Mel B’s wedding to Rory McPhee: Emma Bunton leads guests arriving at Spice Girls’ St Paul’s Cathedral ceremony as fellow bandmates miss ceremony

Emma Bunton led the celebrity guests started arriving for Mel B’s wedding as she prepares to walk down the aisle for the third time.

The Spice Girl, 50, will tie the knot with hairdresser Rory McPhee at St Paul’s Cathedral, 37, in what’s said to be a traditional white wedding at the cathedral followed by a lavish £28,000 post nuptial celebration at The Shard. 

While it has been reported that Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell and Melanie Chisholm will also be absent – Emma ensured she was there to support her friend.

Also in attendance was Mel’s sister Danielle Brown, Daisy Lowe and Gaby Roslin – who were dressed to impress for the ceremony.

Emma echoed her Baby Spice days as she donned a bay pink mini dress worn with platform heels and a matching fascinator.

She was accompanied by husband Jade Jones and their son Beau, 17, with both men looking dapper as they joined Emma for the ceremony.  

Emma Bunton led the celebrity guests started arriving for Mel B’s wedding as she prepares to walk down the aisle for the third time

Mel B’s sister Danielle Brown led guests arriving at the  Spice Girls’ St Paul’s Cathedral wedding to Rory McPhee on Friday afternoon 

Fresh from their own recent wedding, newlyweds Daisy Lowe and husband Jordan Saul were all smiles as they attended

Gaby Roslin, 60, looked incredible as she opted for a nude midi dress with a sheer overlay that she paired with a long pink coat

Danielle looked radiant in a blue floral mini dress as she headed into the cathedral with her children Mimi, Hendrix and Myla

Mel, 50, will tie the knot with her hairdresser love, 37, in what’s said to be a traditional white wedding at the cathedral followed by a lavish £28,000 post nuptial celebration at The Shard 

Danielle looked radiant in a blue floral mini dress as she headed into the cathedral with her children Mimi, Hendrix and Myla.

Gaby, 60, also looked incredible as she opted for a nude midi dress with a sheer overlay that she paired with a long pink coat.  

Earlier in the day, staff were seen organising the cathedral for the ceremony – which Mel has been given permission to wed in because she was awarded an MBE in 2022 for her services to charitable causes and vulnerable women.

Giant bouquets of white flowers were seen being brought through the front doors ahead of the guests arriving. 

MailOnline understands that the nuptials will see Rory’s brother Jordan act as best man, while pal James Steen will fill in as father of the bride in place of Mel’s late father Martin Brown and walk her down the aisle. Mel’s nieces will be flower girls. 

While there are expected to be several celebrities in attendance – the A list line up is looking somewhat depleted after MailOnline revealed that neither Victoria Beckham or Geri Halliwell will attend the ‘do.

Sources say that Posh, 51, will be abroad, however, the fashion designer did share a gushing Instagram tribute to her pal ahead of the ceremony. 

Victoria had Mel, 50, on her mind as she took to Instagram to share a sweet black and white throwback of the pair with their bandmates. 

She captioned the snap: ‘Congratulations @officalmelb @rorymcphee on your special day! I couldn’t be more excited for you both and wish you a lifetime of happiness! kisses xx’ 

Meanwhile Geri’s no show is said to be down to hers and Mel’s tempestuous relationship.

Mel is reportedly set to ditch her famous leopard print attire and instead will say ‘I Do’ in a conventional white dress, after admitting she wants to feel ‘regal and very proper’ on her big day.

The Spice Girls’ former manager Simon Fuller looked cheerful as he arrived

Leigh Francis dressed up in a navy pinstripe suit as he rocked up with wife Jill Carter

Mel confirmed she was tying the knot with Rory back in November 2022 after three years of dating after he got down on one knee with a £100k diamond ring. 

The singer has credited Rory for making her feel ‘more confident than ever’.

Preparations for Mel’s wedding day begun earlier in the day as the staff put the finishing touches to decorating the cathedral 

Staff were seen organising the cathedral for the ceremony – which Mel has been given permission to wed in because she was awarded an MBE in 2022 

Mel is reportedly set to ditch her famous leopard print attire and instead will say ‘I Do’ in a conventional white dress , after admitting she wants to feel ‘regal and very proper’ on her big day (pictured in 1997)

The A list line up is looking somewhat depleted after MailOnline revealed that neither Victoria Beckham or Geri Halliwell will attend the ‘do, while either Emma Bunton or Melanie Chisholm will also be absent though it is not known yet which one (Spice Girls pictured in 1996) 

Victoria reached out to Mel on her wedding day after it was revealed she won’t be attending the ceremony because she is out of the country

Warring music managers Simon Cowell [R] and Simon Fuller [L] are set for awkward reunion as they both plan to attend Mel’s star-studded wedding 

The couple have known each other for years, with Rory having been a family friend and has worked as her hair stylist.

And Mel has ensured she pulled out all the stops to ensure her wedding to Rory is a picture perfect day, and after saying her vows, she’ll throw a huge ‘party in the sky’ after hiring the Shard in London for the wedding reception. 

The Spice Girl will be joined by her guests for a meal, drinks and dancing at the Shangri-La venue inside the building which boasts 95 floors and promises panoramic views over the capital.

There her friends and family will dance into the small hours as the ‘party of the century’ has been promised by the bride and groom.

One source involved in the wedding said: ‘It is going to be huge, the Shard is the most fantastic venue with unforgettable views so it will make for the most memorable event.

‘It is conveniently close to St Paul’s too, it’s third time lucky for Mel so she is going to go all out and celebrate. 

‘The Shard says that brides and grooms can ‘celebrate their special day in the clouds with enchanting London views, your special day will be as breathtaking as your love story’ and that is exactly what Mel wants.’ 

Mel has ensured she pulled out all the stops to ensure her wedding to Rory is a picture perfect day, and after saying her vows, she’ll throw a huge ‘party in the sky’ after hiring the Shard

The Shard stands at 309.6 metres tall and has 95 floors, making it the tallest building in the UK and the fourth tallest in Europe and has in the past held many showbiz parties

The Shard stands at 309.6 metres tall and has 95 floors, making it the tallest building in the UK and the fourth tallest in Europe and has in the past held many showbiz parties, including Sony Music’s post BRITs bash.

It is understood that Mel will bus her guests from St Paul’s Cathedral to the Shard, which is at the southern foot of London Bridge on old Routemasters – similar to the one that was used in their movie Spice World, which was a modified vintage one.

However, bandmate Geri is not set to be in attendance. 

The two women went to war after Mel revealed during an interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories that she had an intimate relationship with Geri when the band was starting out. 

Geri was deeply upset by the bombshell revelation in 2019, for which Mel has apparently never apologised. 

Meanwhile, warring music managers Simon Cowell and Simon Fuller are set for awkward reunion as they both plan to attend Mel’s star-studded wedding.

Having twice locked horns through legal action, it is safe to say the two Simons are not the best of friends. 

But the music industry titans will need to put their feud aside when they attend the same event.

Mel’s first husband was Phoenix’s father Jimmy Gulzar who she was married to between 1998 and 2000 (pictured 1999)

She was later married to Stephen Belafonte (pictured together 2016) before their acrimonious split

Fuller, 65, is regarded as the most successful British music mogul of all time and managed The Spice Girls at their height – which drew deep jealousy from Cowell, also 65, who had turned the group down. 

The pair clashed when Pop Idol creator Fuller launched a £100million lawsuit against Cowell after he set up similarly formatted The X Factor. 

They reached a settlement but the battle erupted again in 2011 over producer credits.

Fuller is set to arrive alone, while Cowell will attend with fiancée Lauren Silverman. 

A source said: ‘I’m sure everyone involved will behave impeccably.’

It is the third time that Mel will say ‘I do’ after first marrying Dutch backing dancer Jimmy Gulzar in 1998. 

For her big day, Mel wore a Vegas showgirl-style feathered headdress with a white and gold dress.

And when she wed Stephen Belafonte in 2007, they eloped to Las Vegas before holding a vow renewal in Egypt the following year.

Mel and Stephen separated in 2016 when she accused him of emotional and physical abuse, which he has always denied.

Before their engagement, Mel revealed that Rory was a longtime friend of her cousin, actor Christian Cooke, and they met while they were at school together in the 1990s

Rory also took Mel’s late father Martin into consideration when planning his proposal, following his death in 2017 (Martin and Mel are pictured in 2001)

His lawyers said that during the marriage they spent her £50million fortune.

Mel grew close to Rory after the breakdown of her marriage to Stephen. 

Last year, she said: ‘He’s a family friend, great hairdresser… when I went back to England, he would come over and give me hair treatments…

‘And as he was nurturing my curls back, I guess he was nurturing my trust and belief in a relationship.’

Before their engagement, Mel revealed that Rory was a longtime friend of her cousin, actor Christian Cooke, and they met while they were at school together in the 1990s.

She has also shared that even before she and Rory began dating, he was a ‘favourite’ of her late father Martin, admitting last year he’d be ‘so happy’ to know that they are set to marry.

An insider also previously described Mel’s fiance as ‘normal, down-to-earth guy, with good morals’, telling the Mail that he isn’t interested in fame. 

Rory finally got his chance to pursue a connection with Mel following her split from husband Stephen Belafonte in 2017.

The star has openly shared how she’s had to ‘rebuild her trust’ in men after her second marriage, having accused Stephen of emotional and physical abuse, which he denies.

Speaking on Elizabeth Day’s How To Fail podcast last year, Mel said: ‘He was my cousin’s best friend so he was already part of my family, which meant there was already that foundation of trust, and safety, which when you leave an abusive relationship, you don’t trust anyone, you don’t even trust yourself, you don’t even trust your own opinions, that can take years to build back up.’

While the couple first began dating in 2018, it’s thought Mel and Rory’s relationship became more serious when she returned to the UK in 2019, following the Spice Girls’ reunion tour.