As celebrity-wedding watchers ponder whether Luttrellstown Castle is the venue for the wedding of the year or just an elaborate decoy, one thing is certain: Victoria "Posh Spice" Adams and David Beckham are ready and entitled to get hitched here.
The Irish Times has confirmed that the most talked about couple since Charles and Diana have given notification to the Registrar of Civil Marriages in Dublin of their intention to marry in the State in line with legal requirements. The couple have followed all the procedures to allow them to wed here on Sunday if they wish. "Three months' notice has been served" a source said.
As evidence of their impending presence at Luttrellstown mounted this week (new carpets, freshly sandblasted walls, the appearance of burly security guards with English accents) management at the Co Dublin venue continued to evade skilfully the relentless media enquiries about the exact venue of the wedding, thought to be planned for Sunday.
Equally skilful was the shameless harvesting of the acres of free publicity for the venue that has followed.
A source there said that while she would be absolutely delighted" to talk, the business of existing or future clients was "strictly confidential".
The spokeswoman had no such qualms about revealing that the basic fee for a wedding at the 15th century castle is £10,000 but that a couple could expect to shell out considerably more on food, wine, security and, in this case, a voluminous marquee to hold an estimated 300 guests.
The average wedding dinner at Luttrellstown is priced at around £50 a head but it is thought the couple have their own team of chefs being flown in especially for the occasion. A no-nonsense English meal is said to be the wedding repast of choice of the couple.
Past guests at the five-star hotel have included Queen Victoria, Fred Astaire, Grace Kelly and rock band REM. Luttrellstown is owned by a French company - the Primwest Group - which bought it from the Guinness family in 1984.
If the rumour mill is to be believed, the wedding has been designed with a fairy-tale theme in mind. Which is appropriate because through nothing more than pouting moodily in improbably high heels with pop band the Spice Girls, Posh has secured the happiest of endings.
The bride-to-be is said to want geese and swans wandering about on the lawn after spotting the scene in the comedy movie, Father of the Bride. Animal protection authorities have already expressed concern for the safety of the 1000 white doves she is reported as wanting to release on the day as a token of love for Manchester United player Beckham. A mini fun-fair in the grounds has also been mooted as the best diversion for younger guests, including the couple's own baby, Brooklyn.
Laying down style rules for guests is very much in vogue - Edward and Sophie recently requested that guests at their wedding remained hatless - and this celebrity couple have been fashionably strict. Male guests are being asked to wear specially designed black suits and women will wear white evening dress for the event.
The 300 guests, including the three other Spice Girls (retired Spice Geri Halliwell is thought not to have been invited) and most of the Manchester United team will be ferried from the airport to upmarket city centre hotels and on to the venue itself, in a selection of vehicles ranging from people movers to saloons to flashy silver limousines.
Several chauffeur companies have already been approached to cater for transport needs. Gerry Devlin of Metro Chauffeur Drive in Dublin was staying typically tight-lipped, saying only that they were very busy over the weekend generally and that there was "a big job" in the offing.
Uncertainty still hangs over whether the pop star and her soccer-playing fiance will be having their official wedding ceremony in the State. There is speculation that it may be taking place at a church or registry office in England before the couple fly in.
Riverdance or opera-style entertainment is often provided at Luttrellstown for such lavish events but this is the one department where Posh and Beck will be able to make considerable savings. Stars such as George Michael and Elton John are widely rumoured to be acting as the ultimate unpaid wedding band to churn out suitably sloppy hits, such as Your Song. This is all very well, some more conventional wedding enthusiasts might carp, but do they know The Fields of Athenry?