Eva, Tony Keep It Civil

Eva Longoria is officially halfway to becoming a desperate housewife.

Longoria and NBA superstar Tony Parker tied the knot Friday in a civil ceremony at Paris' City Hall, becoming husband and wife in front of a small group of family and friends about 24 hours before going all out with a much more romantic—and ostentatious—ceremony set in the French countryside.

The 32-year-old actress and the 25-year-old San Antonio Spurs point guard took the matrimonial plunge just before 4:30 p.m. local time. The civil-vows swap, a necessary formality under French law, took place at the Mairie, the city hall for the city's fourth arrondissement. The ceremony was presided over by the Parisian mayor Bertrand Delanoë.

"I am beyond thrilled and ecstatic to have taken the first step with the civil ceremony today," Longoria told OK! Magazine, which shelled out a reported $2 million for the exclusive photos of her wedding. "It was a dream come true in every sense of the word. I felt like a princess!!!!!

"And of course, tomorrow is the big day. Tony and I cannot wait to share this special time with our family and friends."

For the day before her big day, Longoria chose a short pale pink Chanel dress with black and white straps. According to the Associated Press, she was accompanied by eight female attendees, each in a cream, pink or purple dress. The group made its way to the city building in a white stretch limo, curiously adorned with California plates.

"I wanted it to be as special as possible and was honored to wear Chanel couture," she told OK!.

Before entering City Hall, Longoria turned and waved to the gawkers, whose ranks had swelled to nearly 1,000 by the end of the ceremony.

Parker arrived to far less pomp and circumstance 10 minutes later, pulling up in a gray van and wearing the requisite dark suit. He didn't acknowledge the cheering masses, instead quietly greeting officials while the fans began chanting his name.

In between the bride's and groom's arrivals, according to People, members of their party showed up in a white Humvee stretch limo with a large white floral bouquet in its rear window. Among the attendees of the intimate ceremony were French soccer star Thierry Henry and the couple's respective parents.

Prior to the ceremony, Longoria and her family went for a final fitting at the Chanel atelier, while groom Parker hosted a private lunch for his family and friends.

French law requires altar-bound couples to make it official at City Hall, even if they plan on following up the formality with a church bash—as the Parkers clearly do.

While the couple have managed to keep several key details of their nuptials a secret, they have let slip more than a few hints about the big day.

The Parkers will again exchange I-do's in a larger service Saturday at the Church of Saint Germain l'Auxerrois. They are expected to hold a reception at the 17th century Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte, located just outside Paris.

Roughly 250 guests are expected to attend tomorrow's service. In addition to Longoria's Desperate Housewives pals Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Nicollette Sheridan, James Denton, Ricardo Chavira and creator Marc Cherry—costar Marcia Cross was invited but cannot attend because of her twin babies, per People—the guest list reportedly includes Parker's Spurs teammates, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Terence Howard, Sheryl Crow, Victoria Beckham and Jessica Alba.

On Thursday, Parker and Longoria welcomed the first of their guests with a private chartered boat ride along the Seine.

According to Life & Style, more than 250 of their closest friends boarded the boat just before 8 p.m. for a leisurely ride that lasted roughly four hours. After the yacht docked on the riverfront, the newlywed couple made their way back to the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme hotel, where they're sharing a suite, while their guests, including hairstylist Ken Paves and stylist Robert Verdi, were bussed back to their own accomodations.

Ths is the first marriage for Parker and the second for Longoria. She was previously wed to General Hospital star Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2004.

• Something old, something new...Check out The Hum for our recommended gifts for Tony & Eva.