Mel C’s ‘top-secret’ wedding may have been missing one of her Spice Girls pals, but she still played a key role.
The singer, 52, officially tied the knot with partner Chris Dingwall in a private countryside ceremony this weekend, surrounded by close family and friends – including her 17-year-old daughter Scarlet.
It signified a remarkable change of heart for the star who spent years insisting marriage simply wasn’t for her.
Taking place at Country House Cumbria, Sporty Spice’s wedding made her the final member of the 90s band to get hitched, bringing to an end a decades-long statistic that once seemed destined to remain.
Geri Halliwell-Horner was among the earlier arrivals for the romantic occasion, spotted in a car with her husband, Christian Horner, as they entered the venue, which is co-owned by West End performer Ben Forster, whom Mel starred with in 2013’s Jesus Christ Superstar.
But while all the Spice Girls were invited, only three of Mel’s bandmates attended – Geri, Emma Bunton, and Mel B.
Victoria Beckham was unable to make it because she was with husband David Beckham in the States for the FIFA World Cup Final.
A source told Metro: ‘Victoria couldn’t be at Mel’s wedding as she’s been supporting David during the World Cup games. She stayed to watch the final after being at the England match last week so couldn’t make it to the ceremony. She would have loved to be there, but couldn’t make it work.’
However, she gave Mel the most special present of all – a wedding dress.
‘Victoria gifted Mel her design to wear on the day and she loved seeing her in the dress, it meant a lot to her,’ the insider added of the stunning backless number.
But Victoria didn’t stop at just one gown.
The new husband and wife’s relaxed summer celebration in Cumbria was preceded by a legal ceremony in groom Chris’s native Australia, for which Victoria also helped out with the dress, loaning it from her own wardrobe.
While having dinner together, the designer revealed that Mel ‘casually told me she was leaving for Australia in two days and getting married’.
‘When I asked what she was wearing, she mentioned she had actually ordered one of my dresses but that it didn’t quite fit, and she didn’t have time to get it altered before leaving,’ the designer recalled to Vogue, who had the gorgeous picture spread exclusive of Mel and Chris’s big day. ‘I happened to have that exact dress in my own wardrobe and offered to lend it to her.’
Thus the Victoria Beckham Lace Cami Dress, from the actual Victoria Beckham’s wardrobe, became Mel’s ‘something borrowed’ for the first ceremony, with the bride sharing that it was ‘very special, having her there’.
But once Victoria learned that there was a bigger celebration in the UK on the cards as well, she offered to make the bride her ‘dream dress’, using the gown from her legal ceremony as the starting point.
‘Victoria wanted to make it much more personal to me. She found some gorgeous vintage lace, and everything was really delicately dyed to the perfect shade. It’s very flattering, open at the back,’ Mel said of the dress, which used two motifs of floral Lyon lace from premium lacemaker Jean Bracq to create a bespoke pattern, which was then hand-stitched onto the satin slip.
The former Posh Spice knew to keep everything clean and non-fussy for her ‘minimalist’ pal too – although the subsequent fittings at the Victoria Beckham atelier in London became understandably emotional.
‘Victoria was so excited about being able to do this for me, and having her and Scarlet there… every step of the way has been very special.’
Despite the calibre of guests and designer frock, though, it was a low-key affair, as per Mel’s wishes.
Her teenage daughter was a bridesmaid, and guests described the whole thing as ‘perfect’.
At one point, a herd of cows reportedly ran towards the wedding while Mel and Chris recited their vows, but thankfully, there was no stampede in the Georgian venue.
Speaking ahead of their memorable day, a source added to the Mail: ‘Mel and Chris wanted an understated wedding; she didn’t want a big, flashy day but something smaller and very classy. Mel swore she would never get married, so having a big do wasn’t really for her.
‘It is the perfect venue for them, totally out of the way but in the most beautiful place,’ they added of the picturesque venue, which has been described as the ‘perfect setting for an elopement or small, sophisticated wedding’.
Long-time Spice Girls fans will surely be surprised at Mel’s U-turn on marriage, as for years, she openly questioned whether marriage would ever feature in her future.
But after finding love with Australian model and screenwriter Chris, she gradually softened her stance.
Speaking earlier this year, she admitted she’d caught herself off-guard, too.
‘It’s something I didn’t think would be part of my story, but I’m so happy with Chris,’ she told The Times. ‘Maybe it is something that will be in my life.’
It appears that ‘maybe’ has become ‘definitely’.
The couple reportedly met on celebrity dating app Raya before going public with their relationship in 2024, and Mel has made little secret of the impact Chris has had on her life.
While promoting her latest solo album, Sweat, she revealed falling in love had shaped the record in unexpected ways.
‘Not long into making the record, I met somebody new; I fell in love,’ she explained. ‘So I ended up having this wonderful arc of emotions throughout the album – of heartbreak and then that excitement of a new relationship.’
She later described Chris as ‘very laid-back’ and ‘loads of fun’, adding that the pair share similar personalities and lifestyles and even work out together.
The wedding also caps what has been something of a renaissance for the pop star.
Just last week, Mel accepted the Global Impact Award at the Nordoff and Robbins Silver Clef Awards, where she reflected on what she described as the happiest chapter of her life.
‘I am living my best life,’ she told the audience. ‘I am the happiest I have ever been.’
She also celebrated the success of Sweat, which became the highest-charting solo album of her career.
According to The Mirror, friends believe the wedding is simply the latest high point in an extraordinary year.
‘Mel is on fire at the moment,’ one source said. ‘She is such a lovely person and deserves all the success, both professionally and now personally, as well.’
The wedding marks another milestone for one of pop’s most famous friendships. Victoria married David in 1999, Geri wed Christian in 2015, Emma married Jade Jones in 2021, and Mel B tied the knot with Rory McPhee last year.
For Mel C, however, marriage once seemed the least likely ending.
The singer spent more than 20 years with property developer Thomas Starr, with whom she shares Scarlet, before they split in 2021. She was also previously in a long-term relationship with her former manager Joe Marshall.
Now, after decades of insisting she didn’t need a wedding to define a happy relationship, it seems love has persuaded even Sporty Spice to rewrite her own story.
Metro has contacted reps for Mel C for comment.