Wedding caps 18-month Holmes-Cruise saga

Actor Tom Cruise holds his daughter Suri as he arrives with his fiancee Katie Holmes (L) at a restaurant in Rome November 16, 2006. The couple are tipped to have chosen a 15th century castle just outside of Rome as the location for their celebrity wedding. [Reuters]

The relationship, People magazine deputy editor Larry Hackett remarked at the time, "was presented fully baked for public consumption."

In stark contrast, the couple did not provide the public a peek of Suri until 4 1/2 months after her April 18 birth, leading to fevered speculation that she didn't even exist. The couple finally unveiled her, true to megastar form, on the cover of Vanity Fair.

Many celebrities attended the Cruise-Holmes nuptials, but the most symbolic attendee was Brooke Shields. Cruise had very publicly criticized Shields for taking antidepressants after the birth of her first daughter; he apologized to her in person a few months ago.

The actor's perspective on antidepressants echoes that of Scientology, and Cruise became more vocal about his religion after firing longtime publicist Pat Kingsley. Cruise's sister, Lee Anne DeVette, took over as his publicist in March 2004, but was replaced last November after Cruise's image seemed in decline.

The practices and beliefs of Scientology — a religion many other celebrities practice with less scrutiny — are unfamiliar and strange to much of the public.

The birth of the Cruise-Holmes baby, Suri, was surrounded by reports that the couple would have a "silent birth," in which no one surrounding the mother speaks. And the couple's vows Saturday included certain Scientology fundamentals, such as promising never to go to bed without communicating about any differences.

Cruise's aggressive defense of Scientology was one of the reasons Sumner Redstone, chairman of Paramount Pictures parent company Viacom Inc., claimed was behind Paramount's decision to break ties with Cruise after a long and lucrative relationship. The "Mission: Impossible" star quickly rebounded when his company, Cruise/Wagner Productions, signed a two-year financing deal with First & Goal LLC.

The legal circumstances of the couple's Italian wedding weren't clear, since it was performed by a Scientology minister. Cruise's publicist, Arnold Robinson, said the couple had "officiated their marriage in Los Angeles before their departure for Italy," calling that customary for couples marrying outside the United States.

The public, of course, loves a big movie-star marriage. But will the castle ceremony help Cruise and Holmes restore a measure of normalcy to their relationship, or serve as yet another unique spectacle?

With neither star expected back on the big screen soon (Cruise is slated to begin shooting "Lions for Lambs" with Robert Redford in January; Holmes has nothing planned) it will be a while before the box office provides an answer.