Paul McCartney says "Love Me Do" - for a third time

By Anna Tomforde Oct 9, 2011, 18:57 GMT

London - Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney tied the knot with US millionairess Nancy Shevell in London Sunday, saying Love Me Do for the third time and performing a specially-penned song for his new wife.

For McCartney, 69, the low-key ceremony at Westminster register office at Marylebone Town Hall in central London was a trip down memory lane since he married Linda Eastman, his first wife - who was also American - at the same place in 1969.

As he emerged with the new Lady McCartney on his arm, under a grey London sky, friends and onlookers cheered, showering the beaming couple with flowers and rose petals.

The singer, wearing a pink rose in the button hole of his suit jacket, blew kisses to the crowd, as Shevell, looking radiant in a knee-length white dress, smiled broadly.

Cameramen and fans had been waiting since early morning to catch a glimpse of the wealthy ex-Beatle and 51-year-old Shevell, for whom he met in 2007.

The American heiress and New York socialite, who moved in with McCartney at his London mansion only recently, told the New York Post that she would 'love' the couple to live in the US, but would 'probably move to England.'

Shevell, who was previously married to a US lawyer for 20 years, is heiress to a New Jersey-based haulage firm valued at 250 million pounds (340 million dollars), said media reports.

Sir Paul, according to the 2011 Sunday Times Rich List, is Britain's fourth-wealthiest man, with an estimated fortune of around 500 million pounds.

Her wedding dress was designed by Stella McCartney, the ex-Beatle's fashion designer daughter - something taken as proof of the cordial relations between the McCartney children and their new stepmother.

Such approval from McCartney's three children with Eastman - James, Mary and Stella - had been all too obviously lacking when McCartney tied the knot with former model and anti-landmine campaigner Heather Mills in 2002.

That marriage ended in acrimonious divorce in 2008, with Mills receiving only a fraction of the divorce settlement she had demanded, which famously prompted her to throw a jug of water at McCartney's high-profile lawyer in the courtroom.

McCartney has a seven-year-old daughter, Beatrice, with Mills.

His children made it clear at the time that they believed the musician had made a 'mistake' marrying Mills. He was married to their mother Linda McCartney for 29 years until she died of breast cancer in 1998.

Like Sunday's ceremony, the 1969 wedding between McCartney and the US photographer and prominent vegetarian campaigner, was low key. By contrast, his wedding to Mills was a star-studded affair, bringing rockstars and celebrities to a remote Scottish castle.

Some 30 family and friends attended Sunday's ceremony, followed by a reception for around 100 guests in a marquee in the ex-Beatle's garden in St John's Wood.

The music legend was reported to have performed a collection of his own songs, serenading his new wife with special renditions of Beatles hit Let it Be and with Let Me Roll It - a favourite of the new couple. He also performed a song especially written for his bride, reports said.

A row of fridges stocked with champagne was seen standing next to the marquee in the star's garden, which was decorated with flowers and paintings - including some Picassos - from the McCartney's own collection, British newspaper reports said.

All of the former Beatles' children, including Beatrice and Heather, Linda McCartney's daughter from a previous relationship, were reported to have been present at Sunday's party. McCartney's younger brother, Mike, was also said to be there as best man.

McCartney, who has always declared his deep love for his first wife, Linda, was reported to have paid tribute to her in his wedding speech.

McCartney and Shevell, who is Jewish - as was Linda McCartney - earlier this week attended a nearby synagogue where the bride marked Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish day.

Life-long Beatles fan Chiara Amato, who lives near the Abbey Road studios made famous by the Beatles in north-west London, said she had waited outside the Beatle's home ever since rumours of his big day began circulating last week.

Carrying a bundle of white balloons bearing congratulatory messages, she said: 'This marriage is going to last. She seems to be really nice and deeply in love with him.'