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Hewitt and Cartwright to wed at Opera House


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Golden couple tie the knot

Daily Telegraph / 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.

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Golden couple tie the knot

Daily Telegraph / 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.

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:lol::lol::lol:

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Oh Ada and Kate (Leah and Sally) were bridesmaids

BEC Cartwright and Lleyton Hewitt live their lives in the public eye but they managed to keep their wedding very private.

Married at Sydney Opera House, the young couple shared their happy moment with around 180 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, and hear how they pledged their love to each other.

However, guests later described the doubles partnership of the world tennis No.2 and the pregnant soap star, who became engaged after only six weeks together, as simple and elegant.

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

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", Home & Away co-star Ray Meagher said.

"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," McGranger said.

"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' dresses.

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 the 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."

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

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 Taronga Zoo, for a reception with a 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 today's wedding, are shrouded in secrecy.

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Glamour but few A-listers

July 22, 2005

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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.

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Wedding soapie

Fiona Connolly and Sarah Grant

22jul05

Lleyton and Bec snub their fans

LLEYTON Hewitt married his TV soapie sweetheart Bec Cartwright behind a wall of secrecy at the Sydney Opera House yesterday.

pic1.jpg

The tennis ace and his pregnant bride shared their happy moment with about 200 friends, family and celebrities -- but not the fans.

The bride wore a stunning white flowing gown as she walked down the aisle with her father to Here Comes The Bride played on a harp.

Friends later described the nuptials as short, sweet and beautiful.

Outside it was a soap opera of another kind.

Security guards kept hundreds of fans at bay.

Media helicopters hovered overhead to catch grainy glimpses of the couple and their celebrity guests.

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

The couple exchanged vows in a 30-minute ceremony described as "simply perfect".

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

She said Hewitt and Cartwright wrote their own vows.

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

She had five bridesmaids -- her sister Christie, Home and Away's Katie Ritchie and Ada Nicodemou, Hewitt's sister Jaslyn and Channel 7 publicist Victoria Supple.

They wore off-the-shoulder sunset rose, yellow and white floor-length dresses.

"The girls 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, wore a traditional wedding suit with an ivory tie and a frangipani in his buttonhole.

His best man was school friend Hayden Eckermann. The groomsmen included Hewitt's coach Roger Rasheed, Crows footballer Tyson Edwards and new brother-in-law Shaun Cartwright.

They wore suits with pink ties to match the bridesmaids.

The celebrity wedding of the year was shrouded in secrecy, enforced by a team of security guards. They formed a human barrier as the bridal car approached the Opera House, where a photographer was grabbed by the neck and pushed away.

The circus continued at the Opera House forecourt where hundreds of well-wishers were disappointed as the limos disappeared into an underground car park.

After the ceremony the couple looked adoringly at each other over a celebratory drink -- Hewitt sipping champagne while Cartwright, who is six months pregnant, held a glass of orange juice.

While Hewitt was "very handsome" and appeared relaxed, it was the bride who attracted the most admiration.

"Bec looked lovely," tennis legend John Newcombe said.

Davis Cup coach John Fitzgerald agreed: "She was beautiful, stunning."

Other tennis greats at the wedding were Wally Masur, Jason Stoltenberg, Todd Woodbridge, Mark Woodforde and Tony Roach.

Former Crows coach Graham Cornes was also invited to the nuptials.

Perhaps the most notable no-show was Hewitt's former flatmate and best buddy, Crows' superstar Andrew McLeod.

His wife Rachel was not invited thanks to her friendship with Hewitt's ex Kim Clijsters.

Guests took a sunset cruise to Taronga Zoo for the reception.

During the speeches Cartwright put her Dancing with the Stars skills to the test and danced with her father.

Hewitt then spent five minutes making a heartfelt speech about his new wife before the pair took to the dance floor for the bridal waltz.

The couple and their guests then partied until midnight with John Farnham the star entertainer.

Their honeymoon plans, like the wedding, are shrouded in secrecy.

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Slipping the net is game, set and match to Hewitts

By John Huxley

July 22, 2005

beclIeyton.jpg

C'mon ... Lleyton Hewitt and soapie star Bec Cartwright (standing centre, left) tie the knot inside the Opera House yesterday as several hundred fans wait outside.

Photo: Dallas Kilponen

Helicopters pried from the sky, water taxis lay in ambush on the harbour and a crowd of several hundred fans and still more photographers staked out the Opera House in the hope of a glimpse of someone glitzy as tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt and soapie star Bec Cartwright were married yesterday.

Most were disappointed. After a whirlwind romance, it was - at least for those not on the list of invited guests and paying media - a "what was all that about then?" sort of celebrity wedding, a private affair surrounded by secrecy and subterfuge.

The main players were whisked past security men in their sunglasses directly into the Opera House by white limousines with heavily-tinted windows.

Guests were dropped off by a convoy of seven mini-buses and required to walk, quickly, through a throng of fans, photographers, police and security guards, variously shouting "stand back", "get your hands off me" and "who's she?".

Among them were tennis players past and present, such as Wayne Arthurs, John Newcombe and Todd Woodbridge, radio personality Alan Jones and several stars from the soapie Home and Away, including "You know him, that man who plays Alf" - Ray Meagher.

"Don't waste your film on me," yelled one guest. "I'm not famous."

The ceremony was described by Cartwright's Home and Away co-star Lynne McGranger as "simple, sweet and beautiful". Aerial pictures showed the couple emerging hand-in-hand from the service, he in a dark suit, she in a revealing white "baby doll" wedding dress.

Afterwards, the party took a sunset cruise on the harbour before arriving at Taronga Zoo, where the reception climaxed with a performance by singer John Farnham.

So, game, set and match to Mr and Mrs Hewitt. Smash and Bec - Australia's answer to English power couple Posh and Becks - are husband and wife.

A marriage made in PR heaven?

Despite not seeing much, most in the crowd who turned up at the Opera House in the hopes of seeing the happy couple and their celebrity guests thought so. "They're just great," said Madeleine Lynch, 13, who was visiting Sydney with brother Henry, 8. Not only are they fans of Home and Away but, like Hewitt, they come from Adelaide.

Mother Carol believed Cartwright and Hewitt would make a good couple.

Will marriage mellow the pugnacious player?

"I certainly hope so. He needs to be tamed a bit." As celebrities, the couple had to accept public attention, added Mrs Lynch.

Also screaming for Hewitt was Sophie Bryson, one of a party of 46 students from Central Newcastle High School. "Fifteen minutes of fame, 15 minutes of fame," she shouted excitedly as the white stretched limousines sped past pursued by a pack of frustrated photographers.

Meanwhile, there seems little time for the couple to take an extended honeymoon. Cartwright, who is 22 this weekend, has already left Home and Away. She intends joining her husband on the US circuit next month as he prepares for the US Open on August 29.

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