ELTON JOHN’S WEDDING

An estimated 687 gay couples took advantage of England’s first day of legalized same-sex unions Wednesday — but only one had a $1.75 million US reception featuring lamb and pink champagne for 700 of their closest friends. Pop star Elton John, 58, and Canadian-born filmmaker David Furnish, 43, arrived from their civil ceremony in a black Rolls-Royce.
The bash featured 19,000 red roses arranged by Princess Diana’s florist, Robert van Helden, in the grounds of Elton’s Windsor home. The 700 guests – possibly the greatest number of stars ever assembled in one marquee – included Liz Hurley, George Michael, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sting and Rod Stewart. Other singing stars there were Jamie Cullum and James Blunt.
Ozzy Osbourne and family, Sharon Stone, Ringo Starr, Michael Caine, Victoria Backham, Liz Hurley, James Nesbitt, Elvis Costello, Claudia Schiffer, Ronan Keating and even Sarah Duchess of York were among the big names caught up in Britain’s most glamorous traffic jam: the queue to get into Elton John and David Furnish’s party to celebrate their civil union. CNN reported that Rolls Royces carrying the world’s most glamourous were backed up at least half a mile from the gates of John’s mansion in Old Windsor, west of London. Sting took his place at the back of the queue with Hollywood A-lister Sharon Stone just in front of him, while a little further up the line sat supermodel Claudia Schiffer and Donatella Versace.