Wedding Ceremony at a Georgian Venue
Spice Girl Melanie C, known as Sporty Spice, married Australian model Chris Dingwall on Saturday, July 19, at The Country House in Castle Carrock, Cumbria. The Georgian wedding venue is co-owned by her close friend Ben Forster, whom she met while starring together in Jesus Christ Superstar in 2013.
Former Bandmates Attend, Victoria Beckham Sends Gift
Her former Spice Girls bandmates Geri Horner, Mel B, and Emma Bunton attended the ceremony. Victoria Beckham was unable to attend as she was at the World Cup in the United States with her husband David. However, according to MailOnline, Victoria designed Mel’s wedding dress as a gift. A source said: “Victoria would have loved to have been there if she could. It was her great pleasure to make the dress for Mel.”
Small Guest List and Family Involvement
The wedding had a small guest list. Mel’s 17-year-old daughter, Scarlett, whom she shares with property developer Thomas Starr, served as her bridesmaid. Mel and Thomas were in a relationship from 2002 to 2012. A source commented: “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.”
Relationship Inspired Album
Mel tends to keep her personal life private but previously revealed that she and Chris share ‘similar personalities and lifestyles’. Their romance inspired her latest album, Sweat. She told The Telegraph: "Not long into making the record, I met somebody new, I fell in love, and so I ended up having this wonderful arc of emotions throughout the album – of heartbreak and then that excitement of a new relationship. He’s very laid-back. He’s loads of fun…we work out together. We have very similar personalities and lifestyles."
Meeting on a Dating App
Mel, who previously thought she would never marry, changed her mind after meeting Chris on the dating app Raya. She explained: "Nobody knows this but we actually met on Raya ... Yeah, it can work people! I don’t know how much I should divulge. I was in a relationship previously and you know sometimes you get to the end of a relationship and first of all, you’re like: 'I never want to meet anyone ever again and that’s it. It’s just me and my girl [daughter Scarlett] and that’s it. It’s us against the world', which it still is. But then you get to this point and it’s usually on a drunken night out with female friends and it’s like: 'You gotta get back out there! You gotta start dating’. So that’s when the Raya profile was set up."
