Fed: Bride in white rides in black limo to wed Crowe

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Fed: Bride in white rides in black limo to wed Crowe

By Anthony Stavrinos

NANA GLEN, NSW, April 7 AAP - She looked demure in a white veil, but Danielle Spencerrode to her wedding with Russell Crowe today in a black limousine flanked by three blackHarley Davidson motorcycles.

Her motorcade brought a touch of Hollywood to an otherwise traditional wedding at Crowe'ssprawling country estate near Coffs Harbour.

In a flowing white wedding dress, Spencer and the Oscar-winning Crowe tied the knotin a sunset ceremony inside a specially constructed, $250,000 domed chapel at Nana Glen.

The long-time couple were joined at their wedding by about 80 friends, family membersand film industry associates, including "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott.

Fans from across Australia and around the world had jostled for a front-row seat forthe showbiz wedding of the year.

Led by the three Harley Davidsons, the bridal cavalcade wound its way from Spencer'sCoffs Harbour hotel and up into the hills to the Crowe property at about 4.30pm (AEST),followed closely by a police escort.

Two black Mercedes limousines carried the bridesmaids and flower girls, along withSpencer and her father, former television host Don Spencer.

The bride, who wore a Giorgio Armani-designed dress and white veil, smiled at fansand photographers from behind tinted windows as she arrived at the property.

"She's a princess," said one admirer.

Around 20 photographers and cameramen, with trucks and satellite dishes, camped atthe side of the narrow two-lane country road that winds past Crowe's property.

A helicopter patrolled the skies to stop air intruders getting too close to the wedding,but at least one TV crew got aerial shots as Spencer walked on her father's arm from Crowe'shome to the nearby wedding chapel.

Crowe, who turned 39 today, and Spencer, 32, were married by the former Bishop of Grafton,Phillip Huggins.

The wedding celebrations had begun on Friday with a party and lightshow, followed bya cricket match on Saturday on a specially-built pitch.

Tonight's celebrations were expected to continue late with entertainment by Paul Capsisand Wendy Matthews, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, ABBA impersonators Bjorn Again andseveral DJs.

Eager fans had waited hours in the hope of catching a glimpse of the celebrity couple.

Dutch couple Pedro and Petra Peters, holidaying in Australia for three months, satpatiently in deckchairs at Crowe's gate, in front of them a huge banner painted withthe words: "Mr and Mrs Crowe. Congratulations. Pedro and Petra - from Holland".

Mr Peters, 38, said his 37-year-old wife had become serious Crowe fans after firstwatching him in Gladiator, the movie which won the New Zealand-born actor an Oscar.

Media reports triggered the couple's desire to visit the property yesterday and today, he said.

"We saw in the newspaper in Cairns two weeks ago that he was getting married," Mr Peterstold AAP.

"But we didn't know where. Then we saw somewhere it was Nana Glen and it was on ourway to Sydney, so we stopped by."

Michelle and Andrew Rowland, from Kogarah in Sydney, took their 14-month-old son Jackto Nana Glen in the hope of seeing the couple.

"The likelihood of that happening is probably zero, so we thought we'd at least comeand feel the love in the air," Mrs Rowland told AAP.

Another couple, holidaying from Adelaide, were ordered away by a security guard afterdaringly positioning themselves near Crowe's gate with a small video camera.

Today's wedding promises to give's Crowe's image a softer edge after a series of altercationsearned him a reputation as a hard-drinking, brawling movie star.

At the 2002 British Academy Film Awards, Crowe shoved and cursed a TV producer forcutting short his acceptance speech.

Earlier this year he was reportedly involved in a drunken punch-up at a London restaurantafter trying to chat up a woman.

Crowe, who romanced American sweetheart Meg Ryan, has been linked with a stream ofbeauties, but it was Spencer, the low-profile singer, actor and dancer, who caught hiseye in 1990 when they met on the set of the film "The Crossing".

He said he first thought of marrying Spencer shortly after meeting the British-born blonde.

"We've been looking forward to this day for a long time," Spencer said in an emailreply to good wishes fans have sent to Crowe's web site.

AAP as/nf/sp

KEYWORD: CROWE NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)