Singer Christina Aguilera, 24, marries music executive Jordan Bratman, 28 on Saturday November 19, 2005. The couple has been together for three years, and Bratman had proposed to Aguilera in February while on vacation in Carmel, California.
Guests arrived on Thursday for the 3 day extravaganza of parties and celebrations. The Japanese themed rehearsal dinner was held Friday night at the Auberge Du Soleil resort, one of Northern California’s most revered dining establishments.
The wedding had a Spanish theme, and it was held at the Staglin Family Vineyard in California's Napa Valley. 120 guests attended, including celebrities such as Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore. The setup inside was quite extravagant as the ceremony was held inside a stained-glass Castilian castle built on top of a swimming pool and filled with pews. Other details include a chandelier crafted from 2,500 crystals to a five-tier chocolate cake topped by hundreds of sugar flowers.
The bride arrived with her hair decorated in jewels and pulled back in a bun topped by white flowers. She wore a flamenco-style wedding dress by Christian Lacroix and she carried a diamond rosary instead of flowers. She wore three different dresses that night, the others were a Les Habitudes gown and then a cream satin and velvet halter dress by Simone Harouche. The bridesmaids wore dresses created by Stevie Wonder's wife, designer Kai Milla.
The couples exchanged wedding bands by London-based jeweler Stephen Webster, who also created Aguilera's five-carat, diamond-and-platinum engagement ring.
The music for the celebration was traditional and played by a 14-piece orchestra. Christina sang Etta James's "At Last" to her new husband, and then the couple was carried in chairs to a hip-hop rendition of Hava Nagila. The guests partied until 2AM, but the newlyweds left a little earlier in Aguilera's $350,000 vintage white Rolls Royce Phantom.
The couple stayed overnight in luxury at the deluxe Auberge du Soleil resort in one of the $3,500 per night cottages.
The cost of the wedding totaled a hefty $2 million. Aguilera instructed her guests not to bring wedding gifts, and instead requested they make donations to charities instead.