I thee wet

BIG-SPENDING WAYNE ROONEY and COLEEN MCLOUGHLIN wed in a £3million extravaganza yesterday — but couldn’t buy fine weather.

The Scouse sweethearts left their homeland to become man and wife in the sunshine of Italy.

But the wedding party could hardly believe their eyes as black clouds descended over their picturesque Riviera venue, ending three days of 80°F temperatures.

Rain poured down as Coleen, 22, left nearby Genoa in her wedding gown, and it continued as she and Wayne wed in a civil ceremony at the beautiful fortress of Villa Durazzo, overlooking Santa Margherita.

But townsfolk said the downpour was a GOOD omen, quoting a traditional local saying that claims: “Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata” — meaning “a wet bride is a lucky bride”.

One onlooker who saw Coleen said: “She was smiling bravely, but it must have been her worst nightmare. It’s been gorgeous all week, then it buckets down.”

Coleen and Man Utd star Wayne, 22, tied the knot beneath a Louis XVI chandelier in side the Villa Durazzo, surrounded by about 15 close family and friends.

She was driven to the venue in a silver Mercedes people-carrier. The groom arrived moments before her, wearing a chestnut brown suit and no tie.

The 20-minute service was conducted by Santa Margherita deputy mayor Gianni Costa — a former footballer.

He said: “The bride looked wonderful in her dress and the groom looked sporty but elegant. No rings were exchanged, and the ceremony was very simple yet very beautiful.

"Everyone was very emotional and there were a few tears from everyone — especially the bride. But Wayne was very composed.

“When the translator from London told them they were man and wife, everyone clapped and cheered.”

Around a dozen local cops kept a patrol outside, backing up the Rooneys’ security team. The couple were desperate to stop any photos after signing a multi-million-pound deal with a celebrity magazine.

As the rain continued, the newlyweds were taken at 10.45am to La Cervara — a former monastery on a clifftop near Portofino.

Coleen, whose hair was tied back for the civil service, spent the next few hours getting ready to have the marriage blessed in a chapel and to throw the reception.

She used an ornate dressing room with an adjoining bedroom to change into a £100,000 dress.

And she sighed with relief as the rain finally stopped and the sun emerged at 2pm — as she completed her preparations for the blessing.

Meanwhile the 64 guests, including Wayne’s Utd pals WES BROWN, JOHN O'SHEA and MICHAEL CARRICK, left Genoa for La Cervara in a fleet of cars.

The highlight of Coleen’s wedding marathon came just after 5pm as dad Tony walked her down a red carpet in the monastery’s St Girolama’s Chapel.

Her adopted disabled sister Rosie was a flower girl — and Coleen smiled at her as she approached the altar.

Then the bride gazed into Wayne’s eyes as they made their vows and exchanged rings in a service conducted by an Italian priest and another from their home town of Croxteth, Liverpool.

Guests then enjoyed a champagne reception in the abbey’s cloisters, followed by drinks and canapés on the Belvedere Terrace. They then tucked into a banquet feast — including piles of PIZZA.


Soon afterwards came the speeches, with Wayne welling up as he thanked his “stunning wife and bridesmaids”.

After returning to the terrace to cut the cake, he and Coleen had their first dance on a wisteria-covered courtyard.

They then threw a disco before a £100,000 firework display. Other stars at the glittering affair included footballers DUNCAN FERGUSON and ALAN STUBBS.

Wayne and Coleen are thought to have paid £4,000 in fees to wed at Villa Durazzo. But while they dodged the rain, the sun shone on their home village of Prestbury, Cheshire.

One local joked: “If they wanted rain, Wayne should have stayed in Manchester.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article1286100.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=Wayne+Rooney