Halloween may not traditionally be associated with romance, but for India Rose James it provided the perfect setting for a dramatic celebration of love.
The multimillionaire heiress married American musician Daniel Vildósola in a spectacularly spooky wedding on Saturday, October 31.
The 34-year-old “Princess of Soho” transformed Oakley Court, the Victorian Grade II*-listed estate featured as the Gothic mansion in the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, into a candlelit wonderland. Her family’s £689million fortune is greater than that of King Charles.
The lavish Halloween wedding brought together high-society guests, a towering cake adorned with ribbons and live performances from Tom Odell and Bloc Party.
India, whose own wealth has been estimated at £329million, is the granddaughter of the late Paul Raymond, the property tycoon and porn publisher once known as the “King of Soho”.
When Raymond died aged 82 in 2008, India was 16. She inherited most of his property empire alongside her older half-sister, Fawn James, now 40.
The Oakley Court ceremony marked the couple’s second wedding celebration. India and Daniel had previously married in Las Vegas in May in a more intimate ceremony attended by their “nearest and dearest”, as they described it at the time.
India, who shares ten-year-old daughter Sapphire with her former fiancé, The Kooks guitarist Hugh Harris, 39, posted photographs from the second wedding on Instagram over the weekend.
Lady Alice Manners, 31, the daughter of the Duke of Rutland, also shared a photograph of the bride in her elaborate gown. “This look @indiarosejames etched into my mind! Thank you for an epic wedding party,” she wrote.
Multimillionaire heiress India Rose James has married American musician Daniel Vildósola in a lavish Halloween-themed ceremony at the Gothic mansion featured in the classic horror film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The photograph from their big day was initially posted by a guest on Instagram before being shared by the bride.
The 34-year-old “Princess of Soho” transformed Oakley Court, the Victorian Grade II*-listed estate on the banks of the River Thames near Windsor, into a candlelit spectacle on Saturday, October 31. Her family’s £689million fortune makes them wealthier than King Charles.
The extravagant wedding reception featured a towering ribbon-covered cake, high-society guests and live performances from Tom Odell and Bloc Party.
India walked down the aisle in an ivory Victorian-inspired gown featuring a fitted bodice, oversized puff sleeves, black ribbon bows and a sweeping ruffled train trimmed in black.
She and 40-year-old Daniel exchanged vows surrounded by friends and family, with each of them holding one of their pet dogs, Lilith and Smaug. Both animals wore wedding bows.
The groom opted for a black tailcoat, dark bow tie and pale waistcoat. Later, India changed into a sleek, strapless champagne-coloured satin gown by Alexander McQueen.
The newlyweds took centre stage on the dance floor as Tom Odell, 35, performed his ballad Best Day Of My Life live on the piano.
Odell attended the celebration with his wife, model Georgie Somerville, 25. Indie rock band Bloc Party also took to the stage during the evening.
The reception unfolded in a room draped with pale fabric. Long banquet tables were decorated with scores of candles, white flowers and elaborate place settings, creating an atmospheric backdrop for the Halloween festivities.
The couple later used a sword to cut their towering wedding cake, which was finished with cascading white icing, black lace and black bows.
Red lights cast a glow over a neon sign displaying the couple’s names and the date “31st October”, while a second illuminated sign carried the single word “Confessions”.
Lady Alice Manners, 31, daughter of the Duke of Rutland, posted snaps (pictured) from the wedding to her Instagram
India wore an ivory, Victorian-inspired gown with a fitted bodice, dramatic puffed sleeves, black ribbon bows and a sweeping ruffled train edged in black
Later in the evening, India changed into a sleek strapless Alexander McQueen champagne-hued satin gown
India and Daniel, 40, exchanged vows in front of friends and family while each holding their pet dogs, Lilith and Smaug, who were dressed in wedding bows
India – who has a ten-year-old daughter, Sapphire, with her ex-fiance, The Kooks guitarist Hugh Harris, 39 – shared photos from their second wedding on Instagram over the weekend
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Built in 1859, Oakley Court is a sprawling Victorian Gothic mansion (pictured) set amid 35 acres of riverside grounds, and appeared as Dr Frank-N-Furter’s castle in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon
India (pictured), whose personal fortune has been estimated at £329million, is the granddaughter of the late Paul Raymond, the porn publisher and property tycoon known as the ‘King of Soho’
One guest wrote online: ‘Omg this weekend has been EPIC. What a wedding. You guys are the coolest.’ Another declared that the couple ‘know how to throw a wedding’.
The event was organised by party planners Atom Events and the setting was perfect for Halloween.
Built in 1859, Oakley Court is a sprawling Victorian Gothic mansion set amid 35 acres of riverside grounds, and appeared as Dr Frank-N-Furter’s castle in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon.
It was also used in several Hammer horror films, including The Curse of Frankenstein and The Brides of Dracula.
The luxury hotel offers exclusive-use weddings, with packages advertised from £40,000 for up to 80 guests.
In 2023, Dazed magazine founder Jefferson Hack and model Anna Cleveland held their wedding reception at the estate, with Jefferson’s ex Kate Moss and Tilda Swinton among the guests.
India’s marriage to Daniel follows her previous engagement to rocker Hugh, whom she met in 2015. The couple got engaged the following year but split in 2017 before making it down the aisle.
Before their British wedding celebration, India and Daniel tied the knot in May at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, surrounded by a small group of friends and family, before celebrating at Thriller Villa, the mansion rented by Michael Jackson where he lived with his three children in the years before his death.
The stunning festivities unfolded in a room swathed in pale fabric, where long banquet tables were lined with scores of candles, white flowers and elaborate place settings
Elsewhere, red lighting illuminated a neon sign bearing the couple’s names and the date ’31st October’, while a separate glowing sign read ‘Confessions’
All eyes stayed on the couple as they took to the dance floor while singer Tom Odell, 35, serenaded them with his ballad, Best Day of My Life, live on the piano
The luxury hotel offers exclusive-use weddings, with packages advertised from £40,000 for up to 80 guests. Pictured, the bride at the hotel
The newlyweds even used a sword to cut their towering wedding cake, which was decorated with cascading white icing, black lace and black bows
The groom wore a black tailcoat, dark bow tie and pale waistcoat
India shared a picture of an Alexander McQueen branded garment bag lying alongside her wedding outfits
Daniel proposed to India last year in a Manhattan tattoo parlour, where he had the words ‘Will you marry me?’ transferred onto his arm before getting down on one knee.
The Mexican-American guitarist and composer grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and is a member of electronic band HÆLOS, which has toured with Depeche Mode and Interpol.
He has also toured internationally with Irish singer CMAT and worked with artists including Passenger and Will Young.
He and India were friends for several years before romance blossomed, and took a road trip across America together in 2023.
India’s family history has been marked by tragedy as well as extraordinary wealth. She and her sister Fawn were raised by India’s father – Fawn’s adoptive father – John James and his partner, Jilly, after their mother, Paul Raymond’s daughter Debbie Raymond, died of a heroin overdose when India was just nine months old. They also have a younger brother, Harvey.
India has built her own career as an art dealer, running the Soho Revue gallery on Greek Street, Soho.
Fawn is chief executive of Soho Estates, the vast property empire they inherited, having taken over from their father John James last year.
The family’s holdings include some of London’s most famous establishments, among them Ronnie Scott’s jazz club and Kettner’s in Soho.