Douglas, Zeta-Jones Defend Wedding Cost

Dec. 4 -- You’ve gotta hand it to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones: The newlyweds are second only to Madonna in their astute spin control.

The couple presumably sat down with reporters in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday to set the record straight about the details of their celebrity-filled wedding Nov. 18. Much nitpicking has surrounded the pair’s ceremony, which took place at New York’s plush Plaza Hotel and reportedly cost between $1.5 and $2 million.

Just two days after People magazine’s latest issue, which contains pages of the couple’s wedding photos, hit newsstands, the press had a field day accusing the two of funding their own wedding. Pundits said the celebs shrewdly sold their exclusive photo rights to Brit magazine OK! for a supposed $1.4 million; OK!, in turn, allegedly received $800,000 from People for the rights to republish the images. Zeta-Jones and Douglas were also chided for asking wedding guests to give to baby Dylan Michael’s charity fund in lieu of gifts.

Family Time for NewlywedsZeta-Jones told reporters Sunday that the two have been hiding inside their Manhattan apartment since the wedding — shooting down elaborate honeymoon rumors — and devoting time to their 4-month-old son.

Douglas said the decision to ban all but one press photographer was “the best way to control the media blitz,” and asking guests to donate money to a trust fund in the name of their son was done so that later in life, Dylan could “learn the joy of giving.”

Zeta-Jones wouldn’t address the wedding’s supposedly eye-popping cost, saying that her husband refused to tell her — an odd statement, considering Douglas’ recent comments to Movieline: “Whatever Catherine wants, that’s what she’ll get. We discuss things, but nothing’s come up that’s totally insane. She’s not an outrageous spender.”

Speaking of being a thrifty shopper, the actress added that she had not yet received the bill for her reportedly $250,000 Christian Lacroix gown, so she didn’t know the exact cost.