Actor Tom Cruise holds his daughter Suri as he arrives with his fiancee Katie Holmes (L) at a restaurant in Rome November 16, 2006. The couple are tipped to have chosen a 15th century castle just outside of Rome as the location for their celebrity wedding. [Reuters]

BRACCIANO, Italy - Actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married in a medieval castle near Rome on Saturday in a much-anticipated ceremony attended by some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Frenzied excitement in the run-up to the wedding gave away to disappointment among throngs of onlookers and paparazzi waiting outside the lakeside venue once word spread that the wedding was over.

Many left without a glimpse of the stars after braving rain in Bracciano, leaving behind bottles and litter in a square that was teeming with hopeful fans earlier in the day.

"I'm really disappointed, they came to have their wedding here and it would have been fair to say at least a little hello from far away," said Michele Pagano, who had hoped to take pictures with his mobile phone outside the venue.

Details of the ceremony presided by a Scientologist minister were kept a secret, but Cruise's spokesman confirmed the couple exchanged vows. It took place behind the walls of a fortress surrounded by a 10-metre (yard) high wall and manned by snipers and bodyguards. Candles lined the entrance to the castle, its towers and windows.

The twice-divorced Cruise is an ardent follower of the church founded by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Holmes was raised a Catholic.

Hollywood stars including Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony, Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett and Brooke Shields were among guests in attendance.

Other celebrities who had been due to attend included "Mission: Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams and John Travolta, who shares Cruise's belief in Scientology.

Local authorities said this week Cruise, star of Hollywood hits like "Top Gun" and the "Mission: Impossible" trilogy, had not sought permission for a civil service, meaning the wedding could be purely ceremonial and have no legal value.

Scientologist weddings are similar to others, with rings, music and flowers. The bride wears white and the groom a dark suit. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli was expected to sing Ava Maria during the celebrations.

The cost of the event was estimated at over 2 million euros ($2.5 million). The pair's outfits were designed by Giorgio Armani, who also created the bride's bouquet.

Fans started gathering in the main square facing the Odescalchi castle early in the day, though a downpour deterred some in the afternoon. Residents looked out from their balconies, from some of which hung the American flag.