Stunning
The wedding itself was not the bizarre ritual predicted by many US papers. Instead, Von Teese wore a stunning Vivienne Westwood-designed gown - rumoured to have cost €100,000 - with the couple exchanging vows in the late-afternoon front of their friends and family.
Before the ceremony, Von Teese vowed that her wedding would by more stylish than that of Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez. Manson gave Von Teese a specially designed ring - after having given her two stuffed swans as an engagement present. The total cost of the ceremony, entertainment, gifts and banquets are estimated at €700,000.
Manson - whose real name is Brian Warner - wore a dark designer Victorian suit though he still had his trademark makeup and off-coloured eye contacts.
Hunting
The Los Angeles-based "People" magazine reported yesterday that the couple traded vows and were married in a non-denominational ceremony conducted by underground filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, a friend of Manson.
The entire theme of the weekend was 'Wilde-Victorian' and started with a Victorian banquet on Friday night and ended yesterday with a hunting party. After the ceremony - which, hardly surprisingly, did not involve either Protestant or Catholic clergy - the guests retired to the Gurteen le Poer mansion for a lavish feast which continued until yesterday morning. The centrepiece was a spit-roasted pig - followed by lobster, oysters, wild Irish smoked salmon and crab, all of which were specially flown in.
The entire affair was catered with specially -designed Vivienne Westwood place settings. A total of 50 staff working for Limerick firm Master Chefs catered the event, which included a special toast with goblets of absinthe. Each of the staff had to wear Moschino-designed tops-and-tails as specially fitted by Dita Von Teese.
Several of the A-list guests arrived by helicopter. Other guests, who could not be accommodated in the castle's 13 bedrooms, staying in nearby Clonmel or flying back to Dublin. The entertainment was provided by the German tribute band "Max Raabe and his Palastorchester"
And while the mansion's grounds border close to the famous apple orchards of cider-maker, Bulmers, the drinks on offer yesterday ranged from the most expensive French champagnes to US vintage wines. Yesterday, those guests who felt like it went shooting or engaged in a spot of falconry. Last night's meal a traditional Irish fare of hot whiskeys, roasted potatoes and steak-and-kidney pies.
The Gurteen le Poer mansion was built in 1866 but lavishly restored over the past five years by an Austrian millionaire is set on 16 acres overlooking the River Suir. Helnwein - a renowned artist - is a good friend of Manson and offered Gurteen's use for his wedding.
Manson and his band, The Spooky Kids, hail from Fort Lauderdale in Florida and rank as one of the most successful but controversial musical acts in the US. Slated by none other than US Presidential hopeful, Senator Joe Lieberman, as "evil and grotesque", the group had, until 1996, all taken their stage surnames from convicted American serial killers.
Their antics on stage and controversial lyrics - most of which are anti-religious and synonymous with violence and drugs - have led to them being banned from various venues and cities. Nevertheless, the band - who are now based in Hollywood - rank as one of the top selling acts in the US with MTV recently hailing Manson as one of the true stars of the 1990s.
