Macca´s big day

Steve McManaman, the Real Madrid midfielder and former England international, married his long-time girlfriend, Victoria Edwards, at Palma Cathedral yesterday in a beautiful ceremony which was marred by incidents between private security guards and photographers outside. The guest list included Tottenham and former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp, his pop star wife Louise, West Ham and former Liverpool goalkeeper, David James, Canal Plus commentator and former Liverpool player Michael Robinson, Real Madrid defender Ivan Campo, the celebrity agent Simon Fuller and former Liverpool manager Roy Evans, along with 250 guests. It was a mixed ceremony with the Anglican Chaplain Robert Ellis and a Catholic priest presiding over the ceremony. Father Ellis said yesterday that right from the very start Steve and Victor knew exactly what kind of service they wanted and he said that the couple put a great deal of hard work in preparing the wedding at the cathedral. “It was clear from the start that they both wanted a solemn, religious ceremony,” he said. Louise Smith read the lesson from 1 Corinthians 13 and Hannah Rouse read I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman. The Cathedral choir sang Ave Maria, Coral Cantata 147 by J.S. Bach and the Wedding March by F. Mendelssohn. Fr Robert Ellis read St John's Gospel 2vv 1-11 and Canon Ollers gave the address which was translated by Fr Ellis. Victoria's bridesmaids were all old school friends and Simon Fuller, the creator of the Spice Girls and his manager, said that Steve and Victoria had wanted a family wedding. What they did not want was a media circus, sadly the security arrangements angered both the media, who called the police and central government delegate Catalina Cirer, and the general public. Cirer visited the scene to talk to the media, members of which had suffered minor injuries and had equipment broken in the scuffles, and cast serious doubts over the behaviour of the security company as the area around the Cathedral is public property and therefore, according to Cirer, is either closed off completely or open to everyone. Over 300 members of the public, initially forced to squeeze behind the barriers to watch the wedding, were also eventually allowed through and many attended the ceremony in the Cathedral. Wedding days are ones to remember and one thing is for sure, Steve and Victoria will not forget their great day.