The couple exchanged vows in a five-minute ceremony conducted by Judge John Merrick. Penn then lifted his wife’s veil and, to the accompaniment of the theme from Chariots of Fire, planted a kiss on her and sparked a standing ovation. After the vows, waiters rushed out with trays of Cristal champagne and sushi, as Malcolm McLaren’s “Madame Butterfly” blared from loudspeakers.
Moments later, the newlyweds appeared on a balcony. Penn toasted “the most beautiful woman in the world,” and struggled playfully to remove her garter for the obligatory toss. The partygoers then adjourned to a white open-air tent and a feast prepared by Spago restaurant: a five-tier hazelnut wedding cake with sugar flowers, lobster ravioli, rack of lamb, swordfish and baked potatoes stuffed with sour cream and caviar.
