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Source(CBS/AP) The sun smiled on Tony Parker and Eva Longoria's wedding day, breaking through after days of gray Paris skies. Their VIP guests, though, were concealed by big black umbrellas.
Glamour and security went hand-in-hand as the NBA champion and star of "Desperate Housewives" exchanged vows Saturday in a church across from the Louvre Museum.
The Roman Catholic ceremony at the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois Church — frequented by French royalty in centuries past — was stage two in a weekend wedding extravaganza.
First, the mayor of Paris pronounced Parker, 25, and Longoria, 32, husband and wife in a civil ceremony Friday. Then, a priest married them Saturday afternoon. Following that: an exclusive bash at a storied French chateau.
Longoria wore a silk wool and silk gazar scoop-back mermaid gown embroidered with silver metallic. The gown, which had a 5-foot-long train, was designed by Angel Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the designer said.
French menswear label De Fursac, which Parker models for, provided the groom's suit.
Stars of all stripes — actors, athletes, musicians — joined the couple for their nuptials.
Longoria's fellow "Housewives" garnered the most attention from several hundred mostly French fans outside the church, who booed bodyguards for blocking their view.
Teri Hatcher, in a silky blue gown, came with her 9-year-old daughter Emerson Rose. Felicity Huffman, in a beige dress with ruffled v-neck collar, brought husband William H. Macy. Nicolette Sheridan wore a strapless pink gown. Marcia Cross, who recently gave birth to twins, was not expected to attend.
A view of the Saint Germain L'Auxerrois cathedral in Paris where Tony Parker and Eva Longoria wed on July 7, 2007. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Also attending were singer Sheryl Crow and the head coach for the San Antonio Spurs, Greg Popovich. Bodyguards used huge black umbrellas to shield guests from view. Police also erected 10-foot-high wooden panels in front of the church, and the bride and groom kept well out of sight.
Later, the couple headed to the 17th century Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau 35 miles southeast of Paris, with its marble-floored ballroom, chandelier-studded dining room and precisely pruned gardens.
For the civil ceremony, Parker, who was born in Belgium and grew up in France, asked Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe to officiate. Parker's friends translated when Delanoe gave a speech calling the basketball star a model in the fight against racism.
"It was touching, moving, very warm and at the same time very relaxed," Delanoe said on RTL radio Saturday. And romantic, he added: "They kiss all the time."
French law requires a civil ceremony even when couples marry in a church.
Saturday started gray but the skies cleared by the time the wedding guests arrived at the church. Fans stood through drizzle and shine.
"I love the series, and I came out today for the chance to see Eva, the 'American in Paris,"' said Lola Michot, a 16-year-old high school student from the eastern French city of Besancon.
Eva Longoria waves as she arrives at Paris City Hall on July 6, 2007 for her civil wedding with NBA player Tony Parker. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)
The couple and their entourage gave very few details about the wedding.
Parker said the cake was made in France but nothing more. The superstitious Parker supposedly chose Saturday — 7/7/07 — as a lucky day.
Longoria plays crafty Gabrielle Solis in "Desperate Housewives." She met Parker, voted the most valuable player of the NBA Finals last month after the Spurs won their fourth title in nine seasons, after a game in November 2004. They announced their engagement last November.
Longoria divorced Tyler Christopher, an actor on the long-running ABC soap opera "General Hospital," in 2004, after two years of marriage. Parker's marriage to Longoria is his first.
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