Photographer Robert Evans, who documented the former pair's wedding, speaks with Yahoo Entertainment.
Seventeen years ago, in "the wedding of the century," Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes exchanged vows.
Although it's unclear exactly who gave it that title—a term that was used by the media, including Fox News and CBS News, when the couple got married on November 18, 2006, in an Italian castle—it's still in use today, as evidenced by Leah Remini's recent lawsuit against Scientology.
Even though the marriage was short-lived, the extravagant event—which, according to E! News, cost more than $3 million—included several days of festivities, A-list attendees, and onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of the well-known actor and his Dawson's Creek actress spouse outside Castello Orsini-Odescalchi in Bracciano. Official confirmation came from a wedding photo taken by photographer Robert Evans, which featured the couple leaning against a vine-covered castle wall.
The lead-up⬇️
The couple went public in April 2005, which heightened public interest in the couple. It was clear from Cruise's jumping on Oprah's couch and gushing over "Kate" that they were incredibly in love. She disclosed that she had a childhood crush on Cruise, despite the fact that he was 16 years her senior. Sitting astride a motorbike, akin to real-life Maverick and Charlie from Top Gun, they sailed into the premiere. He announced his proposal at the press conference, which took place at the Eiffel Tower, just two months after they first started dating.
The whole thing appeared too good to be true, and doubt pervaded. Was it an attempt at publicity? Had she really tried out for the role of his third spouse? Holmes began having handlers from Scientology listen in on her interviews after firing her publicist and agent. There was the ultrasound machine malfunction and conjecture that Holmes would need to give birth quietly. More importantly, though, was she even conceiving? They had to hide baby Suri for several months after her birth in April 2006 due to the rapidly spreading rumours.
But by October 2006, the infant had appeared in Vanity Fair, making her global debut. The pair also declared in the open that they had decided on a wedding date. The world was excitedly following along when Cruise, who had already been married twice, and Holmes were set to tie the knot on November 18, that year. It was impossible to ignore or avoid hearing about the spectacle, as the guest list included celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, David and Victoria Beckham, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jim Carrey, and Jenny McCarthy. Additionally, the list included a who's who of Scientology, with church leader David Miscavige serving as Cruise's best man.
Before heading out for the wedding, Victoria Beckham was seen outside the hotel. (Getty Images/Salvatore Laporta)
The firsthand account⬇️
Evans, the couple's wedding photographer, was going about his usual business despite the attention of the public and the lines of people lining the street outside.
Evans recalled to Yahoo Entertainment that he was invited to submit his work for consideration, along with the work of other wedding photographers who had experience shooting celebrity weddings (he had shot Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's 2000 nuptials). He had never met the prospective bride or groom. In the end, Cruise was the one to hire him, and she did so with great enthusiasm.
The author of The Secrets of Spectacular Wedding Photography says, "He was really excited to meet me when I first met him." It coincided with the period when he was receiving negative coverage due to his couch-jumping incident. However, he was very kind. "I'm so happy to meet you," he said. Upon seeing your book, I thought, "That's my guy!" That's my man! It thrilled him. This is my first meeting with Tom Cruise, and in the first minute of our encounter, I said, "Thank you?" I'm not very good at accepting praise.
For the celebrations, Evans and an additional photographer took a plane, but it wasn't a private one. They resided next door to the hotel that Cruise, Holmes, and their visitors—roughly 150 people in total—were staying in. Evans prepared for the big day by covering two days of events before the wedding.
The Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli serenaded the bride and groom, who were both dressed in Giorgio Armani, and the couple remarked, "It seemed very real and natural to me." They simply gave off the impression that they were in love and enjoying themselves immensely. Of course, I'm not considering that [as I work], but you are paying attention and you notice it. However, it is reflected in the photos. Since they are actors, I suppose they were acting. But I just go there, carry out my duties, and take pictures of what I see.
Regarding the celebrity guest list, he claims that while you're busy attempting to capture a couple's special day, the "wow factor" of being among a star-studded crowd soon wears off. He remarks, "It's funny, I was like, I don't even remember them being there," when we list some of the attendees, including Lopez and the Smiths.
Being "on the inside" of high-profile weddings, such as Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton's 2011 nuptials, Evans says he's learned that "the stuff that gets reported after is usually not very accurate." People are conjecturing because they are ignorant of the reality. Additionally, nondisclosure agreements mean that you are unable to tell anyone that the cake was this or that the flowers were pink, so people are left to speculate, and a lot of what you hear isn't true. It provides a small window into the experience of being a celebrity with no privacy. Yes, I am aware that's the career path they chose, but there are drawbacks to every advantage.
Regarding the wedding pictures that are made public, Evans claims that out of the 3,000 to 5,000 pictures he took at such an event, those are never the ones he would choose.
"Even though I liked that picture of them, if it were up to me, I would choose different images," he states. "I mean, with every celebrity I've ever [shot], it's kind of true."
The reason for this is that the publications that purchase the images—People magazine purchased the images for this wedding back in the day—“want certain things: the traditional walk down the aisle, the cake photo.” Because fewer magazines are being sold by publications, there aren't the same bidding wars over celebrity wedding photos these days. Additionally, celebrities now directly share their first photo with fans thanks to social media.
He also understands that the wedding pictures are "the same images that get flashed all over again" in the media and online following a celebrity couple's breakup, "and it kind of tears it all apart." Evans isn't always upset that the world doesn't get to witness some of the most exquisite and private moments he documents.
The uncoupling⬇️
After almost six years of marriage, Holmes and Cruise filed for divorce in 2012, citing what was described as "a calculated breakup." It was resolved in an astonishably swift divorce settlement eleven days later. Their now-teen daughter's primary legal custody was granted to Holmes. The mother and daughter relocated to New York City full-time, and it has been years since Cruise, who is also the father of two children by actress Nicole Kidman, was seen out in public with Suri.
The former couple hasn't spoken much about one another since, but in a 2012 deposition given in response to a lawsuit over a report claiming he "abandoned" Suri, Cruise acknowledged that Holmes had informed him that part of the reason she was leaving him was to shield their daughter from Scientology. In addition, he claimed that Suri was not a member of the Church of Scientology and that Holmes had left. By contrast, Holmes stated to Ocean Drive in 2015 that he didn't truly regret anything he had done. Everything sort of points you in the direction of the next place, and I've learned from it all. I simply keep moving forward.
It's unclear with whom Cruise could be romantically involved. (There are rumours everywhere.) After dating actor Jamie Foxx for a while, Holmes also dated musician Bobby Wooten III and NYC restaurateur Emilio Vitolo.
The aftermath⬇️
This year, Remini's lawsuit against Scientology brought the TomKat wedding back into the spotlight.
The King of Queens actress said she had been "stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened, intimidated" since she departed the company in 2013. Since then, she has turned into a vocal critic. Cruise was mentioned several times in the lawsuit because she said that her life as a Scientologist was altered by his "wedding of the century." Her lawsuit has been deemed "ludicrous" and "frivolous" by the church.
Remini said, among other things, that she caused drama by inquiring about the whereabouts of Miscavige's wife, Shelly, the best man. She further stated that she saw other actions at the wedding "that set off red flags," such as unethical interactions between different Scientology executives and guests, and that she was reprimanded for speaking up about them. She said that as a result, she spent four months being detained at a Scientology facility following the wedding. She further asserted that she owed the newlyweds an apology by giving money to have a theatre seat named in Suri's honour.
Remini once stated in 2015 that she received an invitation to the wedding along with a request to invite her well-known friends, such as her best friend Lopez and Lopez's ex-husband Marc Anthony. According to her, the church desired to enlist them. (Lopez claims her father is a Scientologist, despite her denial of being one.) She further stated that no one picked up baby Suri when she was crying on the bathroom floor. Remini claimed at the time that Holmes had filed a report to the church about her and accused her of "disrupting the party."
Holmes stated at the time, "I regret having upset Leah in the past and wish her only the best in the future," despite the church rejecting Remini's allegations.
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