How did Tony Parker’s Nov. 30 marriage proposal to Eva Longoria go down? “It was a big surprise!” Longoria tells PEOPLE in its new issue.

“I was heading home from a long day on the (Desperate Housewives) set. He had been playing in Utah, so I was just shocked to see him in L.A. I thought it was so weird, sort of, ‘Why are you here? What’s going on? Oh my God! It’s happening!’ ”

There at Longoria’s home in the early-morning hours, surrounded by rose petals and candles, Parker fell to one knee – “I’m a traditional guy,” he says – and, having already told both of their families, popped the question.

“I cried my eyes out,” says Longoria. “I was mostly touched by how nervous he was. I was like, ‘You know I’m going to say yes. Why are you so nervous?’ But I guess every man gets nervous at that point.”

No way, says Parker: “I knew it was right. We’ve been talking for months about it, and I just knew. It was time.”

And so it went that the Texas-bred actress, 31, and the French-raised San Antonio Spurs point guard, 24, took their two-year relationship to the next level – something they quickly celebrated with close friends, who gathered at Longoria’s L.A. home soon after the proposal.

Beverly Hills jewelry designer Jean Dousset, a friend of the couple, designed Longoria’s five-carat-plus emerald-cut diamond ring with Parker. It boasts an impressive 247 accenting diamonds.

Naturally, it didn’t take the actress long to start spreading the news among her Wisteria Lane neighbors. “Marcia (Cross) and Felicity (Huffman) and I are really, really close,” she says. “Telling them was really exciting.”

Still, Longoria and Parker’s relationship hasn’t been without its speed bumps. Originally, “I was going to ask her (to marry me) in France,” Parker says of an early October trip to basketball training camp that the couple had planned on taking together. “But obviously it wasn’t the right time.”

Instead, Longoria met Parker in Paris a few days after her publicist issued a statement saying the couple were going through “a very difficult time,” citing the pressures of their “extremely demanding careers.”

Today both Parker and Longoria say that reports of a rift were overblown. “Any relationship goes through trials,” says Longoria. “We were working through ours. Tony and my motto has been, ‘Breaking up is not an option.’ ”

Source

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are planning a fairytale Christmas wedding in South Africa.

The Hollywood couple will tie the knot in a small village outside Johannesburg, according to reports in the US.

Sources say they were persuaded to pick the venue after talking to chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.

An insider said: “They are treating their marriage like a spiritual affirmation and don’t need big Hollywood glitz like Tom Cruise had in Italy.”

The ceremony will include traditional African music and will be “simple and elegant”, a friend of the couple told US magazine OK!

The pal adds: “They are so much in love.

“Brad and Angelina have waited a long time for this chapter in their lives to unfold.”

It comes after Jolie and Winfrey have grown close after the TV host was impressed by Jolie’s humanitarian efforts.

She is said to have told her: “When you have the chance to capture lightning in a bottle you need to go for it.”

The pal said: “Ange is grateful to have a big sister in Oprah, a person who understands her fears of commitment but is also a kindred spirit.”

Winfrey, 52, is expected to be among several stars attending the low-key event, shortly before Christmas.

She founded the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in a village south of Johannesburg.

Madonna, her husband Guy Ritchie, actor George Clooney and Jolie’s co-star Daniel Craig are also said to be going.

Jolie was previously married to actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton.

Source

It’s official: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are now husband and wife. The couple exchanged vows Saturday in front of more than 150 guests at the Odescalchi Castle in Lake Bracciano, Italy, their rep, Arnold Robinson, confirms to PEOPLE.

“The wedding was absolutely beautiful,” says a guest.

With thousands of fans, photographers and TV cameras watching from afar, Cruise and Holmes were joined by family – Katie’s dad Martin walked her down the aisle – and a slew of celeb pals, including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, among others.

The sunset ceremony was performed by a Scientology minister, according to a statement from their reps. The wedding party included Cruise’s children, Isabella and Connor, the best man was Cruise’s best friend, David Miscavige – the head of the Church of Scientology – and Katie’s sister Nancy Blaylock served as the matron of honor.

Though initially there were questions about whether Cruise and Holmes’s marriage on Saturday was official – the Mayor of Bracciano, Italy, said the couple needed to have a civil ceremony in town in order to make it legal – Cruise’s reps say Tom and Katie took care of everything beforehand.

“As is customary for couples marrying outside of the United States, Cruise and Holmes officialized their marriage in Los Angeles prior to their departure for Italy,” according to the statement.

Other details released Saturday by the newlyweds:

• The bride: Holmes wore an off-the-shoulder Armani gown with a train in ivory silk cadis adorned in Valenciennes lace and Swarovski beaded crystal embroidery. Holmes also wore an ivory tulle floor-length veil and ivory silk shoes. Armani, which outfitted the entire wedding, also supplied Katie’s bouquet of calla lilies, as well as a champagne evening gown, which she wore at the reception.

• The groom: Cruise wore a navy blue Armani tux.

• The couple’s rings: Their rings were white gold Cartier with diamonds.

• The meal: After cocktails, guests were served Italian hors d’oeuvres, followed by a multi-course meal.

• The cake: Five-tiered white chocolate, decorated with marzipan roses, and studded with white chocolate chips.

• The entertainment: Italian singer Andrea Bocelli.

Saturday’s wedding started on a damp note, with scattered rain throughout the morning. Holmes and 7-month-old daughter Suri were escorted into the castle under a cluster of green umbrellas. A little over an hour later, the groom was escorted from the Hassler hotel in Rome to Lake Bracciano 18 miles away. With the sun going down, candles lit up the perimeter of the 15th-century castle as limousines carrying the guests drove through the gates.

Fans and media were kept at a safe distance from the castle: Police checkpoints prevented anyone unauthorized from getting too close, and journalists were stationed in the nearby town square.

LOTS MORE PICS AFTER THE JUMP!! (more…)