Even by Sydney standards, the hoopla surrounding today's marriage of movie star Nicole Kidman and country music singer Keith Urban is unprecedented.
For a nation largely bereft of bluebloods, the couple are the nearest to homegrown royalty Australia has produced.
And in keeping with their superstardom, no expense is being spared to reflect their celebrity status and cater for the A-list of guests who will celebrate the day.
As the finishing touches to what Australians have hailed the 'wedding of the year' were being made in Sydney last night, 150,000 red and white roses said to have cost $2.8 million were being used to decorate the reception venue.
Thousands of dollars worth of food and drink, a cavalcade of stretch limousines, a small army of security personnel and a multimillion-dollar private yacht to ferry Kidman across Sydney harbour to the ceremony were ready and waiting for their part in the spectacle.
A fleet of private jets with their precious cargo of the rich and famous has been landing at Sydney airport over the past few days.
