It may seem impossible to those of us who have watched their evolution from tabloid fodder into a global celebrity dynasty, but this weekend the Beckhams will be marrying up.
Today marks the wedding of Brooklyn Beckham, the 23-year-old firstborn of David and Victoria, and American actor Nicola Peltz, the 27-year-old daughter of billionaire financier Nelson Peltz, chairman of the fast food chain Wendy’s.
And if you thought Posh and Becks’s 1999 wedding – the castle setting, the gold tiara and the matching purple reception outfits – was the height of extravagance, then the new American in-laws are putting on a display to show how the other 1% live.
The Peltzes’ net worth – estimated at £1.3bn – eclipses the Beckhams’ £380m, and Nelson is expected to foot the bill, rumoured to be £3m. “It feels like 17th-century Florence, with the merging of royal and blue-blooded families,” says the celebrity PR Mark Borkowski. “Except here, it’s the Instagram and celebrity blue-bloods.”
It seems that, after inevitable Covid delays and months of media speculation (“have you heard? Peltz’s dress is a Valentino, not a Victoria Beckham”), the first major post-pandemic celebrity wedding is finally here.
And, in a sign of the circles brand Beckham now moves in, it is Vogue rather than OK! magazine that has acquired the exclusive rights to the wedding. The fashion magazine’s website has been running a series of chocolate-box “at home” videos, offering teasers of what to expect – such as Brooklyn’s “sensitive-guy” tears and Nicola’s gushy entrance song. And if their Instagram feeds are anything to go by, there’ll be a surfeit of public displays of affection, too.
With so many friends in so many high places, a galaxy of stars are expected. If the gossip columns’ guest-list guessing is to be believed, it will include the Spice Girls, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, Will Smith (expect the jokes at the reception to be kept to a minimum), Gigi Hadid and Gordon Ramsay. But there could also be some faces from the Beckhams’ past: former Manchester teammate Phil Neville and Rocco Ritchie. Snoop Dogg has reportedly offered to DJ as his wedding gift.
Meanwhile, drones have been swarming around the wedding venue, the Peltzes’ Regency-style £78m Palm Beach mansion in Miami, drip-feeding the tabloids with news of the preparations (The Beckhams married in 15th-century Luttrellstown Castle, outside Dublin, once owned by the Guinness family – how quaint).
The ocean-facing lawn is currently buried under three supersized marquees, and the huge trucks from Meyer’s Turf & Landscape Nursery hint at the installation of a new wedding garden. Also spotted on site were trucks from the Miami-based French chef Thierry Isambert and his catering team, so guests can presumably expect “elaborate romantic creations with a European flair”.
Inevitably, though, questions remain – such as, for starters, isn’t Nicola snubbing Victoria by not wearing her designs? “I don’t think so,” says Claudia Croft, deputy editor of 10 Magazine. “You’ve got to think about who Nicola is – a couture wedding dress is totally within her grasp.” Plus, she adds, “Pierpaolo [Piccioli, Valentino’s creative director] is known for grand couture volume, and this is the one day you can get away with that.”
In fact, says Croft, “It’s accepted practice for couture houses to dress the bride’s entire family, as well as the bridesmaids.” Chief bridesmaid is rumoured to be the Beckhams’ youngest child, Harper, 10, while Nicola’s maternal grandmother, “Naunni”, is maid of honour (Romeo, 19, and Cruz, 17, are reportedly Brooklyn’s best men).
Besides, think of the positioning for Victoria to be alongside Valentino; she certainly would have. “There will be a lot of VB dresses around,” adds Croft. “All her side of the family, and several of the guests, will be outfitted in it, and I’d fully expect her to wear it, playing to her strengths in something long and sleek.”
There will be plenty of opportunities for VB visibility: “These American society weddings go on for days, with rehearsal dinners and more casual events,” Croft explained. In another Vogue video, the couple revealed that it will be a Jewish wedding – Brooklyn’s great-grandfather and Nicola’s father are both Jewish. Brooklyn added that he will wear a yarmulke for the ceremony – Croft predicts this could be teamed with Valentino menswear or Dior by Kim Jones, with whom the Beckhams are friends.
Having already acquired six tattoos dedicated to his “future wifey” (as one reads), surely Brooklyn will be marking the occasion with new ink. And if they decide to wear the his-and-hers gold-dipped wisdom teeth pendants that Peltz revealed to her 2.1m Instagram followers, they may be tucked out of sight.
“I would expect Nicola to wear a tiara,” says Croft. “They’re definitely having a moment, but also, the couple is so romantic, I think she’ll want the full princess look.” Maybe VB will “go the royal route”, adds Croft, and lend her some jewellery. For sure, millions of fingers will be hovering over the refresh button on Vogue’s website during the ceremony.
Vogue’s involvement is “precedent-setting”, says Borkowski. No longer are celebrity wedding picture rights the exclusive preserve of more downmarket glossy magazines. “This will be noted by other high-net-worths and A-list celebrities, who’ll be thinking, ‘How good does that look?’”
The Beckhams’ focus, he adds, is “about keeping the brand credible” – a lesson they’ve learned the hard way, after the ribbing provoked by their matching gilt thrones. “They can exploit it for commercial gains further down the line,” Borkowski added.
