It was Keith Richards—co-best man along with drummer Charlie Watts—who set the tone for the wedding of Rolling Stone Ron Wood, 37, to his longtime love, Jo Howard, 31. Richards strutted from his Rolls wearing jeans and munching fish and chips while swigging from a can of beer. His gift to the happy couple: a matching pair of gold derringer pistols.
Inside, the tiny, 500-year-old St. Mary's Church in Denham, England looked more like the celebrities-only corner of the Hard Rock Cafe. Revelers included Rod Stewart, Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck and Rolling Stone bassist Bill Wyman (Mick was on vacation in Mustique). Only the Rev. Peter Crick, 45, was not impressed. "There were one or two who I think were a wee bit on the alcoholic side," he complained of the guests, who joined the bride and groom in spirited renditions of The Lord's My Shepherd and Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven. "We are here for a service, not a performance," intoned the exasperated Crick. Later he told Wood, a former choirboy who requested the traditional ceremony, "I gather that you're called a pop idol. Well, what the Bible has to say about idols is not all that complimentary." Admitted Rod Stewart, "The more he went on about 'stars,' the more I slid down in my pew."
Despite Richards' brace of firearms, his friend's marriage could hardly be called shotgun. The bride and groom, each married once before, lived together for seven years and have two children. The couple met in storybook fashion, if the storybook is Winning Through Intimidation. Ron was at a party, and "as soon as she walked in, I said, 'That's my girl.' I just pulled her away by force and said, 'Give us a kiss.' "Jo, an ex-pinup model, almost slapped her Prince Uncharming. "I couldn't quite place his face," she says. "To be honest, I never knew anything about the Rolling Stones. My only real memory," adds the January bride, "was seeing them on TV and my dad switching the set off, saying, 'What a disgusting lot.' "
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