Australian actress Nicole Kidman, left, walks with her husband
and Australian country music singer Keith Urban through the lobby of a hotel in
Sydney, Australia, Monday, June 26, 2006. Kidman and Urban were married Sunday
in a traditional Catholic ceremony in a clifftop chapel in the Sydney beachside
suburb of Manly. (AP Photo/Tracey Nearmy)
Australia's hottest celebrity couple, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, jetted
out of Sydney on Monday, likely bound for a secluded honeymoon getaway on the
golden sands of the South Pacific.
The Oscar-winning actress exchanged vows with the Grammy award-winning
country music star in a tearful, candlelit ceremony overlooking the Pacific late
Sunday.
The newlyweds kept a low-profile Monday, emerging only to have lunch with
family at a luxury waterfront hotel.
Kidman, 39, appeared relaxed in a black and white dress topped with a black
cardigan, while the 38-year-old country music superstar wore jeans and a light
blue T-shirt.
The couple was spotted boarding Kidman's private jet on Monday evening,
prompting frenzied media speculation about where they might spend their
honeymoon.
Kidman and Urban have been tight-lipped about their immediate post-wedding
plans. Local media have said Fiji or Tahiti were the most likely destinations.
Several reports have suggested the pair have spent up to $183,000 to hire out
Fiji's exclusive Wakaya Club Resort for a week.
The island resort is a preferred destination for superstars seeking to avoid
the prying eyes of paparazzi and celebrity gawkers. It is also where Rolling
Stones rocker Keith Richards injured his head after reportedly falling out of a
palm tree in April.
However, Fiji was once a favored vacation spot for Kidman and her
former husband, Tom Cruise, prompting speculation that she and Urban will opt
instead for a luxury resort on Tahiti's Bora Bora island.
Kidman, who was born in Hawaii to Australian parents, exchanged
vows with Urban, who was born in New Zealand but raised in rural Queensland
state, by the light of around 1,000 candles at a small chapel overlooking
Sydney's iconic Manly beach.
The beaming bride wore a flowing white Balenciaga gown and pearl
drop earrings. Her cream Rolls-Royce limousine drove from her waterfront mansion
across Sydney Harbor Bridge, through streets lined with cheering fans.
Kidman, accompanied by her father, Antony, smiled and waved to
well-wishers outside the Gothic-style St. Patrick's College building, which was
dramatically floodlit for the twilight ceremony.
Urban wore a black suit with a white rose in his lapel matching a
bouquet clutched by Kidman.
The traditional Roman Catholic ceremony was private, amid intense
public interest and speculation about the details.
The longtime family friend and pastor who married the couple, Rev.
Paul Coleman, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Kidman and Urban were both
teary-eyed.
"But she got through her vows beautifully and so did Keith, but it
was just such a human, touching, solemn, uplifting moment. That is the best way
I can describe it," he told Australia's Nine television network.
The couple followed a traditional script with their vows,
according to The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, each promising to love and
honor the other "in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health."
"After they had kissed, and I said we'll congratulate them as
husband and wife in the normal fashion, the whole place erupted in a great round
of applause with some cheers and joyous sounds," the priest told ABC. "It was an
explosion, really, and a wonderful moment."
After the wedding Urban serenaded Kidman with an acoustic
rendition of his song, "Making Memories of Us," which brought even more tears to
the actress' eyes.
"Everyone was sitting round at their tables and he just walked up
onto the stage unannounced and pulled out his guitar and sang this beautiful
song," television personality Jessica Rowe told the Nine network on Monday
morning.
"I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. She cried,
everyone cried."
The guests included a who's who of Hollywood stars with
long-standing Australian ties. Kidman's childhood friend and fellow actress
Naomi Watts was among the guests, along with Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe
and "X-men" star Hugh Jackman. Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch also
attended with his wife, Wendi Deng.
Kidman won the best actress Oscar in 2002 for "The Hours" and
Urban took home a Grammy this year for best male country vocalist.
It was Urban's first marriage. Kidman and Cruise divorced in 2001
after 10 years of marriage.
Kidman has said she and Urban will set up home in Nashville, Tenn., when they
return to the United States.
