Beneath a shimmering Moroccan sunset, Melanie Brown was a vision in red as she married husband Rory McPhee in an emotional outdoor ceremony in the exotic surroundings of Marrakech.
Never one to do things by halves, the Spice Girl’s wedding – the couple’s second in a month - was a spectacular three-day affair filled with colourful local traditions, music and dancing, and shared exclusively with HELLO!.
Mel B, as she is known to her millions of fans, and hairdresser Rory wept happy tears as they said their vows in front of their families and friends, including bandmate Mel C and her Australian actor boyfriend Chris Dingwall, with her three children all playing supporting roles in the day’s festivities: daughter Phoenix, 26, walked her down the aisle, middle child Angel, 18, was one of Rory’s groomsmen, and daughter Madison, 13, was a bridesmaid.
"That meant the world to me," Mel told HELLO!. "It was the most amazing day and was so full of love. It exceeded all our expectations."
Floating mermaid
Mel, 50, wore a stunning, sheer, red Justin Alexander gown, which was split to the thigh and hand-beaded with red crystals and bugle beads, took six artisans more than 850 hours to make.
The dress, which was supplied by Caroline Black from London-based Evelie Bridal, was complemented by a Moroccan-inspired cathedral veil, accented with red crystals.
"As the sun went down, I wanted to look like a floating mermaid – a fiery red passionate one – gliding in ruby diamonds," says Mel, who chose red as a way of embracing Morocco and its culture. "Morocco has that very red va-va-voom – it’s passionate and spiritual."
Special reunion
Later, on the dance floor, Mel B and Mel C belted out an impromptu rendition of the Spice Girls hit Holler. "It was great to have my fellow northerner Mel C there," the bride says. "We had the best time together and totally forgot ourselves and went crazy when Holler came on. We’ve grown up together, all my family love her and to share that weekend with her and her lovely partner Chris was so special."
The celebration at the luxury boutique hotel Selman came a month after the couple’s official ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral in London in July, when guests included the Spice Girl Emma Bunton, the models Cara Delevingne and Daisy Lowe and the comics Katherine Ryan and Alan Carr.
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