Melanie Brown, better known to the world as Mel B or Scary Spice, is preparing for a wedding as iconic as her legacy.
The America’s Got Talent judge, who is starring on Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend tonight (June 6), is set to marry her fiancé, hairstylist Rory McPhee, at none other than St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the venue where Princess Diana and King Charles married in 1981.
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Mel B and Rory McPhee to marry at St. Paul’s Cathedral
Speaking about her upcoming nuptials, Mel B admitted the pressure is on.
“It’s a big deal. When you get married there, not many people are allowed to get married there. You have to be kind of special,” she shared during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Mel was granted permission to marry at the prestigious venue after being awarded an MBE in 2022 for her advocacy work supporting survivors of domestic abuse.
She described the preparations as “very formal”. The singer revealed that she and Rory have had to meet with several archbishops to explain why they want to get married.
“You sit down, and they ask, ‘Why do you want to get married?’ And you go, ‘Why do I? Oh yeah, I love this man,” she joked.
The couple’s ceremony will follow strict traditions. Female guests must wear hats or fascinators, and the music will be organ-led. The whole event will feel, in Mel’s words, “regal and very proper.”
Mel even joked about wanting to walk down the aisle to the Spice Girls’ hit Spice Up Your Life, but admitted that St. Paul’s wouldn’t allow it. “It’s very respectful and very grand. There’s an organ, a choir, and you have to pick certain songs. It’s not really my kind of music, but it’s very respectful.”
After the grand London wedding, Mel and Rory will jet off for a second, more relaxed ceremony abroad. “It’ll be more informal, sexy, and beautiful,” she teased.
Mel B wedding dress designed by Victoria Beckham
When it comes to her wedding dress, Mel is embracing the more is more approach.
“I don’t think it would be fair to just have one [dress]. Just have as many as you want. At least three, right?” She said during a 2024 appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna.
The singer is working with a range of designers, including British designer Josephine Scott and American designer Justin Alexander.
But the pièce de résistance? Her longtime friend and fellow Spice Girl Victoria Beckham is designing both her wedding gown and her mother’s dress. “It’s such a beautiful honour,” Mel gushed.
Her Spice Girls sisters will also play a role in the day, but Mel’s keeping the details under wraps. “I’m not going to tell you too much. You’ll have to wait and see,” she teased.
Mel B turns 50 before wedding
As Mel turned 50 last Thursday (May 29), she reflected on her journey. “This year, I am 50, and I’m celebrating that and celebrating myself and my body at 50,” she told WWD.
“I’ve been through a lot in this past decade, including an emotionally abusive relationship where I felt so low and unattractive, and now I feel I have come into the light. My dressing reflects where I’m at now.”
Between her milestone birthday, a grand cathedral wedding, and a glamorous second ceremony abroad, Mel is ready for her next chapter.
How many times has Mel been married?
Mel has been married twice before. Her first marriage was to Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar from 1998 to 2000. The exes share a daughter, Phoenix Chi Gulzar.
Her second marriage was to film producer Stephen Belafonte from 2007 to 2017. That marriage, which Mel has spoken openly about as emotionally abusive, ended in divorce after a decade. The pair shares a daughter, Madison Brown Belafonte.
Mel also shares daughter Angel Iris Murphy Brown with comedian and actor Eddie Murphy.
Her upcoming wedding to Rory McPhee will mark her third marriage.
Who is Rory McPhee?
Rory McPhee is a hairstylist and entrepreneur from Leeds, England. He’s known for his expertise in hair cutting and curly hair, and has co-founded multiple salons, including RJ Men’s, Rory James, and LAB.
Rory was a longtime family friend before things turned romantic.
As Mel told TODAY: “He was helping me get my natural curls back. As he was nurturing my hair, he was nurturing my trust and belief in a relationship.”
He proposed in 2022 during a romantic stay at Cliveden House Hotel.
Mel recalled: “I didn’t really listen to most of it because I was like, ‘Oh my God, he’s down on one knee!’ I was in my walking clothes, hair in a bun. It was just beautiful.”
In an interview with Us Weekly, Mel described Rory as “a very confident man… someone who makes me feel safe.”
After years of heartbreak, she says she finally feels protected, nurtured, and loved. “For the first time in my life, I’m engaged to a beautiful, honest person who makes me feel protected, nurtured, and so loved, and I want to savour that,” she said.
Catch Mel B on Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend Friday June 6 at 8.30pm on BBC One.
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