THEY'RE the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry of Spain – Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, 33 and television reporter Pilar Rubio, 41, will marry today at 17.00 in Sevilla cathedral, the largest in Spain and at the heart of the groom's native city – and millions of Spaniards will be surfing the net hoping to catch sight of the first official photos.
Set to be the biggest nuptials of 2019 and the most eagerly-awaited, with a star-studded guest list, strict dress code and top performers providing the music, Sergio and Pilar will seal their union after seven years and three children together.
Where?
The celebrity couple will recite their vows in front of the altarpiece of the Virgen de los Reyes, patron saint of Spain's fourth-largest city, inside its iconic cathedral – a massive tourist attraction and one where King Felipe III, later known as Saint Fernando, lies.
The beautiful temple (second picture) is not only the biggest in Spain but also in the world – 11,520 square metres in size and a UNESCO heritage site since 1987 – and tourists will not be able to enter today because of the ceremony.
For anyone else who wants to follow Sergio's and Pilar's example, a wedding in Sevilla Cathedral is surprisingly low-cost - €175, which includes the flowers.
However, the star pair have opted to commission their own flower arrangements, costing them a little more.
Pilar's mum will be matron of honour, her dad will give her away, and the couple's three children, Sergio Junior, four; Marco, three; and Alejandro, who is not quite a year old, will be page boys.
Next, the entire party will move onto Sergio's 109-acre farm, La Alegría, in Bollullos de la Mitación half an hour away from the city, for the reception.
Who?
To prove you're a real, invited guest, you have to wear a sticker with a unicorn on it, provided in the pre-wedding 'black box' with a cute little notebook inside it, sent to everyone asked along.
Among the 500 people are, of course, family – René Ramos plus partner, singer Lorena Gómez, included – and the entire football and TV jet set.
David Beckham and his former Spice Girl wife, fashion designer Victoria (third picture), will be present – David used to play alongside Sergio with Real Madrid – as will the team's chairman Florentino Pérez and all current players and their partners, with a long list of former players, too.
Joaquín, from Real Betis, and past and present players from Real Madrid's arch-rival team will make the wedding itself something of a sporting derby: FC Barcelona's Gerard Piqué and his wife, Colombian-born pop-rock singer and composer Shakira, are on the guest list, along with Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Ex-Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, and his wife Sara Carbonero – a long-standing friend and colleague of Pilar's through television – have been invited, but it is not clear whether they will be able to attend, given that Iker has recently undergone a stent operation after a sudden heart attack and Sara is expected to have started treatment now for ovarian cancer after a successful operation two weeks ago.
TV colleagues of Pilar's include comedian and presenter Pablo Motos, who works with her on the off-the-wall 'chat' show El Hormiguero ('The Ant's Nest'), plus singer Niña Pastori, who will perform in the cathedral. Pop legend Alejandro Sanz, famous among non-Spanish fans for his duet with Shakira, Te lo agradezco pero no, has had to decline, since he already has a programmed concert for tonight in Madrid.
Music, entertainment, dress...and unicorns
The couple has not spared a cent in expense on their grand wedding – frequency inhibitors have been set up around Sevilla cathedral to prevent the paparazzi sending drones to take photographs, and live music will be provided by Jennifer López's ex-husband, Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony, and Pilar's favourite band, AC/DC – pictured here in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Just getting a ticket for the veteran rockers' concert in Madrid was an odyssey – they sold out within seconds and the prices were exceptionally high – showing just how much influence a celebrity can bring to bear when she manages to commission them for her wedding.
Speculation was rife that they would not be the only rock legends in the building: it was rumoured Aerosmith would be performing, too.
Each guest received a decorative black box with a booklet inside, bearing a cover with a red unicorn surrounded by three stars – to match the stickers, or removable tattoos, guests are required to wear – and which gave details and pictures of Sevilla's top attractions, for those who had travelled from afar and planned to stay a few days.
Fold-out photographs of the Giralda Tower, the Maestranza, the Torre de Oro ('Golden Tower'), Spain's oldest bullring and, of course, the cathedral itself were some of the stunning features of Sevilla guests were regaled with.
As well as a hand-made guidebook, the box included a list of rules for the reception at La Alegría: under-18s are not allowed in, which even precludes Sergio Junior, Marco and Alejandro, the couple's own three sons, from taking part; no cameras or smartphones allowed inside, nor any other device which would be able to take pictures or video footage of the nuptials or the reception; men are required to wear dinner jackets – and women will have to choose their colours very carefully.
Red, pink, white, green and orange are banned among women's outfits – leading to speculation that these could be the colours Pilar intends to wear for the wedding.
She is rumoured to be wearing several different outfits, although it is not thought they will include a traditional bridal gown: she said she would 'be wearing a wedding dress', but 'not just any wedding dress'.
As yet, the designer behind the dress, or dresses, has not been revealed.
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