Here comes the bride! Petra Ecclestone is radiant in white as she marries James Stunt in £5million wedding

Sofia Kasım 29, 2021

By Sarah Bull, Lara Gould and Katie Nicholl

Here comes the bride: Petra Ecclestone beamed excitedly as she was driven to her wedding venue in Rome today

It's arguably one of the most highly-anticipated celebrity events of the year, with guests including members of the royal family and hotel heiresses.

But despite the chaos surrounding her big day, Petra Ecclestone looked calm and relaxed as she left her hotel and headed to the castle where she was to marry fiancé James Stunt.

The 22-year-old F1 heiress looked stunning as she was driven to the wedding in a white Rolls Royce, with her father Bernie sitting with her in the back.

Let's go: While Petra's dress couldn't properly be seen, it seems she had gone for the traditional white rather than ivory

Not just a few sparkers! Fireworks lit up the sky over the castle following the nuptials

With her blonde hair left loose around her shoulders in tumbling curls, Petra looked every inch the blushing bride as she headed off for her big day.

While her dress couldn't properly be seen, it seems Petra had opted for traditional white rather than ivory, and had accessorised the dress with a beautiful diamond tiara and drop earrings.

Meanwhile, her sister Tamara, who is the maid of honour, also pushed the boat out in a ruffled grey asymmetric number.

Before the nuptials, Tamara took to her Twitter page to update her followers about her sister's big day.

This morning, Tamara tweeted: 'Its the day of the wedding I am so happy for my sister and so excited.'

She later added: 'Getting my hair and make up done for petras wedding getting more and more excited!', before continuing: 'Its getting so close Petra looks so beautiful I m getting emotional.'

Tamara left the hotel accompanied by her mother Slavica Radic, who looked elegant in an off-the-shoulder gold gown.

The medieval town of Bracciano ground to a halt, the cobbled piazza closed off as fleets of cars ferried 250 VIP guests for the twilight ceremony inside the castle – which cost the bride’s father £310,000 to hire.

The bride and her father were last to arrive, in his vintage Rolls-Royce, with former Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi at the wheel.

But one Rolls-Royce was not enough for fashion designer and model Petra. She had left her suite at the Hassler Hotel in Rome in a white Rolls-Royce Phantom before switching to the second car for her grand entrance.

Glimpse: Bernie, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, looked proudly at his beautiful daughter

Bridal party: Petra's mother Slavica Radic wore an off-the-shoulder gold gown, while maid of honour Tamara donned a stunning grey ruffled number

Travelling in style: Petra was driven to the Odescalchi Castle with her father Bernie accompanying her in the back of her luxurious white Rolls Royce

The castle grounds had been transformed into what was described as a ‘magical world’ themed setting, with air-conditioned, flower-filled canopies to keep guests cool.

They were greeted by an 18-piece string section from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, led by renowned conductor Nigel Short, who performed a 40-minute selection of classical music. Accompanying them was the 20-member Tenebrae Choir, described as ‘one of the greatest choirs in the world’.

Orchestra, choir and management were flown in on Friday - with three cellos requiring their own seats on the planes - at a cost of more than £100,000.

At 6pm, guests congregated for the ceremony, carried out by the Rev Nick Papadopolous from St Peter’s church, Eaton Square, in London’s Belgravia, close to the £56 million home in Chelsea Miss Ecclestone’s father bought for her in January.

Petra, dressed in an £80,000 couture wedding gown by designer Vera Wang, was accompanied by sister Tamara, 27, and two bridesmaids, close friends Skye Mellar and Ines Raddock.

The hour-long service, held outdoors, was also accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which performed three pieces chosen by the couple: hymns Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind, All Things Bright And Beautiful and an uplifting version of Sir Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem.

Once pronounced man and wife, Petra and James, 26, and their guests were serenaded by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who performed his worldwide hit Time To Say Goodbye, then Somos Novios, ending with Can’t Help Falling In Love.

A reception followed in the castle gardens, where guests were served vintage Louis Roederer Cristal champagne and £4,000-a-bottle Chateau Petrus wine in an air-conditioned white marquee, while acrobats performed beneath hot-air balloons amid the first of the evening’s two fire¬works displays.

It was the beginning of a night of opulent celebrations, paid for out of Bernie’s £2.5 billion fortune, which next saw Eric Clapton - a friend of the Ecclestone family - providing the music for the couple’s first dance, free of charge.

Clapton was followed by The Black Eyed Peas, paid a reported £1.5 million fee, and DJ David Guetta, who was believed to have received £500,000 for his night’s work.

The celebrations were rounded off with a midnight fireworks display, bringing firework costs alone to £100,000.

Earlier in the day, Petra prepared for the event in the £2,300-a-night Hassler Hotel suites the family had occupied since Thursday.

A team of ten make-up artists, including celebrity specialist Gary Cockerill, a close friend of Tamara’s, were flown out to help prepare the wedding party.

Famous faces: Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and daughter Beatrice opted for dresses in similar shades of pink, while Eugenie chose a corseted black number

Family day out: Paris and Nicky Hilton were accompanied by their mother Kathy as they left the hotel

Cockerill was on hand to prepare the female guests with his team, while male guests, including the groom, were tended to by Julia Carter, who usually works on television’s X Factor, having prepared Simon Cowell for his appearances.

The only last-minute hitch came when there were reports that the groom had been struck down with a painful throat virus, hours before the service.

One source said: ‘I’m not sure if it was pre-wedding nerves, but he felt better by the time the ceremony started.’

Wedding guests: Flavio Briatore attended with his stunning wife Elisabetta Briatore

Need for speed: Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi, who drove the Rolls Royce, and Former Ferrari F1 team chief Jean Todt

Famous faces also spotted leaving the hotel ahead of the nuptials included Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and daughter Beatrice, who had both opted for similar shades of pink for their full-length gowns.

Ferguson's other daughter Eugenie, however, went for something a bit more simple in a corseted black dress and matching heels.

Hotel heiresses Paris and Nicky Hilton were also seen making their way to the venue, alongside their mother Kathy.

While Paris opted for a full-length silver number, Nicky went for something a bit more unusual in a pink lace dress with turquoise bow detail, as Kathy donned a navy blue lace gown.