Frenzy as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt get engaged

THE “Brangelina” wedding circus began yesterday with the forthcoming nuptials being christened “the media event of the new century.”

Hollywood supercouple Brad Pitt and Angelina Joile sent the American media machine into overdrive when they confirmed their engagement after the actress was photographed wearing an enormous diamond ring on her wedding finger. Designed by jeweller Robert Procop, it is believed he spent a year working with Pitt to create the sparkler.

The announcement is likely to kickstart months of speculation about where the pair will wed, what they’ll wear and who will be on the guest list.

“This is really a state wedding,” said Stephen Galloway, executive editor of features at The Hollywood Reporter. “This is America’s equivalent to Prince William and Kate Middleton.”

While Britons might think last year’s Royal wedding could be pretty hard to top, the chances are the coverage of Pitt and Jolie’s wedding - whether it is a private, low-key ceremony or an over-the-top public affair, will be just as overwhelming.

Bradley Jacobs, a senior editor at American gossip magazine US Weekly, remarked: “We will not rest until we know when and where and how and who’s going to be there.”

Not least, it seems because of the economic implications of such a high profile set of nuptials. Entire magazine issues are likely to be devoted to each star’s wedding-day outfits and hairdos, while any designer selected to dress the bride could have their career made for life.

“Every single designer on the planet will be pursuing Angelina for the dress,” Galloway said. “It’s literally worth millions of dollars in business.”

Pitt and Jolie have been a couple seven years, and have gathered six children - three of them adopted grom abroad - and countless tabloid headlines in that time. Both stars have been married before, and were first seen together in 2005. The pairing of Pitt, 48 and Jolie, 36, instantly made them Hollywood’s most glamorous and photographed couple. The fact that Pitt was still married to Friends star Jennifer Aniston when he met Jolie only fuelled the tabloid fire. Pitt and Aniston divorced in 2005 after five years of marriage.

Jolie was previously married to Billy Bob Thornton and British actor Jonny Lee Miller.

The couple have not stated when they intend to get married, but said that the engagement “is a promise for the future”.