Sports - Tiger Woods ties the knot

paulamarie_2 · 10-07-2004, 12:33 AM

hello guys!

got this from Sports Illustrated

SANDY LANE BEACH, Barbados (AP) -- Tiger Woods married Swedish model Elin Nordegren at an exclusive resort in Barbados during a sunset ceremony that reportedly cost $3 million, according to witnesses.

Oprah Winfrey and former NBA stars Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were among more than 120 guests seen by an Associated Press reporter perched on a hill overlooking the club house of the Sandy Lane resort and golf course, which went to extraordinary lengths to shield the ceremony from journalists.

The wedding, held in a white-netted pagoda decorated with red roses, took place at 5:48 p.m. Tuesday as the sun painted a spectacular array of colors across the sky.

The Barbados Daily Nation quoted unidentified sources as saying that the event cost $3 million. Woods reportedly imported 500 red roses for the ceremony.

Nordegren, 24, met Woods three years ago while she was the nanny to the children of Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik.

At the ceremony, Nordegren wore an off-white sleeveless gown, according to the witnesses, while Woods, 28, wore a beige suit.

Woods' father, Earl, arrived at the resort about 3 p.m. in a silver Rolls-Royce. At the reception, he cried after giving a speech, the witnesses said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Earlier in the day, the couple appeared to be adhering to the tradition of not seeing each other before taking their vows.

The bride remained offshore on a yacht named "Privacy."

An AP photographer caught Woods on film early Tuesday, carrying scuba equipment from the yacht to a small attached dive boat. It had minor engine trouble before it took off with a smiling Woods stretching one arm into the sea.

Shirtless and grinning, Woods then took a turn at the wheel, according to exclusive photographs from the AP.

Nordegren's mother, Swedish immigration minister Barbro Holmberg -- had left the Scandinavian country and was not expected back before Monday, her spokesman said.

The couple had refused to respond to reports of the wedding, and there still was no official confirmation hours after the event.

Resort employees erected sheets of plywood and a crane hoisted large plants to try to block views of the event.

Two photographers approaching the reception area were escorted away by Barbadian police, who helped provide security, along with private guards and a Barbados Coast Guard cutter offshore.

Other photographers crouched in a nearby bushy area, from as early as 1 p.m., to take pictures of guests entering the country club. Others were on the roof of a nearby house.

Security guards from Sandy Lane tried in vain to persuade a nearby resident to throw the press off her son's property. The woman explained she was the landlord and that she had granted permission.

Woods' precautions appeared to encompass hiring the only helicopter charter company on the island, which said it was booked solid Tuesday -- a move that prevented journalists and photographers from flying over the event.

He also rented out the entire hotel, which has about 200 rooms ranging in price from $700 to $8,000 a night, according to a hotel source.

Woods asked Nordegren to marry him in November 2003 during a sunset walk at a game reserve in South Africa after he competed in the Presidents Cup.

On Sunday, Woods played in the American Express Championship at the Mount Juliet Golf Course in Thomastown, Ireland. He finished ninth, and slipped to No. 3 in the world for the first time since May 1999.

Before he left Ireland on Sunday, he declined to confirm the reports of an imminent wedding, and when asked about a Caribbean vacation said only, "I'm ready to go diving. I'm ready to hop in that water and shoot some fish."

"All I can say is that I'm getting married in the future. I've narrowed it down to that," Woods said. "I think you guys would be the last people I'd ever tell."

The Sandy Lane is owned by Irishmen J.P. McManus and Dermot Desmond, who are friends of Woods. The resort has hosted celebrities such as tennis star Serena Williams and fashion designer Donatella Versace.

Resort managers have said previously they hoped to invite Woods to strike the first ball at the Green Monkey golf course, which has yet to officially open.

The Daywalker · 10-07-2004, 12:25 PM

Just read that myself. Elin is bordline hot too.

**-Bianca-** · 10-07-2004, 12:46 PM

3 million dollars for a freaking wedding?

God. I'll never understand rich people.

Madicken · 10-07-2004, 01:17 PM

Age-a-licious · 10-07-2004, 02:07 PM

I think it's kind of interesting that they got married because just two weeks ago it was reported that they hadn't only called off the wedding but broken up as well.

The Daywalker · 10-07-2004, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Unfamous Loser
3 million dollars for a freaking wedding?

God. I'll never understand rich people.

When i find The One, ihope i'm rich enogh to give her her perfect wedding, even if it costs 3 million.

The Fifth Element · 10-07-2004, 03:13 PM

Hm...that's interesting. They look cute together I guess.

**NikNak** · 10-07-2004, 06:22 PM

The hotel costs $700-$8000 a night.

Friggin' INSANE.

For $8000, they better do EVERYTHING, and then some.

IndyFan · 10-08-2004, 03:46 PM

That's lavish, for sure, but I guess he had to pay for privacy.
I hope they had a great day.

Chi159 · 10-08-2004, 05:21 PM

Hey, if you had that kind of money, wouldn't you spend it lavishly on your wedding day? Ka-ching!

Tiger's personal life doesn't really interest me, so I don't consider this to be a big deal. He got married, great! It probably surprises a lot of people.

If his golf game continues to struggle, I'm sure it will be blamed on his marriage. That's when the real fireworks will begin. Heh.

**NikNak** · 10-08-2004, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chi159
Tiger's personal life doesn't really interest me, so I don't consider this to be a big deal.

Yeah, to me, either. Just usual sports' gossip, I guess.

***Yellow Mustang Girl*** · 10-13-2004, 12:16 AM

:jawdrop: I didn't know Tiger got married

IndyFan · 10-14-2004, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chi159
Ka-ching!

I like your sound effects, Chi!

Age-a-licious · 10-14-2004, 06:35 PM

Tiger: Being Married Won't Affect My Game

In his first public statement since getting married last Tuesday in a sunset ceremony in Barbados, newlywed Tiger Woods, still honeymooning with his Swedish bride Elin Nordegren, says being married will not affect his game.

"It is not going to change the way I play golf," Woods tells fans on his Web site. "I have been with Elin and happy together the last two years. Just because you are married it doesn't change your relationship. It doesn't change who we are."

He adds: "I just hope I can get the ball in the hole a little faster."

The golf champ also spoke to reporters aboard his honeymoon yacht, telling them that, although he remains committed to his sport, he isn't sure when he'll get back into the swing of things. "We're having so much fun on the honeymoon," he said.

But Woods will have to make up his mind soon if he wishes to participate in some Florida tournaments, though he has vowed to play in his own Target World Challenge that's set to tee off Dec. 8. As it is, Woods has not won a stroke play tournament this year and has slipped from the world's No. 1 golfer to No. 3 in recent weeks, falling behind Vijay Singh and Ernie Els.

About getting married, which the bride and groom kept as secret as possible, Woods told reporters: "We didn't tell anybody until the last minute. They all said, 'Oh, it is? That soon?' Yeah, well, there you go. You can still get cheap airfare. We made sure of that. ... To have all our family and friends there, it made it a very special occasion. Our families and friends are always going in different directions, so it's always hard to get them all together. We were able to do that for this occasion, which made it even more special for all of us. We had a great time."

Woods, 28, and Nordegren, 24, the Swedish former nanny and model he met at the 2001 British Open and proposed to last November, said "I do" Oct. 5 in a sunset ceremony before about 200 family and friends.

The nuptials were held in the largest of four tents set up at the posh Sandy Lanes resort, with 500 red roses adorning the end of the aisle. Guests (including NBA stars Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, as well as Oprah Winfrey) feasted on shrimp cocktail, flying fish, macaroni pie and a four-tier wedding cake.

But it was Tiger's trademark cool that really took the cake. "He didn't act like he was going to get married," a source told PEOPLE. "He was very relaxed, like this was any other day for him."

**-Bianca-** · 10-14-2004, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Hey, if you had that kind of money, wouldn't you spend it lavishly on your wedding day? Ka-ching!

Actually, no. If I had Tiger's money, I'd probably die with Tiger's money. Yes, I am that cheap.