ida]

Secrecy surrounds Hewitt wedding
Date: 21/07/05
By Jonathon Moran, Amy Fallon and Katelyn John

They may live their lives in the public eye, but soap star Bec Cartwright and tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt managed to keep their wedding very private.

Married at the iconic Sydney Opera House, the young couple shared their happy moment with around 180 close friends and family, but almost no-one else.

There were, reportedly, smiles, tears, kisses and applause, and friends later described the nuptials as short, sweet and beautiful.

But the wall of secrecy erected around Australia's celebrity wedding of the year meant media coverage of the event was restricted to distant aerial shots from helicopters and furtive, ground-level glimpses.

Guests signed confidentiality agreements and were told to leave mobile phones and cameras at home.

Most Australians will now have to wait for the glossy mags to see what Bec and Lleyton were wearing, or hear how they pledged their love to each other.

However guests later described the doubles partnership of the world tennis number two and the pregnant soapie star, who became engaged after only six weeks together, as simple and elegant.

"It was simple, to the point and it really touched the heart," said Cartwright's former Home and Away co-star Lynne McGranger.

Hewitt's grandfather Max said the wedding was "terrific", while his wife Dawn said it was "a very happy day" for the family.

Dawn Hewitt added: "It was very emotional (ceremony) but I'm happy to say I didn't (cry)."

Cartwright "looked wonderful" added Home and Away co-star Ray Meagher. "And he (Hewitt) looked pretty good, too."

Cartwright, 21, wore a long white Alex Perry-designed gown.

Bridesmaids Ada Nicodemou, Kate Ritchie, Victoria Supple and Cartwright's friend Charmaine wore off-the-shoulder "sunset" rose, yellow and white floor-length dresses.

"The girls (bridesmaids) all looked like frangipanis with frangipani colours and Bec looked so pretty and so girlie," said McGranger.

"There was no attempt to make her look like a supermodel."

Hewitt, 24, opted for a traditional wedding suit with an ivory tie.

His groomsmen, coach Roger Rasheed, friend Hayden Eckermann and new brother-in-law Shaun Cartwright, wore suits with pink ties to match the bridesmaids.

The civil ceremony took less than an hour, presided over by Port Adelaide football club chaplain Pastor Brandon Chaplin.

"I believe they did (write their own vows)," McGranger said.

Media helicopters overhead gave grainy glimpses of the ceremony through Opera House windows, revealing flowers, chairs draped in white, and a large gold harp.

The ceremony over, the couple embraced to applause, TV footage suggested.

While Hewitt earlier left his Palm Beach mansion in a white limousine, Cartwright was at Sydney's InterContinental Hotel, where guests gathered for pre-wedding drinks.

Both arrived at the Opera House out of sight of the paparazzi, Cartwright ducking down in the back seat of her car.

Security guards helped keep hundreds of fans and media at bay, at one stage physically pulling away one eager press photographer.

More visible were the guests, including figures from the world of TV and sport.

With so many tennis stars around, including Hewitt's mentors Tony Roche and John Newcombe, sporting comparisons were inevitable.

Asked how Hewitt would handle the wedding, former tennis star Mark Woodforde said: "Just like he does on the tennis court - shows his heart."

"After what he's been through, he can handle most things, but this is a completely different ball game," added Roche, the former Davis Cup coach.

After the wedding, guests boarded a boat and enjoyed a sunset cruise around the harbour while the newlyweds and bridal party posed for photos on the roof of the InterContinental.

All then crossed the harbour to Sydney's picturesque Taronga Zoo, for a reception and performance by John Farnham, who earlier rehearsed songs including True Love, Simple Life and You're The Voice.

Again, security guards and police kept the curious at bay.

Earlier, a large wedding cake was delivered to the zoo, with three people needed to carry the five-layer construction.

Cartwright and Hewitt are expecting their first child in November.

But their honeymoon plans, like the wedding, are shrouded in secrecy.