Australian actress Nicole Kidman, left, is driven from her Sydney waterfront home as photographers and camera crews surround her car Friday, June 23, 2006. Kidman is set to marry country music star Keith Urban in a lavish wedding this weekend.
Nicole Kidman returned to her native Australia this week to marry country star Keith Urban. Despite trying to keep the wedding low-key, her every move has been followed by a pack of photographers, TV crews and fans.
The fine points of the ceremony expected Sunday night remain top secret. But the Oscar-winning actress has been gracious and obliging, even sending out a case of beer for the paparazzi camped outside her harborside mansion Tuesday, her 39th birthday. (They sang "Happy Birthday" to her over the intercom.)
Kidman, who was born in Hawaii to Australian parents, and Urban, who was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, ended months of speculation shortly after arriving in Sydney in private jets on Monday.
"We are very happy to be back in Australia," they said in a joint statement. "We have come home to celebrate our wedding with our family and friends."
On Friday, Kidman, Urban and some high-profile guests drove out of her waterfront property amid rumors of a ceremony rehearsal. "The nerves are fine," she told reporters.
The couple are expected to be married in a Roman Catholic ceremony at a gothic-style stone church overlooking Sydney's Manly beach.
Local media have predicted an extravagant, black-tie affair with a guest list that includes Kidman's longtime friend Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and "Moulin Rouge" director Baz Luhrmann.
As for her dress, Kidman is likely to wear a design by Balenciaga, her preferred fashion house.
The Rev. Paul Coleman, a family friend and pastor, reportedly will preside over the ceremony. He met with the couple this week and said he was confident their marriage would be happy.
"You've got to rely on their maturity and knowledge of each other and I'm impressed," Coleman told Sydney's The Daily Telegraph.
Coleman said he would advise the couple to "make time for each other, do romantic things together and never part without kissing," the newspaper reported.
It will be the first marriage for Urban, 38, who is based in Nashville, Tenn. Kidman divorced Tom Cruise in 2001 after 10 years of marriage. She and Cruise have two children, Isabella, 13, and Connor, 10, who are expected to attend the ceremony.
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