Brooklyn Beckham made several shock claims in his social media statement on 19 January, but among the most talked-about allegations was the discussion around his wife Nicola Peltz-Beckham's wedding dress. The Beckham scion, 26, married the 31-year-old daughter of billionaire Nelson Peltz and model Claudia Heffner Peltz in 2022, tying the knot at the Peltz family's Palm Beach estate in the presence of both their parents.
In his social media tirade, Brooklyn penned: "My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn't stopped," adding: "My mum cancelled making Nicola's dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress."
Brooklyn claimed that Victoria pulled out of making Nicola's dress "at the eleventh hour"
An insider clarifies a contradiction
Now, an insider has shared an insight, telling HELLO!: "I had heard that she was going to wear two dresses, one Victoria Beckham and one Valentino – it’s very common for brides now to have a number of dresses. Plans for both were in place." Nicola wore a number of looks over the weekend of her wedding so it remains unclear which dress Victoria Beckham was meant to design.
I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private. Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.
I do not want to reconcile with my family. I'm not being controlled, I'm standing up for myself for the first time in my life.
For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into. Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they'll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.
My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn't stopped. My mum cancelled making Nicola's dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress. Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children. They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since. During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me 'evil' because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola's Naunni at our table, because they both didn't have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.
The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was 'not blood and 'not family.' Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I've received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders. Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last Summer. My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song. In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead. She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I've never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.
My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we've tried to come together as one. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.
Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad's birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him. He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner. When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn't invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.
My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family "love" is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it's at the expense of our professional obligations. We've gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show 'our perfect family'. But the one time my wife asked for my mum's support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.
The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief.
My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.
What was contradictory about Brooklyn's claim?
In the end, Nicola wore a bespoke Valentino gown. Brooklyn's claim about Nicola's dress has prompted confusion amongst his fans, as shortly after the wedding, Nicola and Brooklyn gave Vogue an interview, with the bride telling the publication that choosing the luxury Italian fashion house to design her gown was a "no-brainer".
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Meanwhile, Nicola's stylist, Leslie Fremar, told Vogue: "It was the ultimate couture experience", referencing how Nicola cherry-picked elements from various sketches, fabrics, and embroideries to create her dream dress. She also revealed that her bridal gown was "the culmination of a year's worth of conversations with Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s team, two trips to the Rome HQ, and two US fittings."
Then, in 2023, Nicola told ELLE: "My favourite outfit I've ever worn is my wedding dress. I got to go to Rome and design it with everyone at Valentino; it was just a dream.
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"My dad took me with my brother, and my mum and Brooklyn, but then my dad and Brooklyn did something else obviously, because they couldn't go into the fitting. Just being able to go to Rome and go to a new place that I'd never been and design a dress with my mum, it was just like magic."
Inside Brooklyn and Nicola's nuptials
The pair tied the knot after getting engaged in June 2020 in an early-evening Jewish ceremony in front of 500 people. Spice Girls Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell-Horner and Mel C all made the guestlist, as did TV chef Gordon Ramsay, tennis star Serena Williams and Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria.
David and Victoria both attended Brooklyn's wedding day in 2022
According to ELLE, the couple's first dance at 8.30 pm was to Elvis Presley's 'Only Fools Rush In', performed by South African artist Lloyiso, while their second song was Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me'.
Brooklyn and Nicola tied the knot at the bride's family estate in Florida
Guests also enjoyed cocktails to the dulcet tones of a jazz quartet, while a 12-piece live band played during the black-tie dinner. The pair received a £383,502 ($500,000) classic Jaguar car from David Beckham as a wedding gift - not too shabby!
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