Celebrity guests, including David and Victoria Beckham, were all smiles as they arrived today at the historic Bath Abbey to celebrate the wedding of Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty and Gordon Ramsay’s influencer daughter Holly. But there were two very glaring absences, casting a shadow over these glamorous Christmas nuptials: Peaty’s parents, who were not able to watch their son marry the love of his life due to a painful ongoing feud.
Caroline, 60, was explicitly disinvited from her son’s wedding, while her husband Mark, 65, was told he could attend the church service but not the subsequent reception at Kin House, Caroline told the Daily Mail this week. Mark, who is “fuming” and “so hurt” at the situation, ultimately decided not to attend, Caroline explained. She, in turn, would be trying to put on a brave face: “Mark has said that he doesn’t want me crying all day.”
Victoria Beckham wore one of her own designs – a long-sleeved teal satin gown that retails at £1,290 – STFA, CICA, LUTA
That devastation caused to Peaty’s working-class family, who loyally supported his Olympic dreams, was in sharp contrast to the star-studded affair, which saw VIP guests descend on Bath for this yuletide wedding. The entire Beckham clan was there – other than eldest son Brooklyn, who, like Peaty, is locked in a bitter feud with his family.
The Beckhams, who are long-time friends with the Ramsays, certainly put their stamp on the event. Not only did David, 50, Victoria, 51, and their other children Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14, all come to watch Ramsay, 25, and Peaty, 30, tie the knot, but the wedding was partly styled by Victoria. She, of course, was wearing a dress of her own design – a long-sleeved teal satin gown that retails at £1,290 – along with that staple celebrity accessory, dark sunglasses, and a silver diamond bracelet.
The Beckham men sported a classic look: black tie with smart tailored grey and brown Crombie coats over the top in heritage fabrics.
The bridesmaids included Holly’s sisters, Tilly and Megan Ramsay, and Adam’s sister Bethany – Jamie Lorriman
Harper was also promoting the family business in a complementary satin floor-length gown, hers in black, plus a £3,100 Bottega Veneta clutch. Ramsay’s bridesmaids – who include her sister Tilly and Peaty’s sister Bethany – were sporting Victoria Beckham designs too: red satin dresses with split sleeves and ruched detail bodices. Ramsay’s mother Tana, who gave a reading at the wedding, completed the festive colour scheme in a dark-green satin gown, which might also be from the VB label.
Ramsay’s mother Tana completed the festive colour scheme in a dark-green satin gown – STFA, CICA, LUTA
The show of fashionable unity was in stark contrast to Peaty’s own situation. Bethany was the sole member of his family to attend the wedding, deepening a rift that erupted into public view in November when Caroline was excluded from Ramsay’s opulent hen do at Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds.
“I don’t think they understand how much they have hurt me,” Caroline said to the Mail this week about her son and his bride-to-be. “It’s as if they have cut my heart out.” She revealed that she had been planning to sit in the back of the abbey quietly to watch Peaty get married, but decided that it would cause too much drama, explaining: “I don’t want to ruin his wedding day.”
Adam’s sister, Bethany, was the sole member of his family to attend the wedding – Finnbarr Webster
Presumably those pews left empty by Peaty’s family were instead filled with celebrity guests, who also included presenters Dan Walker and Sara Davies, leading chefs Marcus Wareing and Paul Ainsworth, Olympic swimmers Duncan Scott and Matt Richards, and radio host Will Manning. Peaty himself looked smart in a tuxedo and relatively untroubled as he walked hand in hand with his son George, five (with his former partner, artist Eirianedd Munro).
Celebrity guests at the ceremony included presenter Sara Davies – Jamie Lorriman
The wedding also drew plenty of local interest. There was a big crowd gathered outside the abbey to watch the guests enter, and five security officials posted at the entrance.
Ramsay’s father Gordon posted on Instagram earlier today: “I’m truly so lucky being able to walk this beautiful bride down the aisle and gaining an incredible son in law”. He accompanied his daughter as she made a dramatic entrance, wearing a huge white satin cape over her wedding dress.
A large crowd gathered outside the abbey to watch the guests enter, and five security officials posted at the entrance – TGB/Raw/KGC Photo Agency LLP
It’s a style that Caroline Leaper, the Telegraph’s deputy fashion director, describes as “pseudo-royal wedding vibes for the influencer age”. Leaper explains: “She picked a look that matches up to her Bath Abbey venue. A dress that was plain or lowkey wouldn’t have worked in such a theatrical setting. Here the bride has clearly considered the entire picture – and when the bride is an influencer, the pictures are of utmost importance.”
Leaper thinks she took her cue from “regal wedding dress traditions” with this traditional, weather-appropriate cape. “Ramsay will have known she would be photographed by paparazzi on the walk up to the abbey. The dress featured a vintage-style placement lace design (patches of florals rather than an overall design) – she can wow her guests with a costume change for the reception when she removes the topper. Or perhaps she’s keeping the full look under wraps to allow for an Instagram reveal for fans later. It will be interesting to see if future influencer brides-to-be follow suit: will the maxi cape become a fixture at winter weddings in 2026?”
Ramsay wore a dramatic white satin cape over her wedding dress, which the designer is yet to be revealed – TGB/Raw/KGC Photo Agency LLP
Both Ramsay and Peaty have signed with talent agency Hypesight, and Ramsay has landed a number of lucrative deals in the run-up to the wedding, including with Victoria’s Secret, Charlotte Tilbury and Armani.
Yet no amount of social-media-friendly photographs can disguise the terrible fact that Peaty’s family – his parents, brother and other relatives – missed out on his big day.
“You would hope an occasion like this would bring everyone together, but it seems not,” says Rachel Richardson, who writes the culture and trends newsletter Highly Flammable. “Disinviting your loved ones from your wedding is a significant step. They’ve crossed the Rubicon now. It’s a really bad state of affairs.”
Richardson continues: “Ultimately, it comes down to control. Adam and Holly want to control the day. To them, that’s having the people around them that they want to get the day that they want.”
There does seem to be a definitive split in the Peaty family, notes Richardson, with his sister Bethany allying with him instead of their parents. “It must be so tough to pick sides – whatever you decide will have serious consequences for your relationship with the people on the opposite side. Adam’s parents could well view her choice as a betrayal.”
As well as the emotions involved, the final deciding factor for Peaty and Ramsay might have been a business one, suggests Richardson. “Holly is clearly very image conscious: it’s her bread and butter. Both she and Adam come across as people who appreciate aesthetics. Weddings are big opportunities for influencers: they can turbo-charge your follower numbers. People love glossy wedding content, and this wedding has an attractive celebrity couple, a host of famous guests and fabulous fashion.”
Yet behind the sleek gowns and carefully styled theatre of today’s event, there are clearly a lot of hurt feelings. “It’s desperately sad,” says Richardson. “This is the point where celebrity meets regular family life, with all of its strife and difficulties.”
It might be one of the most glamorous British weddings of the year, but, given that there was little sign of either peace or goodwill within Peaty’s troubled family, it’s also one of the most tragic.
