Tiger Woods Marries Swedish Model in Barbados

POPULAR TAGS

Tiger Woods Marries Swedish Model in Barbados

James Joyner | Wednesday, October 6, 2004

Tiger Woods marries Swedish fiancee in Barbados resort (The Malaysia Star – AP)

Tiger Woods married Swedish model Elin Nordegren at an exclusive resort in Barbados during a sunset ceremony that reportedly cost US$3 million (2.4 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 Tuesday evening 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 US$3 million (2.4 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 three hours before the wedding 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.

All I know is this thing has to last longer than a typical celebrity marriage to amortize that $3 mil. Yikes.

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg