Why were Mel B and Rory McPhee able to have their wedding at St Paul's Cathedral?

Mel B has married for the third time. The Spice Girls star – who was previously married to Jimmy Gulzar between 1998 and 2000 and Stephen Belafonte from 2007 to 2016 – tied the knot with Rory McPhee at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on Saturday.

Mel, 50, wore a traditional white gown, adorned with pearls for the wedding, while her new husband Rory, 37, wore a traditional Scottish tartan kilt. The happy couple posed for pictures on the steps of the historic venue and shared a kiss.

The happy couple tied the knot at St Paul's Cathedral - usually a very exclusive venue when it comes to weddings. Around 30 couples marry inside the iconic building but as St Paul's is not a parish church, there are conditions on who can be married there.

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On the official website, St Paul's Catherdral states: "We are able to marry members of: the Order of the British Empire, and their children, the Order of St Michael and St George, and their children, the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor, and their children, and the Cathedral Community (staff and volunteers, including Cathedral School, subject to length of service), and their children."

Mel was given permission to wed in because she was awarded an MBE in 2022 for her services to charitable causes and vulnerable women. Following the ceremony inside St Paul's, a reception at The Shard was booked for after the ceremony.

Emma Bunton was the only Spice Girl in attendance, accompanied by husband Jade Jones and their son Beau, 17. Other celebrities included Mel's sister Danielle Brown, Daisy Lowe, Katherine Ryan and Gaby Roslin.

There was no sign of Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell and Melanie Chisholm. However, Victoria shared her well wishes via social media, posting on her Instagram Stories.

She wrote: “Congratulations @officialmelb and @rorymcphee on your special day! I couldn’t be more excited for you both and wish you a lifetime of happiness! Kisses xx.”

She also shared a photo of herself and Mel B at an event together and captioned it, “Sending you love @officialmelb. @rorymcphee is a very lucky man!”

Meanwhile, Mel's children Phoenix Chi, Madison and Angel Iris all attended the ceremony.

Mel and Rory have known each other for years but didn’t start dating until 2018 and they got engaged four years later. Rory is a "family friend" of Mel's cousin, Christian Cooke, with the pair having gone to school together.

Speaking about the proposal, Rory previously told HELLO! Magazine: "I was so nervous, my lips were trembling. I'd spent ages writing down all these things I wanted to say, but when it came to it, I just babbled."

Mel responded: "Oh no, it was lovely, what you said. He told me he loved me, that I was his best friend and that he wanted to be with me for the rest of our lives."

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