Minister describes Rod Stewart's wedding

Edinburgh, Scotland -- For a Church of Scotland minister, officiating at rock star Rod Stewart's wedding on the luxurious Italian Riviera was a change of pace.

The Rev. Ian Gilmour of South Leith Parish Church was invited to officiate because he baptized Alistair Stewart, son of Stewart and model Penny Lancaster, last year. The church happens to be in the hometown of Stewart's father.

Gilmour told the Edinburgh Evening News that Stewart and Lancaster went to great lengths to keep the paparazzi away from their June 16 wedding in Portofino. Guests, all under orders to keep their mouths shut, were quartered at various hotels along the coast.

Stewart and Lancaster had a small private ceremony in Portofino, followed by an afternoon one for guests at a monastery. The couple and their 100 guests celebrated with dancing and fireworks aboard a chartered yacht, which Stewart and Lancaster then used for their honeymoon.

Gilmour's church calls itself a "surprisingly lively purposeful congregation" on its Web site. He and his wife, Donna, have a more modest vacation planned this week -- traveling to the Hebrides by motorbike.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.